Hey Beauties! (contemplates making another cup of coffee!) Nothing helps me get through the week more than finding a dope new spot to hit up on the weekend. I do my research and am always on the hunt for my next outing. I’m known to have my go to spots that I frequent but nothing gets me more hype than scouting a new addition to add to my list.
Always Down
Let’s get personal for a minute, I’m one to lay low and grind it out during the week and by that I mean Monday-Thursday because Friday night kicks off my weekend.. okkuurr. Between more than one string of work I tend to, a workout schedule, and everything in between, I usually keep pretty quiet with a few random exceptions. I happened to be scrolling through Instagram and stumbled upon a lounge called “Haunt” and immediately the party light went off in the master suite of my brain and it was logged into my weekend agenda.
Photo Credit: Kammerch
The picture I happened to come across intrigued me with its multicolor LED lighting and décor. The dark ambient lighting paired with the LED lighting gave it a classy neon glow and the décor was straight out of Z Gallerie (love that store BTW). There truly isn’t anywhere like this in San Antonio so it was a breath of fresh air to see and also gave me a glimmer of hope on a new nightlife spot for your gurl.
To My Surprise
Fast forwarding thru my week, because who really wants to hear about that? *yawns* Saturday arrived, and your girl was ready to hit the town… or downtown I should say. With the address plugged in to GPS and the VIBE on lock, I was on my way. As I started to get near the location, I realized that this lounge was part of a very well know and elegant hotel in San Antonio Texas called The St. Anthony Hotel. Nothing from the photo/photos I found gave me reason to believe this was a “hotel lounge”. I spotted the lounge immediately thanks to the large windows allowing full view of the neon lights and light up bar. There were 2 access points (which I appreciated) to enter the lounge. The lounge is located on the side of the building so there is a set of doors for immediate access from the street or you can go around to the front of the St. Anthony and walk through the lobby towards the lounge and take a peek at this luxurious hotel.
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting this hotel on a previous occasion, so I took the street entrance to access the lounge only. It was between 7:30-8:00pm when I arrived and there were only 2 other guests sitting at the bar (I would bet money that they were hotel guests) It had a sunken floor plan so I had to go down about 3-2 stairs before I could make way to the bar but I took a second on the landing to scope the place out. The aesthetic was top notch, from the colored lighting and dope light fixtures to the variety of luxury seating and modern bar stools. This location is smaller as expected for a hotel lounge but there was plenty of seating and tables around for socializing. There was a low sound of tech house playing in the background which took this place up a notch in my book.
Anything?
I made my way down the stairs and was ready for a cocktail. They are a full-service bar and did have a specialty cocktail menu with a few selections. As I sat down, I realized just how low the music was and it was almost a little too quiet. I was greeted immediately and handed a menu. I honestly was just taking everything in and assessing the situation when my bartender was back for my drink order. I didn’t even take a peek at the menu yet, but she led me through it and mentioned she could make me pretty much anything I wanted.
I know my liquors and like to think I’m pretty knowledgeable when it comes to cocktails, but I was just so thrown off by what I was experiencing. I know it’s not that serious, but I was A.) Still shook as to it being a hotel lounge and me not catching that and B.) Confused as to why such a dope place was a ghost town at 8pm on a Saturday night. Rant ends here.. I knew this would be a “one and done” stop so I went for the “not too sour not too sweet” line and asked for Don Julio Blanco; she gave me the all too familiar shucks face and I knew she was about to tell me they didn’t have Don Julio. “Sorry we don’t have Don Julio” echoed in the empty space and she offered Casamigos as an alternative top shelf tequila (WE DON’T ROLL WITH PATRON ROUND HEEYYUUHH).
“Juthhh Look At It“
(Ed Bassmaster Voice)
I was served this neon pink deliciousness looking liquid in straight “fine china”. The glass was heavy and gorgeous. Another guest at the bar was having some sort of martini and his glass was equally as chic in its silver aluminum chicness. The bartender called it her take on a pink raspberry margarita. It was actually quite good but nothing to write home about. I saw her pull out a container of powder which I’m sure was responsible for this beautiful color I was consuming. One thing I will say is she was generous on the tequila pour and it was refreshing.
Photo Credit: Haunt
I decided to move from the bar to take a seat elsewhere and of course went for the black patent leather chair that had my name all over it. After having a few sips of my drink and peeking around at all the décor, I noticed that there were some really cool pieces adorning the walls and side tables (things I would purchase myself). The 2 other guests made their way out and I was in there alone at one point, I noticed people peek in a few times, but no one ever came in.
The Not So Friendly Ghost
I finished my drink and was ready to go. I tried to make sense of it the entire walk to the car and decided I’d give it another try maybe on a different day or time. I went back on a Friday night with a friend this time a little later in the evening before a concert (probably 10pm) and it was the same thing (6 people max). I AGAIN found myself in the area on a separate occasion and again.. ghost town (maybe that’s why they call it “Haunt” *BADUM TSS*).
This place is perfect for you to head in and take over with your squad and not worry about a crowd or a quiet place to have a drink and a private conversation. I am obsessed with the aesthetic of this lounge and the vibe, but I just wish it was a bit more poppin’ since that’s what I prefer but this may be someone else’s cup of tea, I’m just here to report the cocktail news okkkk. I’m super tempted to even go back one more time and see the current situation that’s how much I approved of the vibe. Stay Tuned.
Cheers,
-Modish Champagne
