Mokara Hotel and Spa

This was a great hotel. The environment is incredibly intimate, well designed and well decorated.
We came for our fifth anniversary and spent a long weekend here. We spent a day at the spa and got to enjoy all the amenities of the hotel. Nearly every facet of the hotel was fantastic.
I would highly recommend a room with a balcony over the river walk. We woke up to room service with a pot of fresh coffee and sat on the balcony enjoying the view of the downtown skyline and the beautiful trees.
The hotel and spa staff are courteous and very professional. All of them seemed to love their jobs and that makes a huge difference. You can tell when people are sincere and it makes your stay more enjoyable. Everyone was eager to help and make our stay more enjoyable.
We worked out at the gym and it had state of the art equipment with crisp copies of The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times at hand. (This was true in the spa as well.)
The spa is absolutely amazing. My wife and I have always said the Houstonian in Houston is our favorite spa but this was on par and was even better in several ways. The therapists were top notch and I’m not sure you could ask for much more in the facilities. And the staff was constantly looking for ways to make your experience better. We both got massages and facials and then I sat in the men’s relaxation room and read the paper with a cup of hot tea before spending some time in the steam room. There is also a dry sauna and whirl pool for both men and women.
I highly recommend this hotel. You won’t regret it.

My wife and I spent Friday through Monday at Mokara, and could not have ask for anything more than what our experience delivered. The entire staff was top notch, from the bellman and the front desk staff, to the spa and Ostra restaurant employees. Rooms are very nice, and the large bathrooms are fitting of such an upscale hotel. We also took advantage of the spa with a couples massage and were both quite pleased with both the facility and the service. On two of our days we enjoyed the rooftop pool, which the Ostra restaurant also services with drinks and food. Mokara’s access to the riverwalk is better than any other hotels I saw, and in my wife and my opinion the Mokara delivers 100% on an upscale San Antonio experience. As a side note, if you get a chance while you are staying, go to the ‘Howl at the Moon’ dueling piano bar just down from the Mokara to sing the night away. Drinks are weak, but the atmosphere is wonderful!

Very impressed! Just got back from a quick weekend trip down to San Antonio and I can’t think of one negative thing to say about this hotel. Friendly and professional staff, beautiful accommodations, comfortable beds, wonderful black out shades in the room (very important to me!)…great bathtub. Overall, a perfect hotel for a relaxing weekend. I didn’t get a chance to have any services done at the spa, but I can only imagine how fantastic they would be. One piece of advice: the rooftop pool area is small — only about 10 lounge chairs, so get out there early if you plan on relaxing at the pool. But attentive poolside bar staff that keeps your drink full!

Service on par with Ritz Carlton. From the valet to front desk to housekeeping to restaurant, everyone was attentive and courteous. I would not stay elsewhere on the riverwalk (I’ve stayed at Westin, mansion Del rio and all the chains). The restaurant for breakfast and dinner was excellent. The room was small but well done. Bathroom was modern. The valets added ice to our yeti as we retrieved the car. Great location and great value. I’ll never look elsewhere for riverwalk accommodations.

