These luxe Austin hotels, restaurants, and spas made prestigious 2023 Forbes Travel Guide

Awards News

Photo courtesy of Fairmont Austin

The 2023 rendition of the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide is out, and 26 properties in Texas have made the list — with eight in Austin.

This is the 65th annual Forbes Travel Guide, which a release describes as the only independent, global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, and spas, worldwide. Bow down to Forbes Travel Guide, bow down.

Ratings are broken into three categories: Five-Star, Four-Star, and Recommended, Five-Star being the best. The list, which comprises 1,956 properties around the world, runs heavy on hotels (1378) and spas (314), with only 259 restaurants. And for the first year, the list also includes ocean cruises.

In Texas, the list included five restaurants, 12 hotels, and seven spas, although come on who cares about spas, it's the restaurants and hotels that are most intriguing, am I right.

In a reprise of 2022, only three properties in Texas earned five stars: Carte Blanche restaurant in Dallas, Post Oak Hotel in Houston (and its spa), and the Ritz-Carlton Dallas hotel.

These are the properties in Texas that made the 2023 list, by category:

Restaurants:

Carte Blanche / Dallas: 5-star
Fearing's / Dallas: 4-star
Garrison / Austin: 4-star
The Mansion / Dallas: 4-star
French Room / Dallas: Recommended

Hotels:

Adolphus / Dallas: Recommended
Archer Hotel Austin: 4-star
Austin Proper Hotel / Austin: 4-star
Commodore Perry Estate Auberge Resorts Collection / Austin: 4-star
Fairmont Austin: 4-star
Four Seasons Hotel Austin: 4-star
Four Seasons Hotel Houston: 4-star
The Houstonian Hotel Club & Spa: 4-star
The Joule / Dallas: 4-star
Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek / Dallas: 4-star
The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston: 5-star
The Ritz-Carlton Dallas: 5-star
Mokara Hotel & Spa/ San Antonio: 4-star
The St. Regis Houston: 4-star

Spas:

Fairmont Spa Austin: 4 star
Mokara Spa / San Antonio: 4-star
The Ritz Carlton Spa Dallas: 4-star
The Spa at Four Seasons Austin: 4-star
The Spa at the Joule / Dallas: 4-star
The Spa at the Post Oak Hotel Houston: 5-star
Trellis Spa Houston: 4-star

The Forbes Travel guide started in 1958 as Mobil Travel Guide, a guidebook for U.S. motorists. They created the original Five-Star rating system for hospitality in the U.S.

To determine the ratings, Forbes Travel Guide's inspectors visit every hotel, restaurant, spa, and cruise ship in person, visiting anonymously as a typical guest. Participants pay a fee to be considered, but no one can buy a rating.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Texas-based Cinemark theater chain hosts Oscars-themed movie marathon

Awards News

The Cinemark movie chain is giving movie buffs an opportunity to brush up on the Oscars.

Plano-based Cinemark Holdings, Inc. will host its annual Oscar Movie Week festival, this year running from Monday, March 6 through Sunday, March 12, in anticipation of the 95th Oscars ceremony, which airs on March 12 on ABC.

The theater chain will air all of this year’s Best Picture and Best Live Action and Animated Short Film nominees, at more than 120 participating Cinemark theaters nationwide.

According to a release, passes are now on sale now at Cinemark.com/movieweek.

A full Digital Festival Pass is $40 and includes showings for all Best Picture and Best Live Action and Animated Short Film nominees. There's a perk! If you purchase a festival pass, you get 50 percent off any size popcorn during Oscar Movie Week.

Individual showtime tickets will be available starting January 27 at standard pricing, with showtimes beginning March 6.

All Best Live Action and Animated Short Film nominees are bundled into one viewing for just $10 from March 10-12.

For other brushing up, take a look back at what CultureMap’s film critic, Alex Bentley, had to say about each of the nominees (listed in alphabetical order) when they were originally released.

Cinemark has been hosting other similar marathon events such its collaboration with ESPN to bring college football games to the big screen.

The event takes place at these theaters across the U.S., including the following locations in Texas:

Austin: Cinemark Southpark Meadows
Denton: Cinemark 14
Fort Worth: Ridgmar Mall
Grapevine: Cinemark Tinseltown
Houston: Cinemark Memorial City
Plano: Cinemark Legacy
Plano: Cinemark West Plano
San Antonio: Cinemark San Antonio 16
The Woodlands: Cinemark 17

Amy's Ice Creams/Facebook

Austin scoops up top 10 spot in list of best ice cream cities in U.S.

