Hotel Saint Vincent

Hotel Saint Vincent is a winning combination of funky design and historic detail that is impossible to resist. The hotel is housed in an 1860s red brick building originally founded as The Saint Vincent's Infant Asylum by Irish immigrant and philanthropist Margaret Haughery. The orphanage was open into the 1970s, its notable iron filigree encased front porches and courtyards eventually sheltering unwed mothers. It was later used as a hostel and fell into disrepair until local developers partnered with Austin-based MML Hospitality for a $22.2 million redo. The 75-room hotel balances high style with a passionate embrace of architectural details. The property's original grand staircase and wide sweeping corridors remain intact, with local art commissioned to pay homage to the nuns who once lived on the fourth floor. Each room is different, notable for rich textures and colors –" think deep red mohair and salmon colored velvet curtains, along with floor to ceiling windows, antiques and custom furniture from Lambert McGuire Design. The bathrooms are the best, with their pink and salmon tile DS & Durga toiletries and trippy wallpaper. Many have private verandas. The hotels two restaurants, two bars and outside pool terrace all give the sense that something wonderful and unexpected is about to happen.