The Line
Austin
August 2020
My family and I stayed at The Line Hotel twice in August. The first time was just for a long weekend stay with my mom. The second time was to escape hurricane Laura, which didn't end up affecting Houston. Although, it was nice to work from a location that wasn't my apartment and to enjoy hotel amenities.
I love the Line. The hotel is pet friendly and bonus points, NO pet fee! The floors and hallways are clean. I was expecting it to smell like a zoo since I had never experienced staying at a pet-friendly hotel. I was very impressed. No stains, funky smells, nothing. There is comfortable seating throughout their lobby and a few open tables for working or eating. They have a coffee shop called Alfred. It was my go-to morning stop for a delicious cold brew. They also have a restaurant/bar in the lobby called Arlo Grey but it is currently closed due to COVID.
All right, let's get to the bedrooms 😏. I recommend reserving a room that faces the Colorado River. The view is amazing, especially around sunset. The room was spacious enough for 3 people and a dog. Their mini-fridge in the closet is stocked! They have all kinds of soda, alcohol, carbonated water, the list goes on. I mean, you can have a party. They even have condoms. It was hilarious watching my mom sift through and discovering all the stuff.
The location of the hotel is central and very close to many great food spots, biking and running trails, and most importantly, right next to the river. Every time I visit Austin, It is a must to blow up my SUP and get some sun from the Colorado River. There are several locations to dock but I usually set up my SUP under the 1st Avenue bridge. And conveniently, my parents walk on over to Capital Cruises to rent some kayaks.
Capital Cruises is great because they close at midnight and it's also really close to the Congress Avenue Bridge. Around 8 pm (during summer months) there is a large gathering around the Congress bridge to watch the bats take flight for their nighttime feeding. If you choose to watch the show from a kayak, I would recommend you rent your kayaks early, like, before 5 pm in case they run out of kayaks. They like to reserve kayaks for a bat watch tour.
