San Antonio, Texas - places bars and hotels

These brief notes are intended to help anyone in a wheelchair travelling to San Antonio, Texas. They are based purely on my own observations so they encompass only places I have been myself. Hopefully if you are a disabled traveler or wheelchair user you will find them useful.

Riverwalk

The Riverwalk area is one of the main tourist attractions of San Antonio (along with The Alamo - which is pleasingly close). It consists of over 2 miles of pleasant water side walking (rolling) with numerous bars and restaurants.

The City of San Antonio has done a pretty good job of making the Riverwalk area wheelchair accessible. However, you do need to plan your route with a little care to ensure you start and end near a ramp or elevator to access the riverwalk. There is a good website with a map ( http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/maps/index.asp ) that indicates where the ramps and elevators are situated. There is one section (just East of the South Presa bridge) where the water level path comes to an abrupt halt at a gate. However, there is a ramp (some 50yds behind the point where you reach the halt) to a higher level that leads you past this obstruction and down to the river level again. The path can be rough in places, and there is one location where there are water comduits cut through the path whihc makes navigation very difficult (West of the Hyatt Regency on the Northern side of the river).

Most restaurants at the water level have access - again the Riverwalk map will help out here.

Worth a visit and a pleasant way to spend an evening.

The Cove (606 W. Cypress Av)

Eclectic and entertaining bar set behind a laundry and car wash. A great antitode to the tourist traps around the Riverwalk. Roughly finished, wide selection of beer, good food and live music. This place is rough and ready - don't expect white linen! But it is clean and has easy level access. The toilets are accessible with a large cubicle (no grab rails). The only issue might be getting to the toilets between the closely packed lines of tables. Arrive early and sit near the band.

Highly recommended.

Swig Martini Bar (111 W. Crockett St.)

Upmarket bar just by the Riverwalk. There are steps at the Crockett St. entrance, but if you turn into N. Presa there is another alley on your right with level access to the bar. The restroom is large and accessible.

Howl at the Moon (111 W. Crockett St.)

Just beside Swig is the entrance to Howl at the Moon (www.howlatthemoon.com ). There is an elevator up to the first floor (the main bar and entertainment is up here). The table area is difficult to move around in as the tables and chairs are very close together. The restrooms are accessible.

Coyote Ugly (409 E. Commerce St.)

Access to Coyote Ugly is possible from E. Commerce St. There are six or seven steps into the bar, but they do have wheelchair lift although it is not always operational. Better to walk a few step down E. Commerce St, turn right into N. Presa and walk about half a block. There is a small shopping mall on the right, and a path through here to the Riverwalk area behind. (There is a small step and you have to look for the curb cut - but it's there!). Go through the mall and turn right again. This brings you to the back door of Coyote Ugly which has level access. Restrooms are accessible.

Mi Tierra (218 Produce Row)

This mexican restaurant is located in Market Square. there is level access from both front and back, and the restrooms are accessible. The restaurant is large and colorful, and navigating between tables is reasonably straightforward.

Recommended.

Mela (4987 NW Loop 410)

Indian restaurant - excellent food. Easy level access and large accessible restrooms. Large tables, easy to navigate and sit at.

Recommended.

San Antonio, Texas - Hotel (Hampton Inn Northwest/Seaworld))

These notes reflect my experience at a recent stay in this hotel and are intended as notes to assist someone looking for wheelchair or handicapped accessible accommodation and hotels in the San Antonio area. 

Hampton Inn San Antonio Northwest/SeaWorld Area

Level access to hotel from parking lot. Lobby area is accessible. The breakfast food area is accessible but there are a few steps down to the seating area. There is one small table near the reception that is on the same level as the food service area and the staff will reserve this for you if you are in a wheelchair. 

There is an elevator and a handicapped accessible room on each of the five floors. 

