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Category Archives: San Antonio

Our Last San Antonio Adventure: A Stay at the Omni La Mansión del Rio

I had been wanting to stay at the Omni La Mansión del Rio ever since we first enjoyed brunch there. The food and service were always excellent, so I had a feeling a stay at this river walk hotel would be just as wonderful.

When we started looking for a San Antonio hotel, I did a fair amount of research considering we’d lived in the area for almost three years. I was surprised how reasonable the rates at the Omni La Mansión del Rio were compared to other nearby hotels.

Our stay started off with the same kind of excellent service that we’d experienced when we’d gone to the Omni for brunch. The moment my daughter stepped out of the car, she received an Omni kids pack that included a magnifying glass, frisbee, and some small toys in a cute little backpack. She was thrilled…which meant I was thrilled too.

There were several things I liked about our stay at the Omni:

Location: Sure, the riverwalk might be a little touristy, but it really is pleasant when it isn’t too crowded. Plus, a riverwalk hotel allows you to be within easy walking distance of restaurants, bars, shops, and the lauching point for the river cruises.

Outstanding Food: As I said, I love brunch at the Omni La Mansión del Rio, but during our stay we got to experience dinner there instead. The service was impeccable. Although everything was wonderful, the appetizer is what really stood out to me. It consisted of three cheese puffs accompanied by sweet bell pepper coulis: one filled with zucchini and mint, the second with gruyère and comté, and the third with brie and sun dried tomato.

Cozy Room: I loved the room’s unique design. It definitely had a San Antonio flare that you don’t find at all hotels. It was warm and inviting, not stuffy or pretentious. Take a look:

Room Service Coffee: One thing I like about Omni hotels in general is that members of their select guest program (you can sign up for free when you make your reservation) receive complimentary morning beverages like coffee or juice. I’m hopelessly addicted to caffeine, so I like being able to have a coffee delivered to my room first thing instead of having to leave the hotel in search of a Starbucks.

Even though we liked this hotel, it might not work for every family. The rooms were descent-sized, but not huge. I could see this being a problem for larger families. Although the room could sleep four people, I think a family of four or more would feel confined in a standard room. Also, the pool is very peaceful and pleasant…perfect for those travelling without kids. However, the pool area didn’t have the kid-friendly vibe that you find at many hotels and resorts these days.

Overall, we really enjoyed our stay.

Note: All opinions are my own. I was not asked to write this post, nor was I compensated in any way.

Stingrays Up-Close Tour at Sea World San Antonio

The Stingrays Up-Close Tour at Sea World San Antonio offers visitors the opportunity to feed and touch stingrays, touch a shark, and get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the park. Although it’s rare to feel like you’ve gotten your money’s worth at an amusement park these days, we did feel like the cost of this add-on was reasonable. (The tour is $10/adult and $8/child, not including the general admission park ticket.)

First, we got to learn about stingrays, watch them swim, touch them, and feed them fish. My four-year-old daughter had a little trouble holding the fish properly so that the stingrays would take it from her hands. Overall, it was a really cool experience, even for adults!

Stingrays. Sea World San Antonio.

Next, our tour group went over to the tank that houses the white-spotted bamboo sharks. My daughter has become really fascinated by sharks, so she was excited and nervous for this portion of the tour. After my husband and I both touched the shark, E. found the courage to give it a try. (Notice her grip on my husband’s neck in the second picture below!)

Touching a white-spotted bamboo shark. Sea World San Antonio

Touching a white-spotted bamboo shark. Sea World San Antonio

I was really proud of E. for being brave. I’m sure the thought of touching a small shark doesn’t seem scary to many people, but I was glad E. tried something new.

The description of the Stingrays Up-Close Tour did not include our next two stops on the tour, so it was a pleasant surprise that we got to stop by the dolphin pool on our way out, as well as get a peek at a species of sea lion that is endangered. (The sea lions are being housed at Sea World at the request of the government, according to our tour guide.) These little extras–a few minutes watching the dolphins and sea lions–made the tour worth the money, in my mind.

The entire tour lasted 60 minutes. This seemed like the perfect amount of time for kids to stay engaged in an activity and allowed us plenty of time to enjoy some of the rides and other attractions at Sea World before we left.

Note: All opinions are my own. Tour prices and other details should be verified with the park before you head out.

