We ran away to The Hotel Havana...

We usually stay near the home base for our wedding anniversary, but given that it was our 15th and that The Man was also celebrating a birthday that marked a certain milestone that ends with a zero, we wanted to venture a little farther away from home.  Due in large part to the kindness of our families, we were able to go down to San Antonio and stay at the Hotel Havana. First opened in 1914, the hotel is trimmed from top to bottom in deep, rich wood accents. Like the Hotel San Jose in Austin, Hotel Havana is decorated with a simple design aesthetic that I find to be all at once relaxing and pampering. Nothing is overstated, or excessive.  I love the creaking of the wood floors and the smell of the furniture wax in the lobby.  Anything you need might need is there for you, either in the extensive minibar or within walking distance. The service is friendly and there's not a stuffy person or thing to be found in the place. To get to the bar, you take the dark, padded elevator down to the candlelit basement. It's so dark that you can barely see your hand in front of your face, but it's filled with inviting nooks with comfortable seating and the mojitos were really freaking good. The Riverwalk is just a few blocks away, and we spent the majority of Saturday taking a long walk along the water's edge, stopping for lunch and coffee along the way.  Sunday morning was a lazy one, filled with the NYT crossword puzzle and too many cups of Cuban coffee. I return to my desk, with the normal Monday driven knot in my stomach...but it was so nice to run away for the weekend and enjoy our milestones without being interrupted by contractors or anything work related whatsoever.  Of course I took the camera, and if you like pictures of chairs in hallways, red carnations and old light fixtures they can be found here...if not, I'll understand. :)