The accessible room is barely functional from an access point of view. The main problem is that the bedroom itself is a little small. The space between the end of the bed and the TV stand and furniture is barely wide enough to squeeze through with my wheelchair (27"/68cm wide), scraping the push-rims along both the bed and the chest of drawers. There is no option but to squeeze through this as there is not enough room to stay only on one side of the bed. Once through, the heater/air conditioning presents a problem for turning. Once you have navigated all that, the space on the opposite side of the bed is adequate. The work table is accessible with an easily accessible power socket in the base of the desk lamp. Internet is by wireless (free). 

The bed is a comfortable height. The TV controls were left on the bed along with a lap-desk tray.

The bathroom (you have to squeeze back through that narrow corridor between the bed and the TV to get there) is large. Toilet is raised and the grab rails are well positioned. My room had a bath with well positioned grab rails. The shower hose was hand held, but locked onto a wall mounted holder that was way too high to reach. Towels rack is at a comfortable height for a wheelchair user. 

The sink is very odd. Although there is plenty of knee room, but the sink is set very far back from the front which makes simple tasks like brushing your teeth or washing your hands pretty difficult. 

The bottom line is this hotel is not very welcoming for us wheelchair users and is best avoided if int eh San Antonio area. 

I should clarify that it is the hotel architecture that is not welcoming. The staff are very friendly and helpful!

Aruba - Hotel (Marriott Hotel and Stellaris Casino)

Marriott Hotel and Stellaris Casino

We had an unexpected extra night in Aruba and ended up at the Marriott Hotel Resort and Stellaris Casino. This was due to a flight cancellation, and we arrived late in the evening and left early in the morning so did not experience much of the resort. 

The Marriott is considered one of the finest hotels on the island and is located on Palm Beach on the west of the island and North of the Westin where we had stayed (see here). Access from the front is level and there is no problem moving around the large lobby. 

The Room

We were assigned a handicapped adapted room with two queen beds. The room was reasonably sized, with a large balcony and a partial ocean view. Once we had added a crib into the room, moving around in the chair became tricky - there was just too much furniture. The Queen bed was slightly higher than the wheelchair cushion but presented no real difficulty in transfer. The work desk was easy to sit at and had a panel within easy reach for power, network, and connections to the TV monitor if you wanted to use that for your computer. You need to supply the necessary cables yourself, but this is a nice touch as it allows you to play DVDs on your computer or whatever. 

The bathroom was a comfortable size with knee space under the sink. The toilet seemed to be lightly raised compared to a normal toilet and grab rails were well positioned. Towels were hung on the grab rails within easy reach of a wheelie. Our room had an awkwardly designed roll-in shower. It was located in a walled cubby hole off the main bathroom. The shower hose is  a hand-held with wall-mounted rail at the correct height. There was a fold up sturdy wooden shower seat permanently attached to the wall. The shower controls were easy to reach from the seat. Getting on to the seat could be a bit of a challenge though, as it is impossible to get your chair to 90 degrees to it. However, I was able to angle my chair up beside it at 45 degrees or so and slide onto the seat. Not the easiest transfer. There is nowhere in the shower to place shampoo and soap and so on. 

Other Notes

The pool area has many steps and in a very brief reconassaince I could not see how to access it. We ate breakfast in the restaurant by the pool which is accessible, although the ramp is located a long way from the door and I wheeled right past it without noticing. Toilets by the pool were accessible and had a handicapped cubicle. 

We were at the Marriott for such a short time, and under such stressful conditions, that I did not have time to research any other aspects of the resort. 

Aruba - Hotel (Westin Hotel and Resort)

These notes aim to private guidance for handicapped, disabled or wheelchair users who travel to Aruba or intend to stay in the Westin there. These informal notes are from a trip I took there with my wife adn kids.

Westin Hotel and Resort - Aruba

This is a fine beachside resort hotel in Aruba. We were there on an all-inclusive package deal with the family; me, my wheelchair, my wife and two kids, three years old and under.

