The Best of Austin: Concierge Travel Tips

On March 7, Four Seasons hosted a #bestofcity Twitter chat featuring Four Seasons Hotel Austin Concierge Daisy Undercuffler. During the chat, she answered questions about dining, shopping, what to do during South by Southwest (SxSW) and more. Here are highlights from the chat, which include her top picks and recommendations on how to make the most of a visit to Austin.

Daisy’s favourite ways to unwind in Austin: If you want to get out of the city during SxSW, head to Lake Travis (just 45 minutes away), and rent a boat if you can! If you want to stay in Austin, the Hotel Spa has mini-treatments less than 30 minutes long. Also try Barton Springs and Big Stacy pools.

Daisy’s favourite signature spa treatments: Four Seasons has two new facials: Sapphire & Pearl and NuFace Quick Lift—both give you that eight-hours-of-sleep glow!

Daisy’s favourite Austin shops: For unique boutiques, head to SoCo. Maya Star Austin Boutique—with women’s clothes, shoes and accessories—is a fave.

Daisy’s favourite food trucks: Gourdough’s is amazing (they have every combo of doughnuts known to man), as is Holy Cacao with its cake balls, and Torchy’s Tacos. Another great Austin food truck is The Mighty Cone near Hey Cupcake—great people-watching!

Daisy’s favourite bread in the city: Our popovers at TRIO are amazing . . . fluffy with Parmesan! I also love the cornbread at Lamberts.

Daisy’s favourite place for a walk-in meal: Second Bar + Kitchen on Congress (downtown) will be busy—but they don’t take reservations, so people may stay away and you can grab a seat.

Daisy’s favourite gluten-free dining options: Bouldin Creek and La Condesa are great gluten-free options. Also, 90 percent of TRIO’s dinner menu is gluten-free!

Daisy’s favourite place for a sunset drink: Sunset in March is around 7:30 pm, which is also when bats emerge from Congress Bridge, so sit on the Hotel’s lawn and sip on a Batini cocktail. Other options for sunset watching: Speakeasy’s rooftop patio, or Hula Hut right on Lake Austin.

Daisy’s favourite Tex-Mex joints: Chuy’s, Maudie’s and Trudy’s are the trifecta of Tex-Mex in Austin. Gotta try a Mexican Martini at Trudy’s!

Daisy’s favourite place for barbecue: If you’re looking for barbecue to rival The Salt Lick, definitely try Franklin Barbecue, which was just lauded in Food & Wine as the best in Texas, if not the U.S.

Daisy’s favourite place for real two-stepping: Broken Spoke offers lessons before the band starts, and Donn’s Depot is a great dive bar with authentic music and dancing.

Daisy’s favourite running trail: Hands down, the best Austin trail is the Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail—beautiful and in the heart of downtown.

Daisy’s favourite place for a snack: Looking for a snack during SxSW? Sweetish Hill Bakery & Café is a gem hidden in the San Jacinto office tower.

Daisy’s favourite new SxSW venues: I’m excited about Rainey Street District’s Javelina Bar; also check out Swan Dive (north of downtown).

Daisy’s favourite SxSW hangouts: If it’s nice out, the back lawn of Four Season Hotel Austin, Zilker Park and Barton Springs are hot spots for hanging out with new friends.

Undercuffler also offers this advice for first-timers at SxSW: “Plan your day and prioritize, but don’t stress out trying to see everything!”

Stay tuned to Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts on Facebook, or follow @FourSeasons on Twitter, for all the latest news, and watch out for the next #bestofcity event on March 13 featuring Concierge Marie-Claire Sabogal from Four Seasons Hotel Dublin and co-hosted by @EpsteinTravels, founder of the popular weekly #FriFotos chat. Meanwhile, you can read more Concierge recommendations from Austin here.