It's spring! Which means SXSW! Which means film and music and Texas-sized debauchery and merry-making. Which means it's the perfect time for the Complex Guide to Austin. In this installment, we talk about the best places to stay in the Texas capitol. And if you lacked the foresight to make reservations months in advance, there's always next year. And by "next year" we mean angling for 4 a.m. sleepover invites TONIGHT. You can do eeeet!
Hotel San José
1316 South Congress Ave.
(800) 574-8897
sanjosehotel.com
• This South Congress stucco gem is easily the most beloved place to rest your head in all of Austin. The bungalow-style hub of this popular neighborhood was built in 1939 as an "ultramodern motor court" and is thoughtfully decorated and hospitable while lacking the douchebag factor of other boutique joints.
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Saint Cecilia
112 Academy Dr.
(512) 852-2400
hotelsaintcecilia.com
• Named after the patron saint of music and poetry, this collection of six bungalows is a newer addition to South Congress and takes its design cues from the artwork of Miro and Warhol in the '50s and '60s. Hotelier (and trial lawyer and restaurateur and documentary filmmaker... seriously) Liz Lambert hits it out of the park again just as she did with Hotel San José.
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Austin Motel
1220 South Congress Ave.
(512) 441-1157
austinmotel.com
• OK, so we know it sounds like we're shilling for the five-block radius of South Congress but for SXSW we're not really trying to drive to and from the La Quinta in Buda, TX. Location is key and this standby with the phallic neon sign has an epic pool scene within crawling distance from one of 41 well-appointed rooms.
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