Which hotel to stay at during Austin visit. (hotels, wedding)

[katykat46]

I have a family rate at Marriotts and I'm wondering if I should stay at the Courtyard in downtown Austin or the Residence Inn off I-35, south of downtown?

The Residence Inn is cheaper and offers free breakfast and dinner. I would obviously go with that, but there have been vacations that could've been a lot better because the hotels we stayed at were in a really dumpy area (and we had no idea when planning the trip).

I'm wondering if the Residence Inn is in a decent location?

We're planning on doing a lot of exploring and checking out all the city has to offer. We'll be there for 7 days. We'll have a car.

Thanks.

[someguyatx]

Stay at the downtown its in a great location and walking distance to many things. Our wedding guests stayed there several years ago and everybody loved it. There is a residence inn downtown too, shares the property with courtyard. Maybe you can get a room there instead.

[austin-steve]

The South location is a good geographic location from which to head out and explore, but it's also a freeway wasteland of zero walk-ability. You'll be trapped at the hotel or in the car.

I'd go with the downtown location for sure. The only reason not to would be if you're on a super tight budget and need the cost savings, and/or if you abhor everything downtown Austin has to offer and would avail yourselves of absolutely nothing while there. If the later were the case, I'd question why you want to live in Austin.

Stay in the heartbeat of Austin. You won't regret it. It's a fun downtown to visit, no matter your age or desired level of engagement in the nightlife offerings.

Steve

[KFC_Or_Bust]

The South hotel is a nice one, been there twice this year and had a positive experience both times. One side of the hotel is on the I-35 frontage road and the other side is backed by a city elecrtical yard or something and a big corporate park so it's not dumpy at all. Getting to downtown is a quick 5 minute ride down South Congress or South 1st St and you can easily explore from where you are via I-35 or 71/290 which are located 2 seconds from the hotel.

[RooCeleste]

Definitely stay at the downtown location. Will give you a much better feel for Austin without having to worry about finding a parking spot - and the cost of parking your car for the trip probably won't be a lot more than what you might pay for parking every day you would drive into downtown if you stayed south. Enjoy!!!

[N. Olikee]

Courtyard Downtown by all means.

[Jennibc]

I vote for downtown.

[Seoid]

Downtown is the better location but if I recall right, the prices are higher than other locations.

We had our wedding guests at the Courtyard downtown and everyone raved about the great location.