I love this hotel. I had actually booked to stay at another hotel, but decided to come ask if I could see one of the rooms here and once I did I knew I just had to stay here instead. The rooms are wonderful with really nice bathrooms with a jacuzzi tub and separate shower. The spa area is great too. I just love everything about this hotel. Very clean and beautiful. The front desk staff is also very friendly and great, probably the best front desk staff I’ve come across. However, not all the staff was so great. And that is why I didn’t not leave five stars like I would have. My stay went downhill when I decided to order room service. When they brought up my order there was a bottle of wine which I assumed was complimentary which seemed nice. I couldn’t find my ID at the time so of course the lady took it back which was completely fine especially since we didn’t order it in the first place. It was another female and I sharing a room, and the room service woman looked at us condescendingly but I chalked it up to her probably having a bad day and ignored it since I’m pretty understanding to stuff like that. Then afterwards I found my ID and called to have the bottle sent back if they could. The same woman came back with the bottle clearly annoyed so I assumed we were making her day worse than it had already been which kind of made me feel bad for the hassle. I handed her my ID which showed I had barely just turned 21 recently. Because of that it was still the vertical type instead of the horizontal type 21+ usually have which was clearly confusing her. While confusedly looking at it she turns to me and tells my girl and I that we’re wrong for being two girls sharing a bed. I was in shock and then for some reason she stepped out of the room before I could react and took my drivers license along with her. I just sat their in shock starting to get filled with anxiety. She came back and asked her if she was trying to discriminate us for being «wrong» and she said to hold on she was getting her manager who apparently had been standing outside our door during that second encounter. I guess she had left to call him for some sort of backup. I was not only close to tears, but both my girl and I were wearing thin robes and no bras so we didn’t want anyone else coming in much less a man to see us like that. I kept telling her to please not, but she didn’t listen and she hurried out of the room and put the lock to block the door from closing behind her. By the time I reached the door her male manager was already standing inside of our hotel room. He caused me to start having a panic attack and I was in tears. He said he never heard her call my girl and wrong, that he was standing outside the whole time listening but she said that during our first encounter before he was even there. So now she was calling us liars and it felt like she brought him along against our will just to gang up on us. We felt really uncomfortable and exposed too. I kept crying asking them to please leave so finally they did. My girl was more calm so she called the front desk and explained what happened. Then we were in bed and it was around midnight or so and there were three men outside our door. I explained what happened which brought on a panic attack, but I managed to explain in between crying and hyperventilating. (I have panic disorder and anxiety) Turns out they were just there to collect the alcohol that was stocked in the room which was an extremely inconvenient thing considering we were already in bed to sleep. They took the overpriced alcohol we were not planing on drinking and all of this was just a terrible experience so we just decided to leave and not stay after all. We packed our bags and talked to the night manager who was very nice and neutral about the whole situation. Professionally not taking anyone’s side. He was investigating everything. I got my wallet to get out my drivers license since he said there wasn’t much he could do without an ID when both my girl and I realized Elizabeth never gave it back. The manager had them ask her if she had it and she said no so who knows what she did with it and whether or not she lost it on purpose. Which was great cause now he couldn’t really do anything and I would have to drive around with no license till a new one arrives in the mail. I know they’re not expensive to replace, but great another expense and such a hassle. He said all he could do was charge me a little less for a hotel room I didn’t even get to stay the night in like I was supposed to. It has now been about two weeks since and I still have a pending charge from makers of way more than the prove that was quoted to me including tax and no money has been credited back into my account. All this hassle for some very mediocre room service food. The burger looked flat like a McDonald’s dollar menu burger and the fries were soggy and cold with high prices. If you stay here stay far away from room service

We stayed for 3 nights while celebrating our recent engagement. We knew for sure we wanted to be on the river walk and have a quality stay as well. We got all of that and more at Mokara.
From the time we checked in, to quick room service, coffee to go from the lobby anytime we left, they had everything covered. Not to mention they had champagne and chocolate waiting for us in our room when we arrived!
We got a river view with balcony and it was a wonderful way to wake up and read the coffee in the morning! Bed was also amazing! I didn’t wake up once in the middle of the night and that is rare. We were on the 7^th floor and never heard any street/​hotel noise with the balcony shut which was perfect.
It definitely was pricy and add-​ons even more so (valet, room service, minibar, etc) but we also were celebrating and the splurge was worth every penny. Had we skipped out on the things I mentioned above, this would’ve actually been a competitive price to any upscale hotel I’ve stayed at in a big city.
All in all, would definitely recommend and can’t wait to return!

Very nice hotel with a historical past. The original tenets utilized the building as a saddle factory for the army over a 100 years ago. Staff were extremely polite and attentive. Just make sure that you ask for the room with the view because if not you’ll be looking at bricks like I did from the balcony. The rooms even had a cappuccino maker with different snacks for you to have. Bed was nice and comfortable, room was well laid out. Will visit again.

I am from Philadelphia and came to San Antonio, Texas to visit my Husband for Valentine’s Day, whom is stationed in TX. We decided to pay a little extra for a nicer place on Riverwalk and my god was it worth it. The hotel was super clean, lobby smelled so good, everyone whom worked there were fantastic, room was beautiful, bath was a jacuzzi style bathtub with jets (they did have two person sized bath, but I went with one person– so deep still can fit two people), great turn down service, complentary spa use (we didn’t get a chance to use the spa, but I took a tour and very nice), accommodating to all our needs, all around great service. We enjoyed ourselves very much so and was well worth the money.

Wonderful hotel with a phenomenal staff! Everyone we spoke to was truly wonderful. We were offered water and coffee every time we were in the lobby.
Great location on the Riverwalk and lots of great restraints around.
I gave it 4 stars b/​c the television is not in front of the bed so you have to look over someone to see it and turn to the side. Not a huge deal, but definitely not comfortable.
There’s also no plug ins by the bed so we had to request an extension cord to run behind the bed to plug in our phones.
I’d definitely stay here again.

