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Masterpiece Montrose mansion-hotel books No. 1 spot on Texas Monthly’s list of best stays

Topping 2023's "Where to Stay Now" list is Houston’s own La Colombe d’Or, the landmark mansion that overlooks the historic Montrose neighborhood.

Photo courtesy of La Colombe d'Or

Though we are in the era of short-term rentals, Texas Monthly is out on the prowl to recognize those truly local hotel gems scattered across our wonderfully vast state. And a Houston hotel has earned the No. 1 recommendation spot.

In the four years since their 2019 edition of “Where to to Stay Now,” Texas Monthly has proved not every home on Airbnb offers as luxe of an experience as a business that was designed for it. Plus, a hotel isn’t going to charge you ridiculously high cleaning fees.

Topping this year's recommendations is Houston’s own La Colombe d’Or, the landmark mansion that overlooks the historic Montrose neighborhood. It was built over a century ago and named after an inn and restaurant of the same name in France. As CultureMap reported, the hotel underwent a major transformation in 2019, reopening in 2021 with a newly renovated house and bungalows, and a 34-story tower.

La Colombe d’Or, also known as “golden dove,” is richly decorated with art. Some would say it resembles a museum with its 400-plus original paintings, sculptures, and other art pieces decorating the common areas, guest rooms, and hotel gardens.

The Grand Galvez in nearby Galveston also earned a nod on Texas Monthly's list. Much like La Colombe d'Or, the Grand Galvez resort is also more than a century old. It features an extravagant full-service spa, saltwater pool, and even a swim-up bar. Patrons often come to check out the hallways plastered with pictures of prominent figures (sometimes with less-than-stellar reputations) who have visited the hotel. Reports of ghosts that have haunted the resort during its 112-year history are also a draw for both skeptics and ghost-hunting enthusiasts.

All 10 hotels on 2023’s "Where to Stay Now" list have either recently opened or undergone massive renovations since the publication's previous edition. Commonalities between the hotels include a love of art, historic preservation, and attention to those tiny details that truly outshine the convenience of a short-term rental.

Texas Monthly's recommendations include:

La Colombe d’Or in Houston
Hotel Lulu in Round Top
Lively Beach in Corpus Christi
Hotel Drover in Fort Worth
The Loren at Lady Bird Lake in Austin
Stanton House in El Paso
Grand Galvez in Galveston
Thompson Dallas
Willow House in Terlingua
Commodore Perry Estate in Austin

Texas Monthly also included the newly renovated Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa on their list of honorable mentions. The Houstonian has long been regarded as one of the city’s best hotels, even earning recognition in Forbes’ 2023 Travel Guide.

The newly renovated Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa scored an honorable mention. Photo courtesy of The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa

The 10 honorable mention hotels are:

The Barfield, Autograph Collection in Amarillo
Hall Arts Hotel in Dallas
Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa
Cotton Court Hotel in Lubbock
Hotel Dryce in Fort Worth
Thompson San Antonio-Riverwalk
Canopy by Hilton San Antonio Riverwalk
Plaza Hotel Pioneer Park in El Paso
Austin Proper Hotel
Hotel Turkey in Turkey

More information about the hotels can be found on texasmonthly.com.

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prepare for nostalgia

Texas museum rewinds Blockbuster and Walkmans in new '90s exhibit

Bullock Museum special exhibit The 90s: Last Decade Before the Future; fashion and style

Photo courtesy of the Bullock Museum

The Y2K era inspired many fashion trends.

A new nostalgia-inducing special exhibition debuting at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin is giving viewers a way to look back at the magic of the final decade before the turn of the millennia.

The 90s: Last Decade Before the Future will showcase "the watershed events and innovations" that changed the world and ushered in the technological revolution of the early aughts. These landmark moments include political events like the fall of the Berlin Wall and President Bill Clinton's impeachment, as well as cultural shifts through the lens of fashion, sports, and movie icons.

"In between the opening and closing of the 1990s, genres of music rose and fell, Blockbuster made everyone a critic, TV became must see, Beanie Babies replaced some of our retirement plans, and at some point we all did the Macarena," the exhibit description says. "There was a cloned sheep, an impeached president, and a booming economy bolstered by the internet."

The exhibit also asks viewers to imagine or remember a time when "technology didn’t control us" — when the internet could only be accessed via a desktop computer confined to a dedicated room and tucked away in a desk or solid wood cabinet. That time was before social media and instant communication, when we didn't have all the knowledge of the world at our fingertips.

Bullock Museum special exhibit The 90s: Last Decade Before the Future; cassette tape players and CD players Personal CD mixes had something that playlists today just don't. Photo courtesy of the Bullock Museum

Visitors will spot these vintage artifacts in the exhibit:

A piece of the Berlin Wall
A recreation of the iconic home video rental store Blockbuster Video
A timeline of portable media players like Sony Walkmans, CD players, and MP3 players
Famous movie character costumes, including Whoopi Goldberg’s pink suit from romance thriller Ghost and Tom Hanks’ combat uniform from Saving Private Ryan
Outfits from "era-defining music superstars," including Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Jay-Z, and more
Memorabilia from Olympic champion athletes like figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, gymnast Kerri Strug, and swimmer Amy Van Dyken
Technological innovations like Apple iMac computers, landline phones, video games, and others
More recognizable fashion trends and popular toys

The exhibit is on loan from the Colorado History Museum, an educational institution dedicated to representing the Centennial State's culture and history.

The 90s: Last Decade Before the Future will debut on November 14 and will be on display at the Bullock Museum through March 21, 2027. A member reception will precede the opening on November 12 from 6-8 pm. The exhibit is included with regular museum admission ($22 for adults; $18 for seniors, students, and military; $16 for youth ages 6-17; and free for members).

Photo courtesy of the Bullock Museum

The Y2K era inspired many fashion trends.

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