Ice Cream News

Fans of homegrown brands like Amy's Ice Creams or Lick Honest Ice Creams know that Austin has some of the best scoops in the country. So it's no surprise that on a recent list of the best (and worst) ice cream cities in America, Austin lands in the top 10.

The survey, compiled by real estate brokerage Home Bay, ranks 50 cities using factors such as the number of ice cream shops per capita, the price of a small cup or cone (using Ben & Jerry's as a benchmark), average annual temperature, and Google searches. Data sources include the U.S. Census Bureau, Yelp, and Google Trends.

The best
The best cities for ice cream have more shops (an average of 4.9 ice cream shops per 100,000 people), a high interest in ice cream (Google searches), and better prices, with a small cup of Ben & Jerry's averaging $4.47 versus the $4.50 residents pay in the average city.

Here's a surprise: Oklahoma City is America's best ice cream city, thanks to a high number of ice cream shops per capita as well as affordability.

Austin is the only Texas city in the top 10:

Oklahoma City
New Orleans
Las Vegas
San Jose, California
Providence, Rhode Island
Raleigh, North Carolina
Salt Lake City
Austin
Boston
Philadelphia

Way to go, Austin! This is what they say about Austin's ice cream scene:

Austin excels when it comes to appreciation of different ice cream styles. The city ranks third in our ice cream variety metric thanks to frequent searches for ice cream types and flavors. The slogan "Keep Austin Weird" is appropriate with so many locals going bananas: The city ranks first in online search interest for banana ice cream. Visitors can find two different types of banana ice cream — banana cream pie and strawberry banana — at local chain Amy's Ice Creams. Additionally, Austin has the seventh-warmest average temperature in our study, making ice cream especially appreciated as a sweet treat for relief from the heat.

And as a subset of this ice cream survey, San Antonio wins the No. 1 slot for Best Shaved Ice.

The worst
The bottom 10 cities have fewer ice cream shops, higher costs, and less ice cream interest in the topic, which they judge by the number of Google searches for topics such as "ice cream near me" and "ice cream flavors."

The 10 worst ice cream cities are as follows:

Memphis, Tennessee
Riverside, California
Washington, D.C.
Miami
Houston
Baltimore
Los Angeles
Sacramento, California
Dallas
Jacksonville, Florida

These cities have only 2.2 ice cream shops per 100,000 people. The average city has 3.4 shops per 100,000 people. And Dallas has only 1.4 ice cream shops per 100,000 people.

Ice cream in these worst cities is also more expensive. A small cup of ice cream averages $4.80 in the bottom 10 cities, versus $4.50 for the average city in the study.

Ice cream in Missouri and Alabama is the cheapest: $3.99 for a small Ben & Jerry's cone. Washington, D.C. is the most expensive, at $5.35 for a cone.

Rendering courtesy of St. David's HealthCare

Austin hospital earns healthy ranking from prestigious U.S. News & World Report

med center might

U.S. News & World Report has released its 2022-23 Best Hospitals list, naming Austin's St. David’s Medical Center as the No. 8 best hospital in Texas and No. 37 nationally.

Not the first accolade for the local facility, St. David's Medical Center's national ranking came courtesy of the hospital's post-procedure work and physical therapy in its rehabilitation department, which landed the facility among the top 51 out of 4515 hospitals nationwide.

Rankings for the annual U.S. News study are based on scores in patient care, patient safety, outcomes, nursing, advanced technology, and reputation.

One data point not used in the Best Hospitals rankings, but worthy of note: The hospital also earned four out of five stars in patient satisfaction, which measured how patients felt about their hospital stay and discharge overall.

At the top of the list was Houston's Medical Center, which boasts the best adult and children’s hospital in Texas and the best cancer center in America.

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center earned No. 1 in the nation for cancer care. For those keeping track, MD Anderson has been considered in the top two cancer hospitals in the U.S. since the U.S. News launched the survey in 1990.

