Where: San Antonio, Texas
When: year-round
If you like: urban escapes, dining and drinks
Why you should go: They say everything is bigger in Texas, and in San Antonio, that includes your 2026 to-do list. The Pearl district, set alongside the San Antonio River, makes a fine starting point. There you’ll find Hotel Emma, which is marking its ten-year anniversary. It’s an ideal home base for anyone whose New Year’s resolutions include sipping chilled margs, enjoying a state-of-the-art spa, or soaking up semi-scandalous history (the hotel takes its name from a tale involving romance, murder, and three women named Emma). Once the iconic Pearl Brewing Company and now boasting two Michelin Keys, the hotel still pulls pints from its industrial-chic tavern—but the addition of a rooftop pool and rooms outfitted with claw-foot tubs results in what concierge Michele Jacob calls “a combination of high design and historic preservation.”
Steps away, Pearl’s Pullman Market epitomizes the city’s UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy status. Founded by an all-star cohort of chefs, its restaurant ecosystem includes the lauded Isidore, which celebrates foraging and best-of-Texas ingredients. “To have created something where people who don’t live here can experience the very best showcase of food from our state, in any given season, is just so fun,” says Danny Parada, the Market’s director of restaurants. While savoring Wagyu steaks and handpicked mezcals can (rightfully) dominate a day’s activities, borrowing a hotel cruiser bike to explore the River Walk or catching a concert at historic Stable Hall is easily arranged. After all, Hotel Emma has had a decade to perfect the art of showing off San Antonio’s blend of urban sophistication and old-world charm.
G&G tip: Mark your calendar for the end of October and beginning of November. Each fall, San Antonio plays host to the largest Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration in the States.
