- Introduction: The Trip Of A Lifetime To Austin
- I Finally Earned Lifetime Hyatt Globalist Status!
- Spirit Airlines: 9 Tips For Having A Good Experience
- Review: Spirit Airlines A321 Big Front Seat (FLL-AUS)
- Review: Thompson Hotel Austin
- Southwest Airlines’ Unique Boarding Process Explained
- Review: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 (AUS-FLL)
Welcome to my next trip report series, which will be a bit less exotic and international than my typical ones. Nonetheless, it was a pretty special, once-in-a-lifetime trip for a different reason, and contained travel on some airlines I don’t usually fly.
In this post:
Why I took this trip
I recently spent a weekend in Austin, Texas. A friend was in Austin for the week for work, and proposed making a weekend out of it. That sounded like fun to me, especially as it would allow me to check out the Thompson Austin, and review flights on Spirit and Southwest.
Austin has of course been an incredibly fast growing city in recent years, though it occurred to me that I don’t think I’ve ever “properly” visited the city up until now, aside from once spending a night near the airport. I was impressed, as it felt charming, cosmopolitan, and quirky, and in particular we had some great meals (though credit to that goes to my friend who organized all the restaurants).
The airlines I flew on this trip
Rather than flying American Airlines from Miami to get to Austin, I decided to mix it up a bit and have some fun.
On the flight out, I decided to book Spirit Airlines’ Big Front Seat. Even though I’m a big fan of Spirit, I hadn’t flown with the airline in years, and the carrier’s schedule was the best. The ticket cost $87.14, and then I paid an extra $120 to upgrade to the Big Front Seat, which is essentially Spirit Airlines’ equivalent of first class, minus the service. Specifically, I booked the following flight:
12/08 NK517 Fort Lauderdale to Austin departing 1:15PM arriving 3:21PM
For the return, I decided to book Southwest Airlines, as I last flew with the airline to Cuba in late 2016. I booked the following flight for $118.98:
12/11 WN1827 Austin to Fort Lauderdale departing 4:00PM arriving 7:30PM
In addition to reviewing the flights, I’ll also talk about some general ways to make flying with Spirit Airlines better, as well as a post about Southwest’s unique and controversial boarding process.
The hotel I stayed at this trip
I booked the Thompson Austin for my time in Austin. I’m generally a fan of the Thompson brand (though… there are some things I’m starting to question). I’ll talk more about the booking details and my experience in the actual review post, though there were both things I loved and strongly disliked about this property.
I also had an ulterior motive for taking this trip and staying at a Hyatt, which I’ll cover in the next installment (I’m sure many OMAAT readers can figure it out).
Bottom line
I had a lovely long weekend in Austin, and had the chance to fly with Spirit and Southwest, check out the Thompson, and check one other thing off my list.
Stay tuned for the reviews, as this will be a pretty quick series. I have a big international review trip planned for the beginning of 2023, so you can expect that in the near future as well.
Thanks for reading!
Houston Hobby needs a Whataburger.
I have travelled through Texas extensively - though I have never been in Austin. Houston, Dallas, San Antonio… give me California and the East Coast anytime instead. Texas is not for me at all!
Obviously, staying at the Hyatt mattered to you, but I would recommend the Kimpton Van Zandt if you ever go back.
Imagine going to Austin and eschewing what remains of the "weird" local experience for a fancy corporate hotel and then having the nerve to call it the "Trip of a Lifetime." As a former longtime Austin resident, this genre of post horrifies me. "The Thomson"—ugh, what a douchey name. You should've stayed at the Hotel Santa Cecilia or Hotel San José in the SoCo area, or at an Airbnb in Tarrytown or on the East...
Imagine going to Austin and eschewing what remains of the "weird" local experience for a fancy corporate hotel and then having the nerve to call it the "Trip of a Lifetime." As a former longtime Austin resident, this genre of post horrifies me. "The Thomson"—ugh, what a douchey name. You should've stayed at the Hotel Santa Cecilia or Hotel San José in the SoCo area, or at an Airbnb in Tarrytown or on the East Side.
Ironically, many of the posters here are right. At this point, Houston is a much more interesting city to visit, unless you have personal history in Austin.
