What was there not to like? Bloody Marys at breakfast, a rocking chair overlooking the pool, a spot close to the fire pit to listen to the band.

A kayak trip on the river, shopping bags full of designer bargains, and some of the wildest bars in the west.

Oh and the bats of course: thousands and thousands of bats.

I was in Austin, Texas, the Live Music Capital of the World, and it was living up to its name.

First those bats. Make certain you have your spot next to the Congress Avenue Bridge just before nightfall, we had been advised. And so there we were with a few hundred other “bat-watchers”

waiting for the main event of the evening – each and every evening.

And sure enough, as the sun began to sink the bats began to fly the roost.

In ones and twos to start with, then in their hundreds and finally in their multitudes: a great swarm of the tiny creatures winding their way like a living trail of smoke across the twilight sky, Austin’s dramatic skyline as a backdrop.

The view was spectacular, even if we didn’t have the best spot for bat-watching, I decided. That was on the water itself where a small group of kayaks had paddled their way along the Colorado River and were drifting beneath the swarm.

The Colorado River cuts Austin in two and I had taken to its waters, paddle in hand earlier in the day. It was perhaps also the only spot I had found where you escaped for any length of time the sound of music. Especially live music. Not for nothing has Austin earned its name and reputation for being the heart of America’s – they would claim the world’s – live music industry.

From every bar, every parlour, every hotel lobby; across shopping centres and parks; on street corners and sounding out from open windows in apartments and condos comes the sounds of music in the raw. And bloody good it is to.

There are plenty of downtown hotels to stay in, but we were actually based just outside the city in Austin’s new kid on the block: The Domain.

Just a half hour drive from downtown – or even a short hop on the commuter train that goes from 6th Street almost to the Domain door – this open-air, mixed-use lifestyle community covers 1.3 million square feet in upscale shops and restaurants and is fast becoming THE place to stay, shop, eat and party.

Meal service at your cinema seat? The Domain has it. Bloody Mary’s at quite the best place for breakfast in the state? Try the Punch Bowl Social for atmosphere as well as the food. Superfluous steaks and tremendous service? It has to be Flemmings Prime Steakhouse for history as well as sublime gastronomy.

Best place to stay in Austin, where the guests and locals gather around the fire pit to listen to live bands and there’s a rocking chair outside every room to help soak up the southern hospitality?

It has to be the Lone Star Court hotel where the rooms all have giant-sized fridges to keep the cool beer to sip while you rock on the porch. Memorable.

And shopping at the 100 plus speciality retailers? Quite the best thing, whether it’s fashion from Neiman Marcus or Macy’s, Michael Kors or Aeropostale, American Eagle or Banana Republic – the list is almost endless. Diesel, Coach, J Crew, Pretty Kitty, Vans. The prices are keen rather than discounted. But as a high end offering it’s hard to be beat.

And there are fabulous surprise finds. Luxe Apothetique is one of a kind, offering fashion, accessories and a whole range of wonderful things you never thought you needed until you found them.

And then Hatbox – where the headpieces range from the traditional to the amazing to the bizarre.

Brilliant style.

Live music on street corners, plenty of places to escape the Texan sun (if you wish) and watch the shopping beau monde go by while sipping soothing drinks. What’s not to like.

And when it’s true designer bargains you are looking for in Austin, then just a short drive away there’s the San Marcos Premium Outlets. With the emphasis on style and quality, the outlet is part of the successful Simons organisation.

Promising up to 60 per cent savings on high end, quality fashion and up-scale ticket items, Premium Outlets has a reputation to maintain and at San Marcos doesn’t disappoint.

Armani, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, BOSE, Coach, DKNY, Fossil, Gap, and Gucci, you can tick off the big names alphabetically as you tour the 100 plus retailers. Kate Spade, Michael Kors, OshKock B’gosh – to North Face, True Religion, Tommy Hilfiger and Victoria’s Secret: there’s just about something for all tastes.

For something special try visiting Tori Birch.

So what can you expect to find? And how real are the bargains?

On average Premium Outlets says shoppers can expect to make savings of at least 25 -65 per cent every day savings per cent on the usual retail prices. Quite often this is much higher, as much as 80-90 per cent in some cases when special sales offers are taken into account.

Bargains I spotted included suits reduced from $900 to $499 with a further 30 per cent reduction for a spot sale.

Calvin Klein shirts were going for less than $40 and jeans at $50.

Bargains? I thoughts so.

Back in the city the bats were preparing to fly from the bridge, the musiclovers were preparing to fly downtown for their own kind of hell-raising in the music bars and venues that make Austin a must-return kind of city.

Factfile 

Stay at The Lone Star Court hotel (lonestarcourt.com).

Shop and eat (simon.com/mall/thedomain).

For more bargains (premiumoutlets.

com/outlet/san-marcos).

Getting there: BA now has direct flights to Austin from Heathrow.

Other airlines, including Air Canada, Delta and Virgin, have flights to Austin with a change in the US or Canada with prices starting around £600 return.

More about Austin: austintexas.org.