Hotel San José, Austin

For decades, Austin's own San Jose Motel in historic South Austin stood as a symbol of your everyday drive-in motel. Three million dollars later, and after a slight rearrangement of the name, a new hotel was born. Spanish decor adorns the olive brick palace, with cactus and sagebrush rooted in bright, tan rock and silt outlining the hotel. The hotel offers a variety of Latin-flavored rooms including two grand courtyard suites. Framed posters of legendary rock and blues acts that form a part of Austin's music history grace the walls of each room as do the patrons at Jo's Coffee Shop. This is as culturally "groovy" as it gets.