Tipping etiquette Pay and taxes for restaurant servers and bartenders assumes they will receive 15% tips, bellmen and skycaps merit $1 to $1.50 for each bag. Housekeeping tips should be left, with a note, at the end of your stay. $1 to $3 dollars per night depending on the size of your suite and messy habits. Valet parking attendants expect $2; cab and limo drivers receive 15%. Internet cafésTravelling with a laptop? You'll find free wireless at many bars and restaurants. Houston has dozens of America's ubiquitous Starbucks coffee shops, each with free WiFi. