http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/hid32449 TravelPost.com - Hotel reviews, information, and rates from thousands of websites http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r646220 Don't you wish you could go someplace and feel absolutely comfortable with your choice? This, then, is my experience with this property. Clean, comfortable, good-sized room with a BALCONY and a wonderful, king-size bed with even my choice of pillow http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r646220 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r622525 This hotel is barely near the river (river or puddle, you be the judge). You could walk but it is almost a mile from the river center. The Trolley is the Blue route which is a very odd route and often slow and has the most inconvenient time for all the trolleys. I went to a conference there and though I paid way to much (with the conference discount) I hope the normal rate was not too much more. The decor was modern but the room was very small. The bathroom was very small as well with very little counter space and very poor water pressure. The worst thing was the parking! There was plenty available but it cost money to park, since this place is far from the river walk I don't understand why is cost money. The parking garage is very small with only one lane to go in and out. (in and out in one single lane, felt dangerous). Very poor parking arrangements to actually cost you money. Staff was pleasant. I would not recommend this hotel. http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r622525 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r622526 Older hotel, but very clean, interesting decor and layout. On the far end of the Riverwalk closer to the Alamo, but not close to the usual Riverwalk activities - walkable if you have the time and energy. A bus system can also get you close to just about anywhere you want to go. Tower rooms are very small and you can't control the temperature. We moved to another room not in the tower (also bigger) with its own thermostat and COLD A/C. Our second room was a LONG way from the elevator. You could take the stairwells down for a short-cut, but couldn't return through the stairwells to get back up (locked) and had to go all the way around. They gave us a coupon for $20 off breakfast per night and the buffet was excellent. Staff was very friendly. Outdoor "Heated" pool wasn't warm enough in December. My 13-year old son jumped in and lasted about 5 minutes. On-site parking was free and there was a parking attendant. http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r622526 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r622527 We were placed in a room with no outside windows, it only had a sliding glass door to the indoor pool area. The room was very small, but I don't really mind a small room. However, many items were not functioning including the phone and the coffee maker. The air conditioner worked but the entire grate was covered in black mold and the room had a very damp moldy feeling. There were crickets all over the hallway and the pool area (both dead and alive). Overall, I would not stay here again. The room had a very dirty, damp feel even though it looked efurbished. I have stayed in San Antonio many times on the Riverwalk and walking distance to it, and it was the worse hotel by far and it was not the cheapest. http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r622527 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r540720 WELCOME TO MEXICO! (Where everything is jes a leetle bit off, music too loud, the filth palpable, and just about nothing works right). We were a bunch of university Ph.D.s flown to SA at taxpayer expense for a weeklong “tour” run by the army that turned out to be a badly conceived and badly planned recruitment scam of the sort the Cheney-Rove team would dream up. A few of the academics were totally offended by this scheme, but for the most part the butch teachers from 3rd rate schools and diploma mills applauded themselves for being invited. Don’t ask and I won’t tell. Room we had was so poorly planned we couldn’t even wheel in our luggage - forget storing it. Two phones in the room. Neither worked. Toilet placement was so badly conceived that anyone with broad shoulders who had to sit on it had to grasp the sink for support. And for some reason it was lower than most toilets. Maybe that’s the way they make them now in Mexico. At least we had toilet seats. Tap water smells like dead fish. But wot the hey, we are in Mexico, right! Wrong! No hot water. Rooms come with lukewarm water. So if you wet shave bring plenty of balm for your face. Wallpaper in bathroom frightening chocolate brown. Doors and jambs gray-black. Hey wot the hey, hard to see unwashed filth on those colors! And what you do not know will not hurt you, right? No fridge, no microwave. But there is a hokey coffeemaker that produces a cup of lukewarm bad coffee with that dead fish taste. Yummy! Temperature regulation done by a remote that is sooo cute it doesn’t have standard temp numbers to which you can adjust. If it is too cold, you press the button that says too cold. If too warm, you press the too warm button. Then the fan next to the ceiling comes out with a blast. Doubt it has any ability to dump the water from the horrid humidity in SA because the room stays humid even if cool. Initially they gave us a room overlooking the cesspool. But the mariachi recordings were so loud we couldn’t escape it and requested another room. We asked another quest about it. He said he thought the noise was simply coming from downtown SA. We could still hear it in new room. The pool is on the 2nd floor. The tiles on that large floor, thru which persons must go to find connecting wings (it is a large, poorly planned hotel from the gitgo), were cracked, missing, and filthy. But wot the hey, we are in Mexico, right! Wrong! Smoking is not allowed. But, funny thing, I kept smelling cigarette stench in the hallways, especially at night. And I smoke cigars. I conclude that if you are a smoker it is ok to smoke here even though the law says you cannot. But wot the hey, we are in Mexico, right! Wrong! Ice? Hiked about a half mile thru the 2nd storey looking for a machine; couldn’t find one. No maps, no directions. But wot the hey, we are in Mexico, right! Wrong! Found a guy with a mic in his ear dumping ice in a conference room. Asked him