Around Town

An instagram summary of my weekend:

Sea World San Antonio. Azul

Guenther House. San Antonio, TX

Reflection in the river. San Antonio, TX

The river at work. San Antonio, TX

San Antonio, TX. By the river.

If you’d like to follow me on instagram, search for wanderingoff.

The Sweet and Spicy “Inferno” Cupcake

Not long ago, I wrote about a local cupcake shop called Cupcake Couture. I wouldn’t normally write about their delicious baked goods again so soon, but I had to share this.

Inferno Chocolate cupcake from Cupcake Couture. San Antonio, TX

It is the “Inferno Chocolate” cupcake, which consists of habanero chocolate cake and a raspberry cream cheese frosting. The sweetness of the raspberry frosting really complimented the spiciness of the cake.

Something about the unusual combination of habanero and chocolate reminded me of the Vosges milk chocolate bacon bar that I tried a few months ago. Bacon…chocolate…two of my favorite foods on earth. How can you go wrong with that?

If you try an Inferno cupcake, just make sure that you order a glass of water to go with it. Then come back and leave a comment telling me what you think! Too spicy, too tame, or just right?

Happy Wednesday! Thanks for reading Wandering Off.

Bloggers Are People Too

I blog, and I tweet. I use linkedin, facebook, foursquare, and instagram. Basically, I’m a full-fledged social media nerd.

As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time alone in a dark, windowless room staring at a computer screen.

In the words of Cher from Clueless: AS IF!

Bloggers at the Westin La Cantera's Taste of Texas Wine. Sept, 2011.
At the Westin La Cantera’s Taste of Texas Wine party. From left: Stacy of Kids Stuff World, Heather of Geekette Bits, me, and Kim of flutiemcd

It turns out there are lots of other social media nerds like me, and I’ve been fortunate to meet many of them over the past two years. A few have even become my good real-life friends.

There’s a perception that people are different in-person than they are online where everything is semi-anonymous, but that’s not what I’ve discovered. So far, everyone I’ve met has been friendly, out-going, and even more charming than they are online.

As we get ready to move in a little over a month, I can’t help but think about the great social media community here in San Antonio. If you live in San Antonio and are thinking of starting a blog, DO IT! Your writing will improve, you’ll be more motivated to find new things to do (you need material for the blog, right?), and you’ll have the chance to meet some outstanding people.

Note: I was invited to the Taste of Texas Wine even by the Westin La Cantera and attended free of charge. However, I was not asked by the Westin to write this post and all opinions are my own. If you’d like to join the wine-tasting fun, remember that the Westin offers wine tasting every day from 5-6 pm in Steinheimer’s Lounge for $10. Wine tasting is open to resort guests and the general public.

Outdoor Fun Near San Antonio: Fiesta Farm

Pony Ride. Fiesta Farm.

Fiesta Farm isn’t a big touristy petting zoo. It’s a little place that, in our experience, has never been crowded or overwhelming.

Despite it’s small size, the farm offers all kinds of outdoor experiences. Kids can play in the sandbox, eat a picnic lunch in the shade, ride a pony, feed goats and bunnies, and check out the llamas, pigs, and chickens.

Admission is $7 per person and includes two pony rides and some carrots to feed the rabbits.

Although the pony rides are available for younger children, kids 6 years and over can go on a horseback trail ride for $35 per hour.

Tips for visiting Fiesta Farm:

–Although sinks are provided for cleaning up, you might want to bring along some hand sanitizer just in case.
–Wear old shoes. This is a farm afterall!
–Bring a hat and sunscreen. Although there is quite a bit of shade, there are some sunny areas too.
–Visitors are allowed to bring their own food and drinks. If you forget to bring your own, cold drinks are available for $1.

Pig. Fiesta Farm.

Llama. Fiesta Farm

Call Fiesta Farm to verify hours or for more information: 210-316-3166.

Note: I was not compensated for writing this post, and all opinions are my own.

A Hopeful End to a Summer of Drought

Without an end to the Texas drought in sight, I sometimes worry about the beautiful local, state, and national parks in this part of the country. Recovery could be a long process and that worries me. I want other families to be able to enjoy the outdoors like we have during our two years in San Antonio.

But today something happened that made me think everything will recover and that nature has a way of overcoming the harshest conditions.

