Texas Hotels, From $87 a Night

Galveston, from $105 per night
A trio of Wyndham hotels based in Galveston, which offers both the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico and the antique shops and art galleries of the Strand Historic District, has discounted its winter room rates. You can stay at the Harbor House starting at $105 per night, at the Tremont House starting at $105 per night, or at the Hotel Galvez starting at $119 per night. When Through Jan. 31, 2008; February rates jump to $115 at the Harbor House, $135 at Tremont House, and $139 at Hotel Galvez. Details Taxes are an additional 15 percent. Based on double or single occupancy. Contact 800/996-3426, wyndham.com, or the individual property.

Marfa, from $155 per night
In the funky west Texas town of Marfa, high in the Chihuahuan Desert, sits the boutique Thunderbird Hotel, which has a pool, a fireplace, and rooms outfitted with bright woven Peruvian blankets and original art work. Its romance package provides a 10 percent discount off the cost of your room, plus a chilled bottled of Prosecco, Vosges chocolates, Mexican votive candles, a complimentary movie rental, a CD of romantic tunes, pink Christmas lights, and daily coffee delivery for two. Rates start at $155 per room for the first night of the package and $113 for each additional night. When Lowest rates are based on weeknight (Sun.-Thurs.) stays during the low season: Jan.-Feb. 2008. On weekends, rates jump to $168 for the first night and $126 for each additional night. Details Hotels taxes are an additional 13 percent. Based on double or single occupancy. Contact 877/729-1984, thunderbirdmarfa.com.

Aerial view of Galveston, Texas (Thinkstock/Corbis) [enlarge photo]

Horseshoe Bay, from $159 per night
The Waters at Horseshoe Bay Resort, set on 7,000 lakeside acres with three pools, a spa, a marina, tennis courts, and an 18-hole par 72 putting course, is offering a special winter rate for its one-bedroom villas, each of which has a kitchen, a living room, an Apple iPod docking station, a washer and dryer, a balcony with a lake view. Stays start at $159 per night--savings of 50 percent. Guests also luck out with a 20 percent discount on spa treatments and golf, and a 10 percent discount at the resort's restaurants. Note that the weather in this part of Texas Hill Country is pretty balmy in January and February, with average temperatures in the 60s Fahrenheit. When Through Feb. 29, 2008. Details Taxes are an additional 6 percent. Based on double or single occupancy. Contact 877/611-0112, hsbresort.com.

If you're happy to forgo the extra trappings of a hotel package, here are some reliable year-round bargain lodgings:

In Austin, the Austin Motel, whose neon marquee celebrates the city's quirkiness ("so close yet so far out"), has room rates from $87, and the Hotel San Jose, which has a garden and a tiny pool for beating the Texas heat, has rooms starting at $95 per night for a shared bathroom on weeknights; both properties are located in the hip SoCo neighborhood.

The Texas White House B&B in Fort Worth offers a wraparound porch, a garden bursting with native plants like pink rock roses, and a lending library of Texas-related books; cozy rooms start from $125 per night, based on a minimum two-night stay.

The antique-filled Brackenridge House in San Antonio's historic King William neighborhood has rooms from $125 per night.

Read these guidelines before you book any Real Deal. And before you go, check the local weather forecast at BudgetTravel.com.

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