Elsewhere in Texas
Other Houston hospitals earned high rankings as well, with Houston Methodist Hospital coming in at No. 15 nationally and No. 1 in Texas for the 11th year in a row. Notably, U.S. News has ranked Houston Methodist Hospital in at least one specialty for the past 30 years. Houston's Texas Children’s Hospital ranked No. 2 overall in the Best Children’s Hospitals ranking, remaining top in Texas and the Southwest, and at No. 1 in heart treatment for the sixth year in a row.

Also boasting top honors in the state is the Menninger Clinic, which tied for tenth place on U.S. News’ list of best psychiatric hospitals, making it the all-out best in Texas.

Dallas-Fort Worth is home to the No. 2 hospital in Texas, per U.S. News. UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas also ranked especially well nationally in urology (No. 11), cardiology and heart surgery (No. 14), diabetes and endocrinology (No. 18), pulmonology and lung surgery, (No. 21), and cancer (No. 25).

Not far down the list is Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, which ranked No. 4 in Texas. One Baylor department ranked nationally: gastroenterology and GI surgery department, No. 34.

Courtesy of Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection

Austin hotels check in on Travel + Leisure's prestigious World's Best for 2022

Premier property

The Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection, has had no shortage of accolades since it first opened in 2020.

And a new ranking from Travel + Leisure places the estate at No. 2 among the top 10 resorts in Texas, followed close behind by Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa at No. 3. The Houstonian in Houston came in at No. 1.

“The best resorts in Texas, according to Travel + Leisure are located in close proximity to the state's biggest cities but set on perfectly manicured grounds that make them feel worlds away when guests want to unwind,” reads the ranking.

Here’s Travel + Leisure’s list of the top 10 resorts in Texas, part of the publication's World's Best Awards 2022:

The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa, Houston
Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection, Austin
Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa, Austin
Gage Hotel, Marathon
The Woodlands Resort, The Woodlands
Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, Irving
JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, San Antonio
La Cantera Resort & Spa, San Antonio
Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa, San Antonio

Aside from naming two Austin properties among the top 10 resorts in Texas, Travel + Leisure also ranked the top five hotels in Austin. It’s the first time Travel + Leisure readers were able to vote on the best hotels here.

Appearing at No. 1 on the Austin list is Austin Proper Hotel & Residences, followed by Arrive Austin at No. 2, the Four Seasons Austin Hotel at No. 3, The Driskill at No. 4, and the Fairmont Austin at No. 5.

Amenities at the 32-story, 244-room Austin Proper include two pools, a spa, a fitness center, and complimentary bike rentals. McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality operates the hotel’s dining venues, including La Piscina, a rooftop poolside Mexican restaurant, and the Peacock Mediterranean Grill.

“Located in the 2nd Street District, the hotel is just a short walk from Lady Bird Lake, indie boutiques, and many nightlife venues. T+L readers complimented the hotel’s ‘beautiful rooms,’ ‘great location,’ and service,” the publication says.

Photo by RoschetzkyIstockPhoto/Getty Images

Austin-area lake town splashes onto list of best waterways in the U.S.

Lake-way to go

As temperatures start to sizzle, Austinites know the best way to beat the heat — besides margaritas, of course. In Austin, we are blessed with all kinds of lakes, rivers, and waterways, but one Austin-area locale is the best lake town of them all, according to a new report by Boatline.com.

The study puts Lakeway at No. 8 among the best lake towns in the U.S. Boatline praises the town as a "laid-back destination located on the southern shores of Texas' Lake Travis."

The report goes on to say that while the city started as a community for second-home owners and retirees, "Lakeway is now home to full-time residents of all ages that are drawn to the lake lifestyle. You'll often find locals, as well as weekenders from nearby Austin and farther, taking in the panoramic views of Lake Travis from a pontoon or speedboat."

No. 8 is a commendable place to land on a list that only includes 17 cities, especially as the only Texas destination on the list. Bigfork, Montana, claimed the No. 1 spot. It's situated on the picturesque Flathead Lake and home to year-round activities including whitewater rafting in the spring, summer boating, fly fishing in the fall, and ice fishing in winter.

Other lake towns ranking above Lakeway all hail from northern neighbors like Vermont (Burlington, No. 2); Washington (Chelan, No. 3); Colorado (Grand Lake, No. 4); and Minnesota (Grand Marais, No. 5) — which is hardly fair when all five boast wildly better temps than our Texan counterparts. Only Georgia (Greensboro, No. 6) and Arkansa (Hot Springs, No. 7) share even close to the same latitude as any Texan candidates.