My daughter and I visited O.P. Schnabel Park today to have a picnic lunch. This park is by no means remote. In fact, I could see the large YMCA building from our picnic table, and I could hear cars cruising by on busy Bandera Road. But despite the park’s proximity to civilization–and despite the drought–we got to experience nature at its best.

As we organized our food on the table, we noticed three deer in the distance (although they’re nearly impossible to see in this picture).

Spotting wildlife at OP Schnabel Park

This was fun enough, but it gets better. Two of the deer, a fawn and its mom, approached us. They were hesitant, but they kept coming closer to our picnic table. Eventually the adorable fawn was standing just a few feet away from my daughter. E. was thrilled! She started to “baby talk” to the deer in the same voice that she uses to talk to our dog.

“Come here little fella. It’s ok!”

The fawn inched closer, the mom following close behind, and I managed to get a picture.

It was pure magic. It made me hopeful.

Fawn at OP Schnabel Park

WanderFood Wednesday: BBQ Pork Nachos

It’s been an action-packed summer for our family! Boston, St. Louis, Houston, and the Smokies…I’m still catching my breath. As I sit here trying to think about all of the interesting things I’ve eaten lately, the one I keep coming back to is this: (and it can be found right here in San Antonio)

BBQ Pork Nachos. Brannon's Cafe. Westin La Cantera.

These are the BBQ Pork Nachos from Brannon’s Cafe at the Westin La Cantera. They may look like your standard nachos, but there’s one major difference (besides the tender, delicious pork). Those green things are candied jalapenos. I love the sweet-and-savory combo.

I haven’t tried making my own candied jalapenos yet, but I might give it a try. I’m envisioning them on top of a bagel and cream cheese or as a delicious pizza topping.

To read other WanderFood Wednesday posts, or to add your own to the link-up, visit Wanderlust and Lipstick.

You also might be interested in reading:

Our Westin La Cantera Staycation
Insider Tips: Making the Most of Your Stay at the Westin La Cantera

Note: I received a complimentary lunch at Brannon’s Cafe during a bloggers getaway at the resort. However, all opinions are my own.

Possibly the Prettiest Cupcakes You’ve Ever Seen

Cupcakes from Cupcake Couture. San Antonio, TX

I know what you’re thinking.

Yes, they taste just as good as they look!

I wanted to thank my friend for watching our dog while we were out of town, so I bought her some cupcakes from Cupcake Couture. Of course, my daughter and I had to go back (twice) to get more cupcakes and do further research for this post!

The cupcakes in the picture are: white wedding (white cake with buttercream frosting, strawberry filling, and chocolate shavings), red velvet, carrot cake, and chocolate confetti.

I have also tried the strawberry cupcake, and I think it’s my favorite. It consists of strawberry cake with white frosting, chocolate drizzle, and a fresh strawberry on top. Yum!

Cupcake Couture has two locations in San Antonio:

11851 Bandera Road #122
Helotes, TX 78203
210-695-5115

4710 Broadway Street
Alamo Heights, TX 78209
210-595-6375

To read other food-themed posts, stop by WanderFood Wednesday at Wanderlust and Lipstick.

Feel Free to Steal This Idea Next Year: Father’s Day at Roaring Fork

I knew I wanted to take my husband out to dinner to celebrate Father’s Day, but I wasn’t sure which restaurant to choose. I wanted to go somewhere we hadn’t eaten before, but I also hoped to find a restaurant that he’d definitely like. In other words, different but dependable.

The dinner menu at Roaring Fork, located north of San Antonio, looked perfect. They serve American/Tex-Mex food with a twist. For instance, I ordered a huckleberry margarita. Although I’m glad I tried it, I think I would have preferred a beer!

For dinner, I ordered the Roaring Fork “Big Ass” Burger. (And I deserve an award for saying “big ass” because now I’m going to be plagued by all kinds of weird comments from people who googled “big ass” and somehow ended up here. But I digress.)

Father's Day at Roaring Fork, San Antonio

The burger was indeed big, as you can see. It was also delicious.

My husband ordered the beef short rib tacos, which he said were good. (And I take his word for it since he ate every bite.)

Overall, Roaring Fork was a great choice for Father’s Day, and I have a feeling we’ll be back before next June.

For more food-themed posts, stop by WanderFood Wednesday.

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