What happened to Phoenix has happened to Austin: snow birds and West Coasters have diluted any sense of local identity or uniqueness.
HOU v AUS v DAL v SAT
Well this was a subject of many comments! It's all a personal opinion, and we all have different city vibes and culture that we connect with.
Here it goes:
- Went to the University of Texas at Austin; the best decision I ever made; phenomenal. Austin was a special part of that entire period of my life, and even factored in my adolescent growth.
- Though I now...
HOU v AUS v DAL v SAT
Well this was a subject of many comments! It's all a personal opinion, and we all have different city vibes and culture that we connect with.
Here it goes:
- Went to the University of Texas at Austin; the best decision I ever made; phenomenal. Austin was a special part of that entire period of my life, and even factored in my adolescent growth.
- Though I now live in LA, I still maintain an office and team in Austin, so I visit every month (except during the height of COVID), so I have a good handle on all the remarkable changes happening in the city...and proud of our once small zesty city experiencing such amazing success.
- My boyfriend in the college years, and business partner in all the years since, grew up in Houston, so we'd spend every weekend there with his parents, and endlessly exploring the cultural scene and arts districts,
Long story trying to shorten....for me, I love HOU the most. Its cultural scene is simply amazing (truly world-class), as well as its cultural diversity. Now days, with the booming Austin scene, and a downtown skyline soon bigger than both Houston and Dallas...I don't feel the soul of the city anymore, even around the UT campus district. "Keep Austin Weird" is now a tired mantra of those trying to grasp the old days.
(though there will never be anything like the Texas Hill Country experience West of Austin!!!!)
DAL & SAT....sorry! Not in the same conversation, and I have family in both of the cities!
Who are you apologizing to in sat and dal? You don’t live in Houston and it doesn’t sound like you want or plan to live there… pretty standard and common feeling among most people in texas.
Enjoy LA.
What a weird comment section. Bunch of people that mostly don’t live in Houston trying to proclaim their love for a city they seem to have fled (or never lived in) and don’t plan to go back to all because of an article about Austin.
I would live in Houston, and consider it my back-up city after LA, and ahead of AUS. During COVID, I had several friends relocate to Houston (unfortunately for me), another reason I’d move there, even though my BFF and partial business operation is in Austin.
I didn’t “flee” Texas, it was a career move…and I do also like LA.
Congrats on Lifetime Globalist! ;)
Am not from Houston, but folks especially on a travel site should remember that jet fuel is refined in a refinery and very likely in the Houston area among other places. So whether you’re flying to see family or for vacation or for work or to somewhere to protest drilling for oil, just remember that oil is what’s getting you there.
Anyway, I’m interested in the restaurant reviews, given Austin’s evolving restaurant scene. Thanks.
San Antonio is easily the most historic, unique and diverse city in Texas. It's also the gateway to the Texas Hill Country. It's one of the fastest-growing, most affordable cities in the country. And it's a short drive from Austin.
Sounds like a white flight hotspot. No thank you.
Hardly. It's an extremely comfortable, congenial city with room and tolerance for everyone.
San Antonio has the largest Latino population of any large city in Texas, and most of them have been around for a really, really long time. Anyone who moves to San Antonio attempting 'white flight' is going to be sorely disappointed.
And so many great point redemption ops!
“The Trip Of A Lifetime To Austin”
Likely the first time those words have been written together in that order.
“Lifetime”
;-)
Good one :)
Got a "staycation" (driving from Dallas) to stay in the San Jacinto suite at Thompson in February. Really interested to hear your thoughts. Especially if it means I should think about doing the Driskill instead (absolutely loved my stay at that hotel).
Hoping you brought Miles for that perspective as well, as I'll be traveling with my 3 year old and infant.
Congratulations on Lifetime Globalist with Hyatt
I thought you were going to check out the Miraval property by Lake Austin
Lifetime Globalist moment?
I'll actually be very interested in your thoughts and experience. In my experience, Austin is horrendously overrated, but I havent been since 2019 so perhaps it's changed a bit? Regardless, I just recall bad traffic and quirky food places. In Texas I way prefer Houston - more diverse, more international, and a really great food and art scene. But I appreciate that others have varied experiences in Austin, so I'm excited to hear about yours.