Hotel

The hotel has not been specifically designed for wheelchair access and there is a surprising lack of such things as designated rest-rooms in the public areas. Nevertheless, access is good throughout the hotel and I found my stay there very comfortable. Taxis will drive up a steep ramp to the lobby level. There are two ramps in the curb outside the hotel and level access thereafter. In side the hotel all areas have a ramp or lift (elevator). To leave the hotel on foot you can take an elevator to the lower level and exit there (level, no steps, no steep ramps).

Room

We were upgraded from the regular room that we had booked to a single bedroom Ocean view

suite - nice! The hotel website clearly states for each room type whether or not a handicapped version is available. In the case of the one bedroom suites, no such statement is made. Indeed, our suite was not specifically designed to accommodate wheelchairs. However, I had no trouble using it. The door is a regular door (no spy-hole at wheelchair level) and quite heavy. It led to a narrow entrance corridor which led to the living room of the suite. Spacious, with room to move around although there was a little too much furniture for comfort in a wheelchair, especially with the sofa bed made up for the three your old and a crib for the baby. The bedroom was through a double door and again was spacious.

There is no proper work desk and electric sockets were hard to find and down low in the wall. The airconditioning controls are too high for a wheelie to reach.

The bathroom is huge - bigger than some hotel rooms I've been in in Europe. One end has a rack for hanging clothes (at walkie height). There is plenty of space to move about. The sink has room to roll under and is nicely designed. There is a huge roll-in 'double shower". Two shower hoses, one at each end, and grab-rails diagonally mounted on the walls. There is no built in shower seat - a standard plastic shower seat was delivered to the room within minutes of calling house-keeping. The shower hoses are both hand-held versions.

The toilet is unusually low with well positioned grab rails. Getting a chair in at 90 degrees to the toilet for transfer is a bit tricky and perhaps impossible for a power chair.

Towel rails are high - good for walkies but not good for me.

The Weston chain push their "heavenly beds" and, sure enough, they are very very comfortable. However, they

could also be described as heavenly because they are closer to the heavens than most, a good 8 inches (20cm)

above the level of my

wheelchair seat. Getting in and out of bed unassisted is a tricky and precarious task for a T4 para, and near impossible when drunk!

However, any concerns or irritations with the room are completely compensated for by the view. Both the living room and bedroom have a balcony accessed through large sliding doors. The large balcony has plenty of room for a wheelchair and the ocean view is just stunning. We could lie in bed and watch the sunset or sit on the balcony after the kids had gone to bed and drink the outrageously expensive champagne and look out over the ocean.

Prior to this, my top ranked hotel room was the one we stayed in in the Crowne Plaza, Madiera (now called the CS Madiera Atlantic Resort and Spa). See here for my account of that hotel). That room still wins in terms of wonderfully designed handicapped facilities. But the Ocean View Suite in the Westin, Aruba is now my top room for a place that is usably handicapped friendly but with a fantastic view and set of hotel facilities.

The Resort

Let me begin by saying I have no interest in gambling so I spent no time in the casino. I wheeled in to take a look but the smell of smoke drove me out (the rest of the hotel is non-smoking). However the main floor is wheelchair accessible.

The hotel and grounds back right onto Palm Beach. All areas of the hotel are wheelchair accessible. There are three indoor restaurants plus a fourth restaurant that is in the hotel but run independently. The pool area is accessible. There is no easy way to get into the pool although hotel staff are quick to provide assistance. I spent most of my time in the shallow end with my toddler and did some significant damage to the skin on my legs as a result. Be careful!

There is an accessible pool-side bar and outdoor terrace for breakfast and lunch. The toilets near the terrace are not designed for access but the doors are large enough for a wheelchair to get in, and the cubicle is big enough to get a chair into face first. However there are no restrooms specifically designed for handicapped use in any of the public areas that I could find. I was able to use the regular toilets because the cubicles are much larger than normal (at least 30" (75cm) doors), but this might be an issue for some folk.

