Mr & Mrs Smith

Drop in to Enoteca at 1610 South Congress (+1 512 441 7672) and fill up on moreish antipasti, slender wood-fired pizzas and fresh pasta. Can there be a better way to start the day than with Enoteca’s Sunday brunch, which includes delicate Italian crêpes, fragrant brioche and bellini (if you dare). Street food is given a sophisticated rethink at La Condesa, at 400-A West 2nd Street (+1 512 499 0300). This hip Mexican restaurant also boasts over 80 varieties of blue agave tequila. Eat in the romantically lit garden, and listen to live music at Botticelli’s Italian trattoria, at 1321 South Congress Avenue (+1 512 916 1315).

Have a drink at Saint Cecilia’s (even more) laid-back sister hotel, in the Hotel San José’s Courtyard Wine and Beer Lounge. Every Thursday, there are Rock ’n’ Reel nights, with a gig by a local band and a movie under the stars. On Wednesday nights, the house DJ, Waxploitation, takes to the decks from 7.30pm to 10.30pm.

Jo’s Coffee at 1300 South Congress (+1 512 444 3800) is a toothpaste-green coffee shack, which shares a parking lot with the San Jose Hotel (contender with Saint Cecilia for the ‘hippest hotel in town’ title), and serves up homemade cakes, pastries, sandwiches and a wide variety of caffeine-loaded concoctions, both hot and iced.

Rock up with the locals on their Mad Max-esque hotrods to the Continental Club, at 1315 South Congress Avenue (+1 512 411 2444), and nurse a fridge-cold Bud at this hillbilly honky tonk, which draws live performances from new and established rock, rockabilly, country and indie talent.

Expand your musical horizons with a rummage through the hotel’s vintage vinyl collection – then sound out your finds on the turntables in your room. The 50ft pool, with its groovy hot-pink neon ‘soul’ sign will cool you down from the Texas sun, and there are white banana chairs and squashy red sofas for post-swim lounging. The hotel has a stash of retro bikes to borrow, so you can explore your surroundings. Then again, given its moody appeal and dark, bluesy decor, you may just want to read and relax in the Hotel Saint Cecilia Lounge, lime-laden cocktail in hand. See bingo (and chickens) in a different light with a game of Chicken Shit Bingo at Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon, at 5434 Burnet Road (+1 512 458 1813). The Barton Springs Pool, at 2101 Barton Springs Road (+1 512 974 9331), is the place where hot locals (in both senses) cool down from their Austin adventures. Retail addicts will get their shopping fix with a wander down South Congress strip – there is a bounty of quirky vintage stores stuffed with cowboy-chic finds.

March Music festival South by South West (http://sxsw.com) has global stature, yet manages to keep a low profile, thanks to its laid-back Austinite hosts. Over four days, more than 1,800 music acts descend on the city and there are plenty of unofficial gigs around the official nightly line-up. April Hear some of R&B and neo soul’s established and emerging talents at the Urban Music Festival (www.urbanmusicfest.com), held on the banks of Town Lake, at Auditorium Shores. August Celebrate Austin’s winged residents with Bat Fest (www.roadwayevents.com). October Enjoy tunes in the park at the Austin City Limits Music Festival (www.aclfestival.com). Then swap music for movies at the Austin Film Festival (www.austinfilmfestival.com).