Hotel Van Zandt

The pool

• 4th-floor rooftop pool
• Lady Bird Lake views
• Rainey Street
• Day passes via ResortPass

Why it's on the list

Named for the songwriter, and the hotel carries the music-city energy well — though the live music is downstairs at Geraldine's, not poolside. The 4th-floor deck looks out over Lady Bird Lake, with Rainey Street humming below without intruding.

The stay

The Van Zandt is the Rainey Street one, and the music theme is load-bearing rather than decorative — the hotel is named for Townes Van Zandt, and Geraldine's runs live sets most nights, jazz brunches included. The district's bungalow bars are directly below, so the nightlife is at the door while the hotel stays surprisingly composed above it, with Lady Bird Lake at the end of the street. At $$$ it's fair for the location and the personality — the pick if you want Austin's bar scene walkable and music in the building; look downtown if Rainey's weekend noise would grate.