A wide paved path leads to the beach (very close to the hotel). The beach is deep white dry sand and is impossible to navigate with a regular wheelchair. There are sun shades on the beach (called Palapas) which are given out on a first come first served basis or can be reserved for a hefty fee. Most of these are not accessible by wheelchair, however one or two are near the path and are usable. It is best to scout around on day one and determine which palapa is most accessible for you. If you then talk to the staff in charge of managing the Palapas and explain that you need a particular one because of your disability they will reserve it for you free of charge for the length of your stay. To be fair, let them know any day you do not plan to use it so others can use it as these things are in high demand. The staff will supply loungers, towels, buckets and spades and so on. The beach is lovely and the water looks stunning although I did not make it into it myself. Staff from the poolside bar patrol the beach and you can order food and drink right from your lounger.

Most evenings the hotel sets up a temporary restaurant on the beach for romantic (no children!) meals watching the sun set. They will position a table close to the path and assist (i.e. drag your chair through the sand) you to get there if need be.

As an aside, the staff at this hotel are exceptionally helpful and pleasant and always willing to help - sometimes appearing by your side before you have decided that you need help! I felt very comfortable during my whole time there.

The Island

I'm afraid we were very unadventurous on this trip. With two very young children it suited us much more to stay in the hotel and enjoy the facilities there. So I have little to add about access outside of the hotel itself. See here for more details.

Aruba - General Notes

Getting There

All flights to Aruba will land at the international airport (AUA ). Coming is is a rush as it appears that the aircraft is about to land in the ocean. At the last second the runway appears underneath you and you touch down. 

The staff that arrive to take you off the plane are friendly and appear to be well trained. We had no problems, and our aircraft used an airbridge although I noticed some that did not. 

The airport is modern. The toilets use the American approach of having one accessible cubicle. Works fine. 

Ask the people who take you off the plane to escort you through immigration because they can then use the "express" lane. Otherwise you will spend a long time in line as all US aircraft seem to arrive at roughly the same time of the day!

Once through immigration you exit into a small baggage terminal. There seemed to be plenty of staff to assist. The arrivals hall is also small and outside the airport are plenty of guys hustling for a taxi fare. Taxis come in all shapes and sizes from Vans to SUVs to beat up old cars. I did not spot any taxis that were wheelchair accessible, however there is a service offered by Lite Life Medicab (Hooiberg kavel E 2, Santa Cruz, Aruba. Tel: +297-585-9764). This is a van with a wheelchair ramp at the back. We pre-booked this for transfer to the hotel, and they met us in the arrivals hall. More expensive than a taxi ($50 from the airport to the Westin Hotel versus maybe $25 for a taxi) it is probably worth it for the peace of mind. They take cash only and do not carry change. Having said that, we used a station-wagon for our second hotel trip (the Marriott) and all fitted comfortably. It depends on what your transfer abilities are and how much luggage you have!

When leaving Aruba to go to the US things are a bit complicated. You clear US customs and immigration in Aruba. There can be very long lines here, so the best thing is to ask for assistance to the gate when checking in. Elevators are clearly marked so it is possible to make your own way but can be difficult in the crowds. It appears that all US bound flights leave at roughly the same time! You check-in your bags and then line up outside to go through Aruban passport control. Then you pass through security (usual stuff - shoes off, laptops out of bag etc.) and then enter a shopping and food hall (the food is breath-takingly over-priced). Then (US passengers only) you pick up your luggage again in a small luggage hall and pass through US immigration and customs. You then place your luggage back on a belt (careful - easy to put it on the wrong one!) and pass through security again! Finally you are in a small departures area. This has a few shops and sandwich stalls but is not as comfortable as the hall before US immigration. All this pulling and dragging makes it difficult for us wheelies, hence the recommendation to seek assistance. There are enough restrooms and all have handicapped accessible cubicles. 

The Island

I'm afraid we were very unadventurous on this trip. With two very young children it suited us much more to stay in the hotel and enjoy the facilities there. So I have little to add about access outside of the hotel itself. We ate in the hotel restaurants every night.

