Driving Directions from DFW: Take the South Exit to Rte 183 east. Take I-35E south and exit to Oak Lawn Ave. Turn left on Oak Lawn, then right on Maple. The hotel is at the corner of Maple and Cedar Springs Rd.

Getting there: The best option from the airport is a shuttle ($16–$25; fees subject to change without notice). The hotel can also arrange private car or limousine service for a variable fee; contact the hotel for details.

Getting around: There are several shops, restaurants, and galleries within a short walk. The hotel offers courtesy car service to destinations within a 5-mile radius. For longer trips, there is DART light rail (less than $5; fees subject to change without notice). Taxis are also readily available.

The Crescent Gourmet - Located at the hotel entrance, this specialty food shop offers take-out soups, salads, and sandwiches. Open early morning to mid-afternoon.

The Juice Bar - Located in the Spa at the Crescent, this light and cheery café specializes in low-fat, high-energy fare. Menu includes fruit and veggie smoothies, fresh fruit, soups, salads, and entrées such as Stuffed Artichoke with Crab and Sesame-Crusted Salmon. Open early morning to late afternoon.

Lady Primrose’s Thatched Cottage Pantry - A charming, traditional tearoom located in the Shops and Galleries of the Crescent. Lunch fare includes Old English Shepard’s Pie, soups, salads, and English Trifle. The afternoon English tea features tea sandwiches, warm scones with clotted cream and jam, cottage pastries, and a selection of freshly brewed teas--all surrounded by antiques and other imported gifts for sale. Open late morning to late afternoon.

Amenity highlights: The Spa at the Crescent is a 22,000-square-foot facility that includes a comprehensive fitness center (surcharge). There are classes in yoga, Pilates, and kickboxing, as well as a wide range of cardio and weight-training equipment. The spa offers 77 health and beauty treatments (surcharge), including scrubs and wraps, massage and skin treatments, and nail care. Locker rooms have saunas, steam rooms, spa tubs, cold plunge tubs, robes and towels, rainfall-style showers, and vanity areas.

Insider tip: The Nasher Sculpture Center, 1.5 miles from the hotel, is a gift to Dallas from philanthropist Raymond Nasher. Visitors can view sculptures by Rodin, Picasso, Calder, Gauguin, and others. The light-filled center and spacious adjoining garden house 300 sculptures and include education and research facilities.

The hotel offers 14 meeting venues with 13,000 square feet of space to serve corporate executives and business and social planners. Guests can arrange private candlelight dining in the brick-walled Wine Cellar or host a grand celebration in the Crescent Ballroom. The self-serve business center has computers with complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access, copier, and fax. High-speed wireless Internet access is available in all public areas of the hotel (surcharge); complimentary Ethernet kits are available.

The hotel complex is connected to the Shops and Galleries of the Crescent by a European-style courtyard with three granite-and-limestone fountains, lush garden landscaping, and a small forest of trees that are lit at night by thousands of tiny lights. The shops feature fine antiques, porcelain, bath and beauty products, fine apparel, a bridal salon, linens, and products for the home.