Traveling In Style

Luxury bus service launches Houston-Austin route and new downtown terminal

After launching a route between Houston and Dallas in April, luxury motor coach service Vonlane announced that it will provide nonstop service between downtown Houston and Austin, with coaches departing at least twice daily beginning January 17.

In addition to the new service, Vonlane is moving its Houston terminal from its current location near George Bush Intercontinental Airport to the corner of Dallas and Louisiana streets, directly next to the downtown Hyatt Regency. The change will be effective January 4, initially affecting its Houston-Dallas routes.

Vonlane is known for luxurious coaches with 16 first-class reclining leather-upholstered seats, as well as an array of amenities that allow for passengers to either work or relax during their trip. Services include complimentary refreshments, Wi-Fi, satellite TV and desk-like spaces for travelers. You can even borrow a set of noise-cancelling headsets to travel in peace or reserve a six-seat conference room equipped with monitors for laptop projection to take your business on the road.

Fares are competitively priced at $99 for a one-way trip between Houston and Austin and $109 between Houston and Dallas, comparable to coach-class airline fares. Passengers will arrive at the Hyatt Regency near downtown Austin or in Dallas at the Doubletree Hotel across from Love Field Airport.

From Monday through Saturday, coaches depart for Austin at 7 am, 3 pm and 7 pm, and trips returning to Houston leave at 11 am, 3 pm and 7 pm. On Sundays, coaches depart from both Houston and Austin at 2 pm and 6 pm.

Vonlane also offers service between Austin and Dallas — tickets are $99 for a one-way trip — and is adding 6 am departures from each city on January 11.

Passengers can reserve the six seater conference room that is equipped with laptop projection monitors.

transportation

T+L in HOU

Travel + Leisure includes Houston stay on 100 best new hotels list

Photo by Julie Soefer

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Hot on the heels of being named one of Esquire magazine’s best new hotels in the world of 2025, Houston's Hotel Saint Augustine has picked up another accolade. The Montrose property landed on Travel + Leisure’s 100 Best New Hotels of the Year this week. It's the only Texas hotel to make the list.

The magazine noted the property “feels true to the destination and is a perfect addition to Houston's growing hospitality scene,” noting details that pay tribute to Houston’s history, like the Night Heron cocktail named after the city’s official bird and that the hotel itself takes its own name from Augustus Chapman, one of Houston’s founders.

When Austin-based Bunkhouse Hotels opened Saint Augustine back in December of 2024, it was a much-anticipated addition to the Bayou City’s hospitality scene. Adjacent to the world-renowned Menil Collection, the Hotel Saint Augustine blends seamlessly into its surroundings with a quiet elegance and luxury amenities.

“For us, Hotel Saint Augustine offers a chance to become part of a neighborhood that deeply aligns with the Bunkhouse ethos,” Bunkhouse senior VP of design and development Tenaya Hills said when it first opened. “Montrose, and by extension, the Museum District and Houston at large, foster an incredible sense of community, of creativity, of old world and new. We wanted to create a place where everyone could come and feel as welcome and inspired. As the next iteration of our Saint hotels, we aim to provide the same unique feeling of seclusion, of permission to be indulgent, and, most of all, completely at ease.”

With 71 rooms across five, two-story buildings, many with courtyard views, the Saint Augustine has quickly become known for being both upscale and approachable. Reviews thus far on sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp call the property “simply stunning,” with a “fun atmosphere,” and “a treasure…in the heart of Houston.”

On the Travel + Leisure list, the hotel is ranked among properties such as the Hotel Hana in Paris, The Lotus Palace in India, and the Palm House in Palm Beach, Florida. Room rates start at $429 per night.