The Westin (where we stayed, see here for details) is located on Palm Beach on the west of the island, at one end of the high rise hotel strip. From the hotel a paved path leads all along the beach. Going south leads you to fairly tranquil areas, past a public beach, and a few spots for stunning sunset views. However, it looks like there is more construction planned so it won't be tranquil for long! Going North leads you past the main hotel strip so it can be noisy and crowded although there are many options for activities and food and drink. I did notice that two places (The Radisson  and Playa Linda) had palapas (semi-permanent beach shades built of wood and palm leaves) specifically reserved for handicapped use. 

The paved path runs by the beach all the way to the Holiday Inn resort  in the North and the Divi Pheonix Resort  to the South.

Opposite the Holiday Inn resort is the Paseo Herencia shopping Mall which is modern and accessible. It contains a movie theatre and a selection of shops and restaurants.

I was unable to find a car rental company that would issue hand controls so exploring the rest of the island involves renting a taxi – something we did not do.

The Aruba Tourism board has a good website (www.aruba.com) and, unusually for such things, has a page dedicated to advice for disabled travellers (http://www.aruba.com/about/disability.php)

We also went for a walk on the island side of the hotel. The pavement surface is very variable, sometime smooth concrete and sometimes gravel. There are a lot fo curb cuts to mount the pavement, but they are not everywhere. However, it seems possible to get access to most of the restaurants and shops that I saw. The island infrastructure is a bit beaten up, but is generally good and shows at least some consideration of the needs of wheelies. We did not go to any of the city/town centers so I cannot speak for those. 

The Butterfly Farm

We took the five minute walk from the Westin to the Butterfly farm. The original building was not wheelchair accessible but they retro-fitted very steep concrete ramps. These are really too steep to be negotiated unaided, but with a walkie pushing it is possible to get into the Butterfly Farm shop and garden. Our 3 year old loved it as there are butterflies everywhere. The garden path is hard sand and can be wheeled on with some difficulty.

San Diego, California - Hotel (Town and Country Resort)

Town & Country Resort, 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, CA 92108

The hotel is a large (45 acre) site with different buildings. They offer little golf cart like shuttles to get around, but you can't really get on and off one of these very easily if you cannot stand or walk. There are handicapped parking spaces located all over the property so if you have a car you will be able to park close to your room. If you don't, be prepared to wheel long distances! All areas of the resort are accessible, although sometimes you have to look for the ramp. The property map clearly shows the location of all parking spots, accessible restrooms and access routes.

In general, a lot of thought and attention to detail has been spent on making this hotel wheelchair friendly and it deserves praise for this.

This resort has several different types of room. The one I stayed in is in the tower block. This is one of the best ADA compliant rooms that I have stayed in. There are two key slots - one on the door like a regular room, and one in the wall beside the door. If you insert your key in the wall-mounted slot, the door will open automatically. Inside the room, a switch on the wall will open the door from the inside.

The room is spacious although there was too much furniture in it when I arrived. An unnecessary table was removed immediately upon request. My room had a balcony which was accessible. All wall mounted controls (light switches, air-conditioning) are at an accessible height and easy to reach. The bedside light control is on a lead that reaches to the bed so you can turn on and off the light without moving. TV controls were left within reach. The clothes closet has one side for walkies and one side for wheelies with a lower hanging bar.

The bathroom is fully accessible. Mine had a tub with handrails although roll-in showers are also available. All rails were in good locations. Towel rails were low and accessible. Sink had plenty of knee-room. Shower uses a hand-held hose with a wall mounting that was low and could be reached from within the bath (very unusual - mostly they are mounted way too high).

The bed was slightly high but transferring was straight-forward enough.

All in all, the accommodations here, although by no means brand new, set a standard against which all others should be judged.

Dublin, Ireland - Restaurant (Skyview)

Skyview Restaurant, Weston Aerodrome, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland

This surprising restaurant is situated up one level in Weston aerodrome. There is a single step at the front door. A wooden temporary ramp is available to get up this if required. Lift (elevator) in lobby on left. Level access from lift to restaurant which has a fine view of the airfield and the Dublin mountains.

Accessible toilet on ground floor near entrance.