Fodor's Expert Review Mokara Hotel & Spa

The ultimate spa getaway on the River Walk, luxury accommodations and services are offered at this hotel in the shell of the 19th-century L. Frank Saddlery Building. Mokara has sleekly modern yet warm rooms and suites, with 12-foot ceilings, whirlpool baths, and separate walk-in showers. Plush linens and posh toiletries are similarly luxurious. Rooms also have hardwood floors, large leather-top desks, Harman Kardon wireless speakers, and espresso machines. River Walk–facing rooms have private balconies. The 17,000-square-foot, European-style Mokara Spa offers a hair and nail salon, massages, facials, scrubs, soaks, and other therapies, plus a 24-hour fitness center. The spa also has a rooftop pool and café. The hotel's fine dining on-site restaurant, Ostra, is on the lower level, directly on the River Walk.