if he knew where the ice machine was. O si, senor. Hiked another half mile. Ice machine gone, apparently ripped off the wall or something. That’s what it looked like. Gave up. Guy delivered a bucket 30 minutes later. Did we tip him? One quess. Overpriced hotel parking lot. Went into the hotel entrance nearest us. Saw elevator. Saw labels on walls directing to our number. Funny thang,. After following the directions (and we did this 2x to make certain) we found the room numbers went up, not down, as we needed. After a 20 minute hike around the horseshoe, we found room. Could have cut that by at least 5 minutes had there been a sign directing us thru the pool area, a bad shortcut despite the overloud mariachi music inspiring us by then to go out and get a gallon of mescal and drink it and eat all the worms in one gulp. Oblivion needed here. But wot the hey, we are in Mexico, right! Wrong! First thing I did upon arriving home was take a shower. Get those cooties off! Arriba!!! http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r540720 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r540721 This wasn't my choice for Hotel as this was booked for a work conference. The staff were friendly, but they weren't informed. I was royally screwed out of a trip to the Botanical Gardens because they didn't have a bus schedule for that bus (which is a popular bus, and not having a shedule is inexcusable really, from a good hospitality standpoint.) So they explained where I could get the bus but were way off on the time, so I had to catch the next bus an hour later. Although I finally got to the gardens, pretty much ran out of time for quality visit. One of the rooms we had a meeting in was freezing, I don't know why they have the air conditioning on so much, yes its hot in San Antonio so you dress for it, and don't expect to get crammed in a freezing room. Overcompensated I'd say. The rooms were ok, but paper thin walls I could here my neighbor pissing in the toilet and heard other's tvs going on. I had a hard time sleeping here. Its also not conveniently located really for walking to the Riverwalk action, but not terrible. Overally, I'd say I might stay here again if its the rate was reasonable though. They really got you for food, you aren't likely to find any alternatives very close that would ge convenient for like breakfast. The hotel's breakfast was a complete rip off, $11.95 for mediocre buffet and the continental was 7.95! The coffee was weak, and the margaritas in the bar were too sweet and also very weak. http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r540721 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r540722 We visited this hotel because my husband's military unit was having their reunion there. The staff was excellent, and couldn't do enough for you. The rooms were clean and the grounds well kept.The Streetcar and city bus stopped right at the hotel, which made transportation to any attraction very easy and economical -- no need to rent a car. The riverwalk travels right next to the El Tropicana and is being extended, so this site will be prime real estate in the future. Most of all, what made this trip great, was the friendly, courteous and accommodating staff!!! http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r540722 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r1144880 Nice common areas.Inconvenient to things like ice machines and store sold little.“This hotel would be a great place to stay with a big group of friends if they wanted to relax and party mostly with each other and not so much of sight seeing area.” http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r1144880 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r1144881 The room was great, the restaurants were great (kids eat free!) Great Hotel!A little far from the heart of the Riverwalk, but it was a short trolley ride away.“We will definitely stay at this hotel again. It is an older hotel that has undergone renovations. The staff was great and very helpful. Our server at breakfast made the trip for our kids very memorable.” http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r1144881 http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r1144883 There were no bugs; Surprising for San Antonio; it was different in theme.The parking garage is ridiculous. The ice machine was broke, paying for parking, staff was too young and inexperienced.“There have been far worse stays in my traveling career. Nothing on this stay was luxurious. There was a different feel to this hotel that once inside did make you forget you were smack in the middle of downtown San Antonio. The parking situation is atrocious and cost me $14. The garage is a safety hazard; very dirty inside and the attendant looks like he was fired from McDonalds. I had to walk 4 levels up a spiral one lane ramp and hope I didn't get hit to retrieve my car. There are signs taped to the wall that tell you to blow your horn going up and/or down and I shudder to think what happens if you are in a situation where another person is trying to go the opposite direction as there is no where to go. The staff behind the counter while polite seemed very incompetent. Like it was their first summer job. So much so I didn't get the wake up call I asked for. Poolside was a nice thought in theory but with all the kids and adults out there until 1AM it is not recommended unless you aren't going anywhere early the next day. The layout is strange as it is in a horseshoe shape and I had to walk across the pool area to get down to the next level which was annoying enough carrying my bags and all but if there were a fire. I felt sorry for the Toucan in the Aviary he looked lonely and restless with all the kids screaming around him in the pool area. Also the ice machine was out so I had to walk up two flights of stairs to the next one on the 3rd floor and these were some old stairs; dirty ; narrow and I could have accessed the roof if I wanted it was open; but obviously a safety issue. The air conditioner was mounted on the ceiling which was a nice change as it blows on you while you sleep rather than into the air; if you like looking up at the mold that's inside. The bathroom was very small and the toilet was very low to the ground so much so that it felt like I was sitting cross legged while I utilized it. The room was so small.” http://www.travelpost.com//hotels/Holiday_Inn_El_Tropicano_Riverwalk/r1144883