On the positive side, Lakeway beats several towns in Wisconsin (Lake Geneva, No. 9); New York, (Lake George, No. 10); Michigan (Traverse City, No. 15); and New Hampshire (Wolfeboro, No. 17). Head to boatline.com for the full list. Or better yet, head out to Lakeway to enjoy that top 10 ranking for yourself.

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Austin Top Chef winner debuts new National Geographic series, plus more top stories

Hot Headlines

Editor’s note: It’s that time again — time to check in with our top stories. Here are five articles that captured our collective attention over the past seven days.

1. Austin Top Chef winner debuts new National Geographic series during SXSW. Available on Disney+, Restaurants at the End of the World is a docuseries following Kish on adventures to off-the-beaten-path pockets of the planet.

2. Boutique Austin hotel amplifies the vinyl bar scene with a moody new listening room. Hotel Magdalena opened a chic listening room on South Congress with speakeasy vibes, called Equipment Room.

3. 11 reasons to escape the Austin bustle with a day trip to Dripping Springs. Despite rapid recent growth in the Austin area, Dripping Springs still has many of the small-town features that its local residents — and transplants — all love.

4. Gothic Austin home sells after catching the eyes of onlookers during the Modern Home Tour. This all-black Victorian house sold shortly after an architecture tour brought Austinites through homes across Austin and the Hill Country.

5. Austin home buyers have more power when it comes to inventory, report says. Buyers are gaining more leverage through inventory increases across the Austin-Round Rock metro area, according to recent data from the Austin Board of Realtors.

Blossom into a new Easter or Passover tradition with these spring treats and feasts around Austin

EGG-CITING

Easter and Passover (April 9 and April 5-13) are right around the corner; you might want to consider solidifying any plans before it gets any nicer outside and the crowds come out. Whether you’re enjoying the holiday with your friends or family, or taking yourself out to brunch, we’ve gathered a basketful of egg-cellent happenings for you to hop to in Austin.

Check back here for more recommendations as businesses finalize their plans.

Easter brunches and egg hunts

Fairmont Austin's Easter brunch and egg hunt
Come for the brunch, stay for the egg hunt. The first brunch we’re eyeing is at Fairmont Austin downtown on Red River Street. They’ll host two different brunch buffets at 10 am and 1:30 pm on Easter Sunday. Guests can take their pick of an egg-stravagant spread of seafood, oak-smoked prime rib, and other delicacies. After you’ve had your fill, head to the rooftop for the hotel’s brunch attendee-exclusive Easter Egg Hunt at 11:30 am or 3:00 pm. Word on the street says the Easter Bunny might make a special appearance. The Tiny Tails petting zoo will also be at the hotel to show off the cutest animals for friends of all ages. Brunch bookings can be made via OpenTable.

Fareground's Easter brunch specials and egg hunts
For an afternoon of fun for children of all ages, consider bringing the family to downtown Austin’s first food hall, Fareground, for their Easter Egg-Stravaganza. From 12-3 pm, there will be plenty of brunch specials at the food hall's many eateries while children can enjoy sweets like cotton candy and get their face painted. There will be three egg hunts throughout the afternoon for three different age groups. Free general admission reservations can be made via Eventbrite.

Aba's Easter weekend brunches
Mediterranean cuisine lovers can spend their Easter brunch on the patio at Aba, Austin’s premiere Mediterranean restaurant on South Congress. Their exclusive Easter special on April 8 and 9 includes a spring frittata with lump crab, English peas, shaved asparagus, avocado, pickled fresnos, and parmesan. Guests can also pick a weekend favorite like the short rib shakshuka or khachapuri. Reserve on Tock.

Kalahari Resorts' Easter brunch buffet
If you live farther north, Kalahari Resorts in Round Rock will host their own Easter brunch buffet from 11 am to 3 pm with a delightful assortment of local charcuterie, fresh crudité, soups, and more. Children aged three and under eat free. The resort will also have two Easter egg hunts for two age ranges at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm. Brunch tickets can be made on Tock.

TRACE's April drag brunch
Though this brunch isn’t Easter themed, Trace (stylized TRACE) inside the W Hotel is going all out for its April Fool’s Comedy Drag Brunch from 11 am to 4 pm on April 9 with some of Austin’s favorite queens, The Beckies. The iconic duo are the restaurant’s regular brunch hosts every second Sunday of the month. Their performances begin at 11 am and 2 pm. Reserve ($10 per person) on OpenTable.

