by Paul and Lynnette B., Developer
As a mother of three, family vacations have always been vacations for my husband and kids, not for me, as most of you moms out there know. So imagine my delight when, upon arriving at the Sierra Royale All Suite Hotel (210) 647-0041 in San Antonio, I was struck with the realization that maybe, just maybe, this could be a vacation for us all!

Sierra Royale is an all-suite hotel located very conveniently in Northwest San Antonio. I would more appropriately call it a "condominium hotel", as each suite comes complete with a washer and dryer, a full kitchen, living and dining rooms, at least two bathrooms, and one or two bedrooms. Among the many obvious benefits, these amenities enabled my daughter to get soaking wet at Sea World (this is half the reason the kids want to go, is it not?), do a load of wash that night, and wear the same favorite pair of jeans the next day. No more whining over the unavailability of clothes while away from home? This alone is like a dream come true.

There is a very nice pool and jacuzzi on the property, which we enjoyed after a long day visiting the Alamo and the appropriately fabled riverwalk downtown. Every morning in the property's clubhouse, which is right by the pool, they serve a complimentary continental breakfast including doughnuts, assorted fruits, bagels & cream cheese, cereal, sausage biscuits (heated in a microwave), coffee, tea, milk, CHOCOLATE milk, and all the orange juice you can drink. Our kids loved it, and so did we. This, along with the availability of a kitchen, allowed us to save a significant amount of money we otherwise would have spent at restaurants (hence my husband was also one happy camper).

As mentioned, Sea World and downtown San Antonio are each less than 15 minutes away, and there are grocery stores and a Target (for last minute sunscreen runs) just one or two miles down the road.
The units are spacious, clean, and pleasant, the staff is very professional, the grounds are lovely, and the benefit of having two bedrooms (with their own bathrooms) goes without saying. Lastly, because we were able to keep up with the wash there, I was able to come home without facing the dreaded dirty laundry festering in the suitcases. This in fact was the biggest benefit of all: finally, for me, once home I still felt like our family vacation was REALLY a vacation.

Photography by: Paul and Lynnette B.