I lived in Texas most of my life and you may the only person that I heard/read that they like Houston better than Austin. While I don't live in Texas anymore, I am a huge fan of Austin
They're out there, they're just not as vocal. More international, more cosmopolitan, more diverse in Houston. Better food scene, though Austin has a compelling food scene for sure. People like Austin because it has funk and a college scene, but it has HORRIBLE traffic and it has grown so quickly that it makes it painful to be there. Houston is diverse, interesting, a great art scene, and food. I'm not the only one out there...
They're out there, they're just not as vocal. More international, more cosmopolitan, more diverse in Houston. Better food scene, though Austin has a compelling food scene for sure. People like Austin because it has funk and a college scene, but it has HORRIBLE traffic and it has grown so quickly that it makes it painful to be there. Houston is diverse, interesting, a great art scene, and food. I'm not the only one out there that thinks this, but I will of course admit that our ranks arent as prevalent as the pro-Austin crowd.
I had been meaning to visit Austin for years and years (a friend moved down there back in 2014). I finally got around to it this past year and was disappointed with it. I'm not sure if it was because I had extremely high expectations from all of the feedback or what it was, but I really was not a fan. Had some great meals and overall had a great time, but I just wasn't...
I had been meaning to visit Austin for years and years (a friend moved down there back in 2014). I finally got around to it this past year and was disappointed with it. I'm not sure if it was because I had extremely high expectations from all of the feedback or what it was, but I really was not a fan. Had some great meals and overall had a great time, but I just wasn't a fan of the scenery and everything other than right downtown seemed super rundown. With that said, everyone I met was from Houston and now lives in Austin, and absolutely no one prefers Houston. I've had a few other friends live in Houston and they couldn't wait to move out. Agreed with Kevin, you are the first and only person I have heard say this.
There's a lot of Houston evangelists out there. Great food, diversity, culture. Austin is trendy and I've had fun there but if I had to live in Texas Houston any day. Austin only slightly above Dallas, which is horrible
Houston has the best food in Texas. Austin has become too commercialized and is trying to become Dallas so many old local spots now owned by designer and trendy chains. But that's the best part about Texas every big city is incredible different so everyone can pick a favorite, but no debate on the food Houston wins, and i hate the city of houston lol.
You're right about that - every city is different and unique in its own way. I definitely understand why people wouldnt like Houston, but I was just pleasantly surprised by it when I lived there. Perhaps it's because I had LOW expectations going in? Either way, to each their own. But yes, the food scene in Houston is great and it has other surprises too.
As a well-traveled native Houstonian - I completely agree with this statement. I have yet to find a better food city in the US than Houston
LOL most tourists confuse Houston WITH Dallas! Houston is hands down the arm pit of the major Texas cities.
Welcome to the LTGB family, where you receive incredibly better service and recognition across Hyatt Hotels, especially at park hyatt, andaz, grand Hyatt, and regency.
Ever since achieve LTGB, I’ve always received premium suites without ever asking for them in Asia.
200sq m executive suite at ningbo park hyatt
160sq m bund view suite at Hyatt on the Bund
110sq m Park suite at beijing park hyatt, guest relations waited till 1am to greet...
Welcome to the LTGB family, where you receive incredibly better service and recognition across Hyatt Hotels, especially at park hyatt, andaz, grand Hyatt, and regency.
Ever since achieve LTGB, I’ve always received premium suites without ever asking for them in Asia.
200sq m executive suite at ningbo park hyatt
160sq m bund view suite at Hyatt on the Bund
110sq m Park suite at beijing park hyatt, guest relations waited till 1am to greet personally
150sq m with huge terrace and premium champagne at Suzhou Park Hyatt. FOM followed up every hour to make sure everything was ok.
150sq m Executive suite at Wuxi Hyatt Regency, director of rooms and FOM set up front row ground parking and special breakfast seating
300 sq m executive grand suite at grand Hyatt Sanya, lounge access for 3.
140 sq m diplomat suite at grand Hyatt shanghai.
Trust me, you will never have to use Suite upgrades cents anymore.