Passover meals

Aba's passover dine-in and take-out
In addition to its Easter specials, Aba will also offer guests a special Passover dine-in or take-home meal by Chef CJ Jacobson. The to-go package includes hummus, matzo crackers and crudité, potato and Brussels sprout latkes, slow-braised short rib, and much more. The dine-in Passover specials will be available April 5 and 6, but to-go specials must be pre-ordered by 3 pm on April 4. Pickup is available between 11 am and 5 pm on April 5 and 6. Reservations for both offers ($58.95 per person) can be made on Tock.

L’Oca D’Oro's Passover Seder
Neighborhood Italian restaurant L’Oca D’Oro is bringing back their omni-denominational Passover Seder. Chef Fiore Tedesco will delight guests with his version of a traditional Seder meal on April 10 and 11. The first celebration will be led by Cantor Sarah Avner (Beth Israel), and the next by Rabbi Neil Blumofe (Aguadas Achim). Reserve ($100 per person) on OpenTable.

Sweet Treats

SusieCakes
What’s Easter without a couple extra desserts to take home? SusieCakes is baking up its SusieChick lemon cake, Easter carrot cupcakes, peeps sugar cookies, dessert decorating kits, and more for the occasion. Their festive Easter treats will be available through April 9.

Bakery Lorraine
Bakery Lorraine at the Domain is accepting pre-orders for its classic seven-inch Easter carrot cake. The luscious dessert serves 10-12 people and contains pineapple, coconut, walnuts, and is topped with a cream cheese frosting. Fill out a form to preorder ($80) by April 4 to pick up on April 8, just in time for your Easter feast.

Popular restaurant in Austin suburb brings spinoff bar and live music to Leander

Down the Rabbit Hole

A new bar is hopping into a growing Austin suburb: After the success of opening the Lucky Rabbit in the Lake Travis area last year, Matt Morcher, Sandra Cleveland, and Matt and Shelly Delahoussaye are set to open a new spinoff neighborhood bar in Leander next week.

Located located in the San Gabriel Ridge shopping center at 2080 N. US-183 unit 145, The Rabbit Hole will open on Friday, March 31, starting at 2 pm. The team will celebrate with a grand opening party, featuring live music by Luke Daniel from 6-9 pm and Carter Whitaker from 9 pm - midnight. A special time-related happy hour will offer new specials for guests to enjoy at the top of every hour.

The name is, of course, a small nod to The Lucky Rabbit, but also an invitation to "go down the rabbit hole” — whether with friends and family or passing time solo. The bar will serve high quality cocktails in a swanky space, bringing in live music acts most weekend nights for locals to enjoy.

The 68-seat interior play on the theme of time and the trippy experience of going down the rabbit hole, featuring exposed brick walls with murals of clock-like rabbits and gears painted by local artist Sarah Blankenship, along with a variety of light fixtures featuring Edison-style bulbs and gears that light the space.

The drink menu carries that theme through its featured cocktails, with rabbit names like Bug’s Old Fashioned (rye, demerara, bitters, orange, luxardo cherry); the 24 Carrot Gold (vodka, triple sec, blood orange, lime, bitters); and the Bubbly Bunny (gin, lavender, lemon, prosecco). Perfect as we head into hotter temperatures, frozen drink option include traditional and flavored margaritas, the Hot Hare (Spicy Mango, Chamoy, Tajin rim), or the Perky Bunny (Red Bull floater, Pop Rocks rim). Local beer and wine is also available, as well as bar snacks. Heartier food options will also be available to order from neighboring restaurants, Sabino’s Pizza Pub and Ah Thinh Asian Cuisine.

Morcher and Cleveland are veterans in the industry with a big heart for the local community:

“Sandra and I live in the area, and we often found ourselves looking for a nearby neighborhood bar to hang out in," said Morcher via release. "We saw this space, and felt that there was great potential to make it into a fun local spot — so we just decided to create one ourselves! We’re excited to be bringing this to an underserved area here in Leander, Liberty Hill and beyond. It was tough to find a place out here with affordable craft cocktails, great service, and live music on the weekends. We’re thrilled to be able to bring that to our community.”

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