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A little about this episode:
On this episode of An Extra Dose, the Belbel sisters talk about their trip to Austin + what they ate while they were there. They also shared some tips on how they worked from the car. The girls shared their tips and experiences on eating healthier while dating. Samantha and Alexis talked about which new self tanners they have been loving, and what they would recommend for staying bronze in the winter. The Belbels also share their favorite jackets and coats, and what their must haves are for fall and winter.
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This past week, we had the pleasure of staying at the South Congress Hotel. It is a boutique hotel located in one of our favorite parts of Austin, South Congress. What we love about Austin, especially South Congress, is that there are a ton of restaurants, shopping, and bars, all very walkable!
We used to eat and walk around this street all of the time when we went to school in Austin, HOOK ‘EM, so it is always fun to be back! This hotel was actually not even around when we were in school, and was just built a couple of years ago. We hadn’t been back in this area since we moved to Dallas, and we honestly fell in love with it. It is super close to so many great spots, including one of our favorites, Magnolia Cafe. There is also a Torchy’s Taco very close by, as well as a ton of other restaurants. You could easily get around this area without access to car, which is great if you’re visiting from out of town. We also walked to get fajitas from Polvo’s, a green juice at The Soup Peddler, and gelato at Dolce Neve (all about a 10 minute walk!)Chicken fajitas at Polvo’sEgg white omelette with veggie and a side of fruit and zucchini from Magnolia Cafe. They have GREAT pancakes!Frozen Rose from Hotel San Jose (thanks for the suggestion, y’all!)
They have three amazing restaurants (some you have probably heard of or seen on social media): Café No Sé, Central Standard, and Otoko. We had the opportunity to eat at both Café No Sé and Central Standard, and they were both delicious! Both restaurants were super accommodating, and we loved what we ordered at both, but honestly, everything on their menus looked amazing! They also have a super cute bar!At Café No Sé, we started with the hummus and veggies, and then we both ordered the burger without the bun. It was spuriously filling, and really good! They also had an avocado toast on their menu that looked amazing! Besides their food, we were O B S E S S E D with their decor. They had this amazing blue tile that we fell in love with. { Sunglasses}Bunless burger and hummus and veggies. {Shorts | Wedges | Toe Polish }
At Central Standard, we started with the deviled eggs, and then of course, we both ordered the roasted chicken with broccolini and brussels sprouts. It was DELICIOUS! We both will be back to this spot! We were surprised at how great the food was, despite it being a “hotel restaurant”. Typically, it can be mediocre, but we absolutely loved the food.Roasted chicken with roasted brussels sprouts.
Deviled Eggs. The actual hotel was very modern, and had really cool design and architecture. The hallways were really wide and spacious, and the doors had the keyless entry, which we love. Who wants to have to insert their card into that little slot? UGH! The actual room had a super neat, industrial feel. We loved that they had custom designed furniture and huge windows, which we loved for natural lighting! They also had a ton of local, healthy products in the mini bar. The room also had a fridge (necessary for us, haha), and a safe. We are pretty particular about the bathrooms, and this one was a good size and had a great rain shower.{ Shirt | Shorts | Taupe Wedges | Duffel Bag | Hat } { Robe | Laptop Case }{ Duffle Bag }
The staff was all super helpful the entire stay. When we checked in they were very informative, and helped us with everything we needed. We also left our phone charger at the pool, and we also needed an iron, and they brought it all up to our room. They really made it a point to get to know us, and make sure we were taken care of.On one of the days, we got to head to the pool to enjoy the beautiful weather. The pool overlooked South Congress, so it had a gorgeous view, and had tons of seating. We loved the comfy lounge chairs, as well as the bean bag chairs in the back to relax on. It was very open, so you could get could sun the entire day, which is very important to us! They also have a great bar up there.{ Hat | Gold Bikini Top | Gold Bikini Bottoms | Flip Flops }{ Pink Bikini Top | Pink Bikini Top | Sandals | Hat | Sunglasses } The fitness center, which we obviously care about, haha, was a good size, and had all the equipment we needed. It was on our room floor, which was super convenient, and nobody was in there, so we had it all to ourselves!{ Shorts | Tank | Bra | Shoes | Earphones | Grey Strap Tennis Shoes }
We also wanted to share some of our favorite places in Austin:
Town Lake
great to walk or run on, and they also have benches to sit on and just relax
Food Trucks
they have areas of them all over with so many different type of foods!
Mt. Bonnell
also a great place to walk/short hike. Our parents actually got engaged here!
University of Texas at Austin Campus
obviously we are biased, but it is so fun to just walk around. “The Drag” is also a fun place to get some UT gear, as well as grab some good food!
The Domain
a huge outdoor mall that has tons of restaurants, shopping, and some hotels.
South Congress
this is the area we stayed in. Tons of restaurants, bars, and food trucks.
1st Street
this is very walkable from South Congress. They have tons of restaurants and cute little shops.
Kayaking/Paddle Boarding on Town Lake
besides walking on the lake, you can also paddle board and kayak, which is really fun!
Watch Bats on Bridge
honestly, only Sam has done this, but she says it was cool! A ton of people gather around to take pictures of this everyday.
