American Airlines 767-300 First Class Review/San Antonio August 2015

Hotel: Marriott Plaza San Antonio

Distance from San Antonio International Airport: 9.6 miles (17 minutes) ($35 taxi ride, Uber is illegal in San Antonio)

Length of stay: 4 Nights

Average nightly rate: $169 Avg/Night.

The Flight:

On top of visiting San Antonio I also purposely booked a flight out of Miami to travel on American Airlines 767-300. These planes usually only fly international routes, I was a bit disappointed to find out though that the specific plane I flew on wasn't one of the renovated ones. Regardless I was still surprised with the service, the food and the overall experience of my flight.

The plane is configured in a 2-2-2 seating arrangement, there are a total of 36 seats in this specific first class cabin. I have flown on the AA Retrofit 767 and they are beautiful, this one was a bit outdated but I was happy to have a fully lay down seat on my 3 hour flight. American is still working on renovating all of their planes as well as painting the US Airways planes as they finalize the merger of the 2 airlines. As of October 1st 2015 American and US will officially be one airline and work under one reservation system.

After take off it took the flight attendants about 25 minutes to begin the in flight service, this was a morning flight so breakfast was being offered. She first brought me a hot towel and took my drink order, she then asked me if I would like a spinach quiche with fresh fruits or oatmeal (obviously I went for the quiche). The meal was enjoyable and the fruit was actually fresh, I then decided to lay my seat down and take a nap. I honestly wish that every plane was equipped with these seats, being able to lay down and nap takes the hassle out of flying.

My favorite thing in the world is being pleasantly surprised. Every aspect of this trip became an unexpected adventure. I came to a city that I had no previous knowledge about, I ended up drenched in the culture and the beauty of the people as well as the culinary options.

The Hotel:

I just recently became a Marriott Reward's Silver Member before this stay so I was exited to see what benefits they had to offer compared to Hilton. As my Taxi pulled up to the downtown area I was amazed with the beauty of this city. Most of Texas carries a heavy influence of the Mexican culture which I love but San Antonio heavily accent's it. The Marriott Plaza was one of the best I have stayed in. Marriott's usually seem to have the same interior design and dark lighting which makes me steer away from them but this one was unique. I presented the front desk with my Marriott Rewards number and they upgraded me to a corner room with balcony on the top floor. I LOVE BALCONIES!!! There is nothing better in my opinion than waking up and making a cup of coffee and enjoying it on the balcony (Especially with the view I had).

(7th Floor Corner Room)

(View Off The Balcony)

The Hotel seemed to have some extra amenities that other hotels don't which is always a bonus. For example, the gym offered snack bars, fresh fruits and water bottles for the guests to replenish after exercising. The room had a fully stocked coffee bar with 3 different types of coffees and teas along with a coffee maker all for free. I also enjoyed their outdoor pool, it had a modern design and was good for a night swim as well as being able to relax in the jacuzzi.

(Gym)

(In Room Coffee Bar)

(Pool)

San Antonio Must Eat Restaurant: Casa Rio (Avg. Plate $15)

Upon Check-in I heard the front desk attendant telling a lady that she can't leave San Antonio without seeing River Walk. To me it sounded like your typical commercial mall with restaurants but boy was I wrong. I decided to take the second hand advice and took about a 3 block walk to River Side. It is a man made river that flows through the heart of San Antonio built back in 1939. It was originally built as a bypass channel to avoid flooding problems but eventually became the #1 attraction in San Antonio. Casa Rio was the first restaurant built on the river bend in 1946, since then it has offered a cultural culinary dining experience for the guest that pass through. Today River Walk is crowded with countless dining options and it makes it an attraction like no other I have seen in the world.

(River Walk)

(Casa Rio From Across The River)

(Casa Rio Dining By The River)

The Mexican culture in this city is authentic, the styles of cooking, the hospitality, and the love of the people is something that cant be fabricated. I decided to eat their most famous dish at Casa Rio (which I forgot the name) and it was fabulous. When you sit down they bring you fresh chips and salsa, guacamole and a queso as well. This was not an elegant meal whatsoever, but it was one of those meals that I will remember for the rest of my life.

It seemed like every street I turned in this city would lead to a new adventure. It is filled with speakeasy's, pubs, hipster bars and fusion restaurants. Normally cities have an area downtown where every thing is concentrated in but San Antonio kept going and going. I ended up the 3rd night at a mall called River Center Mall. It was just a typical mall but the cool thing was that the river flows right through the middle. People can pay $8 and hop on a gondola and take a historic boat ride down the river.

(River Center Mall)

There was something on this trip that truly warmed my heart and it was a simple note that I received from my housekeeping attendant. Regardless of a good majority of the people in this town not speaking english they still do as much as they can to welcome you to their home. It is something that needs to be accepted in general in this country. San Antonio is filled with immigrants from Mexico that come to find a better life and they have done a great job at building this city. I believe that is the reason why San Antonio is such a big tourist destination. The picture below is the note the house keeping attendant left me, it is not a big deal whatsoever. But just check the spelling on the last word, her effort filled my heart with joy and it made my whole stay. I wasn't able to find her after that to give her a hug but I left her a tip that hopefully made her day.

If you have any questions about San Antonio or travel in general feel free to message me through Google Circles.