What It’s Like to Take a “Workation” at a Top San Antonio Resort

For the past six months, I’ve been trying to figure out where to take a trip to give myself a break from the all-consuming stress that comes with living through a pandemic. Destination ideas jumped from West Texas to Colorado, but I didn’t yet feel completely comfortable flying or being that far away from home during this time. Then, one day I came across a spacious resort about 30 minutes north of downtown San Antonio — the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa.

Complete with a 9-acre waterpark, spa, 18-hole PGA Tournament worthy golf course (which I would never use, but still cool), tennis and basketball courts, and several on-site restaurants, the hotel seemed like a great option to escape the Groundhog Day scenario I was living out in Dallas for a bit.

We arrived at the resort on a Tuesday afternoon, spent a couple of hours by the pool with a cocktail from the outdoor bar, floated along the 1,100-foot lazy river, had dinner at High Velocity (which offers a crazy appetizer platter of brisket nachos that was completely worth it), and went to sleep early. I felt safe the entire time. The families and other visitors I saw roaming around were also wearing masks indoors, and even when they were in close proximity to others outside. There was more than enough space to keep our distance while still feeling that intangible benefit of being around other people that we’ve been lacking for so long.

During our stay, we took part in the new Work, Learn, and Play package that the JW Marriott San Antonio is offering — or “workcation” package. Meant for a family or group, we had more than enough room to spread out and set up an office of sorts in our suite with a connecting guest room. It was nice — one of us could take a nap while the other worked from their laptop or took phone calls at the large, eight-seat dining table in the adjoining room. The package also comes with a complimentary breakfast buffet at Cibolo Moon, making it easy to get energized for a day of work or lounging by the pool. Also, a $50 per night credit comes with the package to apply towards any food and beverage spot on-site, including High Velocity, 18 Oaks, Cibolo Moon, Crooked Branch, Rivertop Grill, and Starbucks.

The rain tragically came on our second day, so we couldn’t make it out to the pool. Thankfully, San Antonio’s Pearl District was just a 30 minute drive south. The historic grounds of Pearl Brewery, which was open from 1883 to 2001, is now a go-to for great dining and shopping. And though we couldn’t enter the Hotel Emma lobby since we weren’t guests (COVID-19 protocol), we got a glimpse of the boutique hotel while dining at Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery. You can see photos from when PaperCity‘s Courtney Dabney went to the hotel last month here. Southerleigh makes their own beer and is a great spot to try out some brews with quirky names like “Space Versace” or “Darwinian IPA.” They also sell cans to-go.

Later on, we also swung by a hole-in-the-wall wine bar in Stone Oak called Copa Wine Bar, as we were in Hill Country after all. Only about 20 minutes southeast of the JW Marriott San Antonio, Copa is an intimate spot for wine, cheese, and bites like pizza and Italian sandwiches. A lot of the local wineries and vineyards are temporarily closed due to Covid-19 restrictions, but this was a great spot to have a similar experience with wine flights. There are 10 flights to choose from ranging from “Sweet Tooth” wines to “Pinot Envy.” They each come with four kinds of wine in 2 ounce pours.

If you’re looking for other rainy day, indoor activities, the Natural Bridge Caverns, the Witte Museum, and McNay Art Museum, and San Antonio Museum of Art are also nearby.

Overall, the trip was a success and gave me the confidence to take another in the near future. Just seeing how well the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa is handling COVID-19 and the precautions they have in place gave me the assurance I needed to consider traveling again. For more information on the Work, Learn & Play Package, which can come with either one or two King beds, check out this link. The discount code “P91” can be used at checkout.