Hamilton Pool:
this is also a really pretty hike, and then they have this “pool” at the bottom, which is fun to lay out, and just take pictures.
And, a few other snaps that we took on our trip:Samantha’s outfit for dinner the first night we were there.
We had THE best time having a girl getaway, and Austin will always have a special place in our hearts:) Hope you all enjoyed! Please reach out with any questions! Xo
Some hotel photos courtesy of South Congress Hotel.
We are so excited to finally be sharing our Texas getaway to Austin at the JW Marriott. We went to school in Austin, so it was SO fun to be able to go back there where we lived for four years. It is such an incredible city and one that will always be close to our hearts.
If you live in Dallas, the drive to Austin couldn’t be easier. It took us just three hours each way and was perfect because all we had to to do was throw all of our stuff in the car and enjoy our time together (okay, and arguing, too)!
It was so crazy to see how much the city has changed since we have been gone. The area that the hotel is in didn’t even exist when we lived there just three years ago. It used to be a lot with food trucks, so it is incredible that they have this gorgeous hotel there now. First off, the hotel is GORGEOUS. From the rooms to the lobby to the food to the gym. It is all stunning. More on that later!:)The room we were staying in was on the 30th floor and on the corner of the floor. Not only was the room absolutely stunning, but the views were AMAZING. The room had huge windows, so you had a great view of downtown and Lady Bird Lake. We could even see where we used to live in college. I love the leather headboards. It has a Texas feel, without being overly “western”! We are pretty picky about bathrooms, but we loved that this one had a big counter space and the lighting and tiling was beautiful!
We were welcomed with the cutest treat: a chocolate guitar filled with pretzel sticks, and our favorite, macarons!
The views were incredible!
Gotta include my outfit for the car ride since some of you asked about it:
After we got in, we walked around downtown a little bit and ventured off to Whole Foods, of course! We found this super fun tile on the ground, so of course, I had to snap a picture!
How awesome is this map behind the concierge desk?
I love the rope detailing in the lobby!
The lobby has this gorgeous glass fireplace, which I love!
We had access to the executive lounge, which was huge and stocked with all sorts of drinks and snacks. They also had breakfast and appetizers in the evening to grab!
They had coffee and espresso available all day long, which is perfect for us caffeine addicts!
Love the limestone on these columns outside!
For dinner, we went to one of their delicious restaurants, Osterio Pronto, which is an Italian cuisine. First off, the restaurant is GORGEOUS inside and out. The food was also just as incredible. They also have a wine bar, OP Wine Bar, which offers customized, shareable antipasti plates featuring a variety of marinated olives, regional cheeses, and cured and smoked meats that all come with a suggested wine pairing.
In addition to this restaurant, they also have two other restrains, Burger Bar and Corner Restaurant, which are always packed! It is located at the corner of 2nd and Congress. They have a great patio that overlooks downtown.Love the beams on the ceiling in the restaurant!
We don’t normally drink, but when we saw this cocktail list, we had to try it out!
Samantha got the Viola Nero, and I got the Rossore. Both so good!
Love when restaurants give you bread with olive oil! So authentic.
The menu has authentic Italian food, but also offers a variety of gluten free pastas, as well as chicken and fish.
We both started off with the Local Lettuce salad, and I got the salmon, and Samantha got the sea bass.
I love that the fish came with roasted vegetables.
Here is the adorable dress I wore to dinner!
The next morning, we had a great night of sleep and enjoyed some coffee in our room before heading to the gym!
The view from the pool (next to the gym) was gorgeous!
I was amazed at the size of the gym. Not only did it have every piece of cardio you could ever want, it had tons of weight machines, free weights, cables, squat rack, battle ropes, barbells, kettle bells, you name it!
The weight machines even counted your reps as you worked out, which I had never seen before!
After our workout, of course it was time for breakfast! We headed back to Osterio Pronto, which offers a full menu, as well as a breakfast buffet, which we had.
The buffet had a spread of little bites like these, as well as these amazing looking cinnamon rolls!
They had the cutest mimosa bar filled with fresh juices and fresh fruit. How cute are these bottles and straws?
The buffet also had bacon and sausage, fresh fruit, smoked meats, cereal, made-to-order omelets, yogurt, and pastries. You could also order waffles! We definitely loaded up and enjoyed every bite! Their coffee was incredible, and we are coffee addicts, so that says a lot! On Sunday, they had a brunch that offered extra things like brisket, which we loved!After breakfast, we headed to the pool, which overlooks Lady Bird Lake, and has a great bar as well.
We relaxed by the pool most of the day and enjoyed the great weather!
After the pool, we headed to the mall and dinner. The Domain is gorgeous and all outdoors, if you haven’t been! Here is what we we wore!
We saw a gorgeous sunset that night!
On Sunday, we woke up early, worked out, and had breakfast. We also walked on Town Lake, which is gorgeous! We used to walk on it almost every day when we lived in Austin.
After that, it was time to head back to Dallas!
We had such an incredible time there and can’t wait to come back soon! They will be opening a spa in the fall, which we are sure will be nothing short of amazing. We could not recommend this hotel more. If you have any questions at all about our stay or Austin, feel free to reach out any time!
Thank you to the team at the JW Marrriott for our stay.