The San Antonio River walk

Quixote :
If anyone stays at Manger, order the mango ice cream and inquire about its history. Ask about ghost tours.

Donnawisdom : We liked the Marriott best. Park your car and you are there...riverwalk, shopping, dining.
We like The Guenther House for breakfast. Home of Pioneer Flour Mills. They are open a few days during Christmas break. Have fun!
guentherhouse.com/

Donnawisdom : When vacationing in SA and not staying with relatives. We get rooms at the Menger but I will warn you that the hotel is totally haunted but then again the whole town is haunted thanks to the Alamo.

Donnawisdom :
You better hurry up and get a hotel reservation. Actually I doubt if you will find accommodations on the River Walk this late. If you can find a room, it's gonna be expensive… very expensive, like money is no object expensive.

RaggedyAnn : We love The Guenther House !

Donnawisdom : We love going to the River Walk in SA. It is beautiful at Christmas time with all the lights. The River Walk lights were turned on this year on November 28 and will shine brightly each night through January 11, 2026. When we lived in SA we never visited the River Walk close to the holidays. We would go sometime at the beginning of December and then wait till after New Years to go again. It will be very crowded. Even so, you will have a wonderful time! Just take precautions and be sure you keep your purse very close or just don't take one when you go out. Stay with your group, don't venture off by yourself, and stay away from the less populated areas. Omni La Mansión Del Rio is a great place to stay. There are lots of nice hotels and It would be great to find one that had multiple rooms so you can be close but have your own space.

Wanderer : The Minger is great!

donnatella : And they used to put fresh cookies and milk in your room each evening. I'm not sure if they still do that though.
You better check quick as I imagine rooms are getting scarce!

Donnawisdom : My husband and I went on our Honeymoon to the Riverwalk. I don't fly so I wanted to stay close so we stayed on the river for a week overlooking the Riverwalk. We had a blast!It's really beautiful.

Donnawisdom : I had stores in SATX when I was working. In fact, we used to live there, so I felt very comfortable navigating around the city. My favorite 2 places to stay on the river were the Hilton Del Rio and La Mansion. I always had my secretary/admin book a riverside room. During December, church groups rent one of the river cruise boats and motor up and down the river, singing Christmas carols. Good food, bright lights, and festive music are what make a SATX Chrismas special.

TEXASGIRLMAMMA :
Love the hotel, restaurant, and even the pool area. We especially loved doing the ghost tours.

It is cold.

Donnawisdom :
You're going to spend most of your time at the AirBnB, not at the actual riverwalk. Optimize for what you'll do the most. A nice BnB will have better beds, better kitchens, more bathrooms etc.
Plus you'll get a nice little backyard or courtyard to have coffee and relax in.You'll pay a hefty premium for a riverwalk hotel and to be honest, the river walk is really a day's worth of sight seeing tops. It's mostly chains and bars.A BnB in Alamo Heights will put you 6 mins from the Riverwalk, minutes from the Zoo, the Witte Museum, and tons of actual local restaurants/cafes/etc
Plus you'll be close to the Pearl which is almost as pretty as the river walk

Donnawisdom :
I'd go and stay on the Riverwalk. Find out when the Christmas parade is. The use to have a nice hotel there called La Masion on the River centrally located. Downtown parking may be pricy.

Donnawisdom :
It's Magical, lots of Fun!
Be prepared for crowds, but that's half the fun!❤️