Lifelong Texan here who currently lives in Dallas, but I've spent a good amount of time on business in Houston, and my siblings have lived there from time to time. I'm with Steve; hands down Houston has the best, most diverse food scene in Texas. It's really not even close. The city itself is a s***hole though. Especially in the summer. I often tell people, Mumbai, India has the world's worst climate, but Houston is...
Lifelong Texan here who currently lives in Dallas, but I've spent a good amount of time on business in Houston, and my siblings have lived there from time to time. I'm with Steve; hands down Houston has the best, most diverse food scene in Texas. It's really not even close. The city itself is a s***hole though. Especially in the summer. I often tell people, Mumbai, India has the world's worst climate, but Houston is a close second.
As far as Austin goes, it was better 25 years ago when the city really was weird in a good, fun way. Those days are long gone. Yes, you've got the beautiful Hill Country next door, but for my money San Antonio is now the better gateway.
Congrats on LTG, Ben! Amazing accomplushment that comes at a perfect time in your personal life. Have a great holiday with your beautiful family.
It's not a post about Texas on the internet without Houston people relentlessly shilling their city for no reason...
I hear the spring air in Houston is punctuated with lovely notes of car exhaust and hints of refinery burnoff as you walk around the bayous trying not to die from the humidity. The acrid smoke from the same lovely air creates a lovely exfoliating effect. They say you can almost hear the sound of birds chirping around the city except for the loud din of old white guys yelling "DRILL BABY DRILL!" while bludgeoning...
I hear the spring air in Houston is punctuated with lovely notes of car exhaust and hints of refinery burnoff as you walk around the bayous trying not to die from the humidity. The acrid smoke from the same lovely air creates a lovely exfoliating effect. They say you can almost hear the sound of birds chirping around the city except for the loud din of old white guys yelling "DRILL BABY DRILL!" while bludgeoning any electric vehicle seen within Harris County.
The international feel of Houston is exquisite though as it brings so many diverse people from around the world together with the unique and shared goal for humanity of how to prevent a move to renewable energy sources as long as possible.
Jokes aside, excited to see the Austin review. Austin is certainly in its own unique place within cities in Texas in terms of what it is and isn't.
I grew up in Texas and lived in Houston for 17 years and Austin for 15 years. I agree that Austin is very overrated and has lost its weirdness and coolness. Now, it's just another Dallas with a bunch of rude, douchey people with too much money...and worse traffic than LA.
This long time Austinite who owned Lucy in Disguise on South Congress for 38 years sums it up...
Radtke has owned the Lucy's...
I grew up in Texas and lived in Houston for 17 years and Austin for 15 years. I agree that Austin is very overrated and has lost its weirdness and coolness. Now, it's just another Dallas with a bunch of rude, douchey people with too much money...and worse traffic than LA.
This long time Austinite who owned Lucy in Disguise on South Congress for 38 years sums it up...
Radtke has owned the Lucy's building since 2000, so, this is not a story about a vestige of old Austin getting pushed out because of rent prices, for once. It was just time, Radtke said.
“I’m leaving while I’m in love. We were ready. I was ready for (Durham and Hicks) to be ready,” Radtke says. “The clientele has changed, and the people have gotten ruder, and it just ain’t the old hippie days.
"And that’s what birthed this baby: hippies and rock 'n' roll.”
People who get excited about Austin are the same people who get excited about Nashville and Denver. All three are trying desperately to promote themselves as world-class cities, but all three lack density, have very limited walkable neighborhoods, near-useless public transit, and - apart from a few overhyped parts of town - are largely just suburban tract houses punctuated every few miles by strip centers with the same twenty national chain stores you'll find everywhere...
People who get excited about Austin are the same people who get excited about Nashville and Denver. All three are trying desperately to promote themselves as world-class cities, but all three lack density, have very limited walkable neighborhoods, near-useless public transit, and - apart from a few overhyped parts of town - are largely just suburban tract houses punctuated every few miles by strip centers with the same twenty national chain stores you'll find everywhere else.
Houston's no better than Austin on those same dimensions, but it doesn't try to be anything more than it is - an affordable, easy place to live that's surprisingly cosmopolitan. The pandemic took Austin from a mildly irritating poser to a city with delusions of grandeur far greater than it can ever live up to.
Very true.
Exactly right.