Description: The Hotel San Jose is one of my all-time favorite hotels. It is done in a Hotel California style (à la the Eagles hit song) and is one of the most perfectly put together hotels I have stayed at. It is hard to articulate exactly what I liked so much, other than to say it just all fit together really well in a way that seemed just right for Austin and SOCO (the more eclectic area South of Congress). There is absolutely nothing pretentious about the place, and you feel like the hotel is a labor of love for the owners.
There is a great outdoor area for drinks and meals. I highly recommend you have breakfast here (or delivered to your room on funky boxed food trays), because the food is excellent. But the bar area also attracts a really laid-back, hip crowd, so have a couple of drinks before you hit the town.
You can stay in a few different types of rooms. There are bungalow-type units, which are very spacious and next to the pool area. Or you can stay at one of the smaller rooms above the front desk area. I stayed in one of these rooms and thought it was really cool. They are pretty sparse, but the colors, the furniture, and the little touches (i.e., the funky list of music and movies you can get at the front desk) make it a neat place to stay. Interestingly, you share a bathroom if you are in one of these smaller units. But it didn’t feel weird, and I liked the change of pace vs. other hotels I had recently stayed at. Having said that, book early so that you can get a bungalow, because they have their own bathrooms and they are pretty special.
The hotel is in a great area of town. It is located in the SOCO area, which has some funky shops, bars, and clubs. Right across the street is the Continental Club (which is a famous Austin institution that is a great place for live music). Make sure you try Jo’s for coffee in the morning. It is a neat outdoor takeout coffee and snack shop that is owned by the owners of the Hotel San Jose.
All said, I can’t recommend this hotel strongly enough. But plan ahead, because it books up a bit in advance.
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