Where to Stay in Austin: Archer Hotel
Austin, Texas is known for its great local food, music, art, design, and rapidly expanding city. It's become a destination city for fun weekend getaways and bachelor/bachelorette parties. After all, good food, entertainment, and fun things to explore all make for the perfect weekend getaway, no?
While I'll be sharing an entire Austin city guide with you guys soon, I wanted to share my experience at the Archer Austin first because it just surpassed my expectations on every level.
When looking for the best place to stay in Austin, I discovered that the Archer Austin had newly opened. The newest addition to the boutique hotel scene down in Austin, it is located about a 15 minute drive north of Downtown, in the brand-new center called Domain Northside. The Domain is practically a mini city in its own right, with the amount of stores and restaurants they have!
The Hotel
The first thing I noticed aside from the outstandingly welcoming valet and staff, was that there was no mistaking that I was in Texas.
Giant horses on the walls, star chandeliers and on the ceilings, and yup, that circular pool even has a star in it. While this could have easily become tacky if not done correctly, the Archer pulls it off beautifully and I loved how bold yet elegant it all was.
There is also an in-house restaurant called Second Bar + Kitchen that serves up delicious seasonal new-American fare (the Congress Burger is highly recommended with the truffle frites!), a plentiful menu of unique cocktails, eclectic local beers + ciders, and wine. When you book your room direct through Archer's website, you also get a $20 voucher you can spend at the restaurant + bar or anywhere in the hotel (with the exception of room rates).
Customer service is also a huge factor to me, and the staff could not have been more warm and welcoming, going out of their way to accommodate anything we needed help with. The staff whisked our stuff off to the room to have waiting for us while we finished our check-in process.
The Room
After checking in, we headed up to our room, only to be surprised with an upgrade to the Archer King Balcony Suite. My jaw dropped open a bit when seeing the ginormous standalone tub (my Pinterest dream!), the sliding doors, canopy bed, and balcony with a fireplace. Now THAT'S how you do a King Balcony Suite.
I loved the design of the room, in particular. The open layout made the entire room feel massive, the minimal yet luxurious decor, and there was not a single thing in there that was placed without thought. Outlets integrated into the beside table, the closet opened up to the Nespresso coffee machine, vanity mirrors with a light, and a side table by that giant tub so you never have to leave.
The entire room was immaculately clean, and bed was one of the most comfortable hotel beds I've been in. I had read about their "5-Star" bedding, and I was curious to see if it lived up to the hype-- I slept like a rock. I suppose I shouldn't expect any less than 5-stars by this Texan hotel with literal stars everywhere!
The Welcome + Room Amenities
To me, the little touches mean everything. That's what creates an experience at a hotel that makes things memorable, and the Archer Austin really knocks this one out of the park.
Upon walking in, I had the most adorable welcome waiting for me. Fresh fruit, healthy protein bars, Fiji waters, homemade salted caramels, and not just any regular welcome note-- this note had the Living Minnaly LOGO on it! Too adorable.
Also waiting for all guests are the softest Frette bathrobes and adorable His and Hers slippers, aka the perfect things to slip into after a nice long bubble bath. Right by the bathtub, some bubble bath soap and a dashing little Texan cowboy rubber ducky awaits. If you're not a bath fan (anyone is though, with that tub), Malin + Goetz bath products await in the walk-in shower that has a waterfall showerhead and a removable showerhead too.
In the mornings, you can wake up to the Nespresso machines in room, so you don't have to search very far for your coffee. At night, they offer turndown service, which comes with freshly-baked French cookies in place of your standard chocolate on the pillow. Can you say, yes please?
Hotel Amenities: Pool + Gym
An outdoor pool deck featuring a circular, heated, saltwater pool and multiple cabanas to rest and relax was just another amazing feature during our stay. No yucky harsh chlorine chemicals or smell, I could have floated in that pool all day.
While I got my workout on outside on the pool deck, there's also a stacked hotel gym for all guests. Cardio machines, cable machines, dumbbells, foam rollers, bungee cords, and even an adjustable pull-up/dip bar makes this one of the best gyms I've seen. They also have cold Fiji bottles of water, towels, and fresh fruit waiting for you to take care of yourself post-workout too.
All in all, it was really hard to leave the Archer Austin after such a relaxing, comfortable experience. Every detail was not overlooked, exceptionally hospitable staff, quality luxuries in every nook and cranny, I am definitely heading back here the next time I'm visiting town.
Special thanks to Archer Hotel in Austin for warmly welcoming Living Minnaly as a guest.
As always, all honest reviews and opinions are of my own.
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