San Antonio was named the ninth-best city in the country by Travel + Leisure readers in the 2022 edition of an annual ranking. San Antonio ranked sixth in 2021 and seventh in 2020.
For the 10th consecutive time, Charleston, S.C., ranked first in the “World’s Best Awards” survey, as readers sought “cities with a fun-loving spirit, delicious regional cuisine and historic sites,” Travel + Leisure wrote.
Readers were asked to rate cities based on sights and landmarks, culture, cuisine, “friendliness,” shopping and overall value. Southern and Western states dominated the 15-city list, with just three cities from the Northeast and Midwest making the cut. While San Antonio was Texas’ only city in the top 10, Austin wasn’t far behind at No. 11.
“The food, especially at the mom-and-pop restaurants, is amazing and very diverse,” one Travel + Leisure reader wrote, while another noted the city’s ambassadors, residents who are around to greet people, answer questions and help in any way they can.
On ExpressNews.com: Texas named the second-worst state to live in, fifth best for business
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was named sixth among “best domestic airports,” the only Texas airport making the list.
This year and last year, only one Texas establishment made the list of 15 best continental hotels. This year, Houston’s Post Oak Hotel ranked 13th, and last year, San Antonio’s Emma Hotel ranked seventh.
Three San Antonio-area resorts made the list of 10 best in Texas: JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa was No. 7, La Cantera Resort & Spa was No. 8, and Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa was No. 10.
On the best cities list, San Antonio came in behind No. 8 Alexandria, Va., and ahead of No. 10 Boston. The top five remained relatively the same as the year before, with Charleston followed by New Orleans, Santa Fe, N.M., and Savannah, Ga. Honolulu, New York and Chicago also surpassed San Antonio on this year’s survey.
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