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| Our rental car which we named Black Phoebe |
Flight to SA
We took a Southwest flight out of Providence. The flight was at 5:20 AM. We had an hour layover at Midway in Chicago. We arrived in San Antonio at 11:30 AM. We took our carry on and a personal item (backpack).We did not need to check luggage. There was enough room for clothes, hygiene, and binoculars in our carry on. Additionally, I took my laptop and my camera with my big lens and my small lens. We left our car at the Doubletree Hotel where we took a two minute shuttle and they dropped us off right at the Southwest gate.
Roudtrip cost $330/person
Rental Car
At San Antonio's International Airport we did not have to leave or take a shuttle to the rental cars. We just walked through the airport and up to level five to get our rental. We rented from Budget. they only had two cashiers on so it took over an hour to get a rental car. I had reserved a Toyota Corolla (or similar) but they gave us a free upgrade to a 2026 Chevy Blazer that was a really sweet ride. Cost for for eight days $485
Lodging
There is plenty of lodging in both San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). You can stay in downtown San Antonio for $300/night. We got a room about seven miles from The Alamo that cost us $110 for two nights (55/night). It was a Super 8 and it was alright but run down. Still it did the job. After our early flight and delay getting the rental car we got to the motel at 3:30 PM. We went to bed for the night at 4:30! We were exhausted.
In the McAllen area of the RGV there are literally hundreds of motels striving to get your business. There is twenty miles of strip malls, motels, and restaurants along the highway, We saw no less than four LaQuinta motels along that strip along with every other motel chain you have ever heard of. We stayed at the LaQuinta in Alamo which is the next town east of McAllen. We had three motels that we liked. We actually stayed at the one that cost an extra $10/night because it had continental breakfast and an indoor pool and hot tub. We did use the hot tub three times but the pool water was chilly. Breakfast wasn't great but it got us going each day. Cost for six nights total $539
Our actual room was beautiful. It had high ceilings and a futon. There was a big desk and a small desk. We had a fridge and microwave. It was really clean and the maid came in and made the bed everyday and gave us fresh towels.
Food
In San Antonio we had a quick lunch at the Mexican place next to The Alamo. They had a special for three tacos, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans, and a soda for ten bucks. It was my favorite meal of the trip. Along the Riverwalk there are many restaurants. Some were right along the walk, others were a block away.
In the RGV along the twenty miles of strip malls you have every restaurant chain known to man. If you want to go out to eat you will have no problem finding a place to eat. We got a couple meals including Mexican and Fried Chicken. We also went to Walmart and bought food to take with us for lunch. We had PBJ along with a handful of chips for lunch while we were out birding. Finding a Walmart was simple. There are many in the McAllen area.
Gas
You are not out in the wilderness. Gas stations at every intersection
Distance
Downtown San Antonio is about seven miles from the airport. Our motel was also seven miles from downtown. We didn't go to the RGV after we left San Antonio. Instead we went to the coastal town of Rockport to see Whooping Cranes. We took a boat ride to see them. Rockport was three hours from the motel. After our 9AM-noon boat tour we drove the four hours to Alamo, TX. We had to drive through Corpus Christi which was way bigger than I expected.
Coming from Alamo to San Antonio our ETA was 3.5 hours. However, with a stop for bathroom and coffee, along with filling up before returning the rental it took us four hours and ten minutes. There wasn't any traffic and speed limits ranged from 65-75 except for short periods going through towns.
We did about 1200 miles. Seven hundred of that was leaving San Antonio for Rockport and then McAllen and the drive back to the airport on the last day.
Flight home.
We took a 2:10 PM flight home. This let us get up at a reasonable hour before a long day. We were on the road at 8 AM. We arrived at the airport at 12:10. Returning the rental was simple. We followed the signs and dropped the car off where we picked it up. We walked into the airport and went through security with no lines.
Our flight was delayed a half hour but still had no trouble at our layover, also at Midway in Chicago. We had an hour wait in Chicago. We landed in Providence at 9:30. We called for a shuttle from the motel we left our car at and they picked us up ten minutes later. We were home at 10:45 PM.
TF Green, Midway in Chicago, and San Antonio were all easy airports to navigate.
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