Wow!
Luxury!
On a whim we came to San Antone to celebrate my son’s birthday and since my sister was in town and had never been to S.A. we decided to take a drive from Houston to have some fun.
This luxurious hotel located right on the Riverwalk does not disappoint. Service was five star-​although we had some mishaps with the bellman, all was good.
The rooms were spacious and luxurious. We had two rooms one with a king and one with a double. Both were beautiful and turn down service was special too.
The property restaurant for dinner was a huge disappointment so I’m not happy that the service did not match the hotel.
This is a special place you should visit if you’re ever in San Antonio. Next time I’m coming back for spa services and I hope I get a room with a view instead of a brick wall! Make sure you do too.
Pricey but the room was incredible and the bed… aaahh I slept like a baby. The best stay ever!
#1003

I returned home to Texas for a girls’ weekend recently, and my friend and I decided to stay at the Mokara based upon reviews and their website. I loved everything about this hotel (well, except the weather, but they don’t control the rain). I made my reservation online and included a spa package option, and the spa personnel contacted me almost immediately about scheduling services, and then the concierge contacted me about a week before my stay to inquire as to any requests, etc. I may have or any assistance I might need to make my stay more enjoyable. My flight into San Antonio was going to arrive well before a 3:00pm check-​in, so I asked if they could accommodate an early arrival, and they said they would coordinate with housekeeping.
The hotel is almost hidden away on a quiet street along the river. The doorman assisted with my luggage, and the wonderful man who handled my check-​in was so helpful and nice that I knew I was going to have a fantastic stay. Not only did they have a room available for me at 11:30am, I was given a corner room which was more spacious. My friend’s flight wasn’t arriving until much later, so after the bellman brought me to my room (#687… it’s a nice room… view of the parking garage across the street was not perfection, but I didn’t pay for a river view room so I wasn’t expecting much to see outside my window), I went downstairs to Ostra and watched the rain pour down while I gobbled up oysters on the half shell, seafood gumbo, and some pricey white wine. (I’ll review Ostra separately).
I had been up since 3:00am traveling to San Antonio, and now I was a little tipsy and rather tired, so I went up to swim in the ENORMOUS, jetted whirlpool tub before taking a nap. This could have been the end of my trip and I would have been deliriously happy. But things just kept getting better.
Every single hotel and spa employee I had contact with was so polite, professional and accommodating, I wanted to live at Mokara forever. I felt like a spoiled princess. The hotel is beautifully and tastefully decorated, it has a luxe-​rich vibe which apparently discourages rowdy, drunken tourists from staying, because it was so quiet all the time. The spa is small but well appointed and very luxurious. I indulged in room service breakfast one morning, and that was a nice little splurge. You have to have ice and coffee brought up to your room, but both those services are complimentary. Oh, the half bottle of chardonnay I liberated from the room’s minibar cost me $ 33.00 so you may want to resist that urge, but they did have a nicely stocked minibar/​frig in the room.
I had originally planned on staying at the Mokara’s sister hotel, the Omni, across the river from the Mokara, but I am very glad I cancelled that reservation and opted as I did. Stay here, you won’t regret it.

My husband and I stayed here for our wedding and honeymoon. The hotel staff and Petra, the concierge are absolutely amazing. We had a local florist deliver my bouquet to the hotel the night before my wedding and kept in a lobby refrigerator. When the staff woke to find my flowers had wilted and turned brown, they took it upon themselves to take it to another florist and get me a completely new bouquet that was even more beautiful than the first one, in under 30 minutes! They bend over backwards for their guests and we had a truly amazing and relaxing stay here. We will continue to stay at the Mokara every time we’re in San Antonio!

There are times in life when you just need an experience above the usual. We were looking where to go for our 10 year anniversary — and were planning to go to the Ocean somewhere. Luckily for us, a friend mentioned Mokara.
We have stayed at nice places all over the world, but this experience at Mokara is easily all time top three!
Fresh, clean, luxury, friendly, calm, beautiful! The service and «the little extra», they gave us is unheard of at most other places — from the phone calls a few days before we checked in, asking specific questions and wishes for our stay (among which ALL were fulfilled!), to small gifts at the room in the middle of the day, to a few things on the house after we ordered them.
No doubt about it, we’re coming back! Two days here was better than any time at the Ocean:)

Wonderful! The staff is fantastic and went above and beyond for me. Customer service like that is unmatched. I’d definitely recommend the Mokara and Ostra!

