Glam Staycation at the Westin Hotel in Downtown Austin
I had the privilege of being invited to stay at The Westin Hotel a few weeks ago, and I had the loveliest time! The hotel treated Joel and I to a wonderful room, delicious eats and drinks at Azul Rooftop, and a classy dinner at Stella San Jac. (We also stayed at The Westin for two nights after our wedding last year and it was equally as wonderful, but this post is about my most recent stay with the most updated menu items!)
Azul Rooftop doesn’t just have a great view, but they have a huge lounge, several cabanas, and a gorgeous blue pool! The pool is now only open to hotel guests, and day passes are no longer available. While this might upset some people, it provides extra exclusivity and privacy for hotel guests, which is important to The Westin Hotel. I noticed a big shift in the “party” vibe from visiting last year to this year, and I prefer the quiet, tame pool vibe. The menu has greatly decreased in size, and they got rid of my favourite chips and dips, but there are still a few great options like the loaded fried avocado salad and the turkey avocado wrap. I also really like the blood orange margarita and frose.
Our hotel room had a lovely king size bed (that was so comfortable it was hard to wake up and get to work the next day). We had a south-facing view and the huge windows brought in so much pretty daylight! We also enjoyed the plush robes and appreciated the ample glassware (a staycation isn’t complete until you crack open a bottle of sparkling wine in your room and drink it in bed).
I’ve been to Stella San Jac several times, but this last visit was my most favourite. We started out with some yummy cocktails – the cranberry mule for him and the cucumber vodka for me. Next we had two of my fave appetizers – the salmon tartare with a quail egg yolk, lemon vin and brioche, and lamb meatballs with harissa and mint sauce. They are so good and I don’t have enough words to explain it so I just need you to go try it yourself, ok?!
For our mains, I had the pad thai with foie gras (soooo decadent) and Joel had the lobster mac and cheese (also very decadent). These portions were very generous, full of flavor, and made for great leftovers!! They have a great wine list – I had a glass of Decoy by Duckhorn and Joel had a glass of Terrazas de los Andes.
We barely had room left for dessert, but we couldn’t resist the espresso martini and caramel cheesecake with fresh berries. It was absolutely perfect!
I recommend The Westin for a romantic staycation, a girls weekend, a business trip or anything in between! They really do a great job at making it a professional but fun place to enjoy the pool, the food, and all that downtown has to offer!