So far not impressed, came in at 4:30, room was still not ready. I got two free breakfast coupons so that was nice but I rushed to the pool. It’s tiny, and cloudy and full of dead bugs. I will update my review after my departure but the only reason it has 3 stars is because the staff is very attentive

I want to give this place 5 stars so bad! I just cannot though. The room we were initially given faced a wall and barely got any sunlight into the room. For a $ 300 nightly charge + a $ 35 valet parking service I certainly expected more being that the hotel is in San Antonio. To say I was perturbed is an understatement. While the hotel was booked for the first night, they happily accommodated my request to be moved and gave us a corner city view. They have the most gorgeous rooms overlooking the Riverwalk with balconies and bistro tables (hello, lazy brunch!), but with kids, we had to get a double. I do believe they’re mostly, if not all kings, unfortunately.
Our second room, the largest of the two, was a corner double. It had modern, but elegant furnishings (think Restoration Hardware), a giant whirlpool tub (no really, I could have drown!) which we took full advantage of after a day at Six Flags, and a Nespresso machine which kept me going. The glass jars of q-​tips and cotton balls were a nice touch in the bathroom.
My only gripe about the room is that the toiletries were very sub-​par and the shower head in of itself was standard for a 3-​star, and it had calcification which made water spray everywhere. Not cool when you don’t want to wash your hair. This was noted in both rooms.
The staff was truly extraordinary. Requests were met with a smile and expectations exceeded. Whenever problems arouse (like me leaving a pillow in the first room), they were rectified immediately. I loved the coconut water so much and the bellman (!) printed me off a recipe and handed it to me the next time he saw me.

A wonderful hotel! Everyone was very warm and welcoming. The coconut agua fresca was delicious and we appreciated the complimentary bottles of water. I checked into our room, which had a balcony overlooking concrete buildings; after inquiring about the availability of a River Walk view room, we were graciously upgraded, which made our stay so enjoyable! The room itself was fantastic – gorgeous soft bed, a great hot shower, and relaxing tub. I loved the comfy chair too!
The staff was very helpful with requests for random necessities that came up – band-​aids, forks, etc. They didn’t have tea in the room, but offered it, and I regret not asking! The turnover service was nice, but a little awkward since they knocked after we had returned to our room… we ended up hanging out on the balcony, which was fine.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out that our room included the breakfast package. We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at Ostra, although the service was less than great. The next day we opted for breakfast in bed, which was delightful! I preferred the cured salmon over my migas and my husband thought the bacon was better than the ham. We debated going downstairs for oysters one afternoon, but decided to go down the street for happy hour at Luke (can’t beat 75 cent oysters!).
I wish we had spent more time by the pool! It’s a small pool with not many chairs, but still very nice! It’s unfortunate that their café hours are limited. If we could go back, I would also have taken advantage of their bath butler and arranged for a spa treatment or at least enjoyed the amenities! I also would have taken some of those Dean & Deluca delicacies!
The only downside was the $ 35/​night valet – there’s a lot close by for $ 16/​night! We also booked through Amoma, which offered a much better deal than going through the hotel directly.

Absolutely loved it. The hotel and spa speak for itself but what this establishment really has that will keep me coming back is the top notch customer service. Not one person failed to greet my wife and I with a smile, and Jose (who helped me with my bags) bonded with me over our military stories. I’ll definitely return.
My only complaint was the cleanliness of the pool. It seemed to not have been cleaned in awhile and there were very large live insects floating around in it.

Simply amazing! Great staff and personal service since the moment you get out of your car.
Mrs. Petra, the concierge is wonderful! Got everything ready for us, even went out of her way to get our favorite champagne bottle and all.
Rooms are spacious and had a great view to the Riverwalk. Room service was great too. Liz made us feel right at home each night.
The spa services where excellent! Definitely a place to return to escape from all!
Even on our way out Jose the valet made sure we could take our flowers home without them rolling around in the car.
Thanks for a great weekend!

One of the best hotels I have ever stayed at. The rooms are spacious with huge bathrooms and high ceilings. This is not a huge hotel, which I liked, because it is nice and quiet and not overrun with guests. It costed a small fortune to stay here but I think it was worth it. All the staff were great and very helpful.
Definitely go down to the spa and check out what they call «the amenities». Even if you are not receiving a spa treatment, you can go in the spa and use the showers, hot tub, sauna, and steam room free of charge. I felt like this helped deliver value to justify the high rate we paid to stay here. The rooftop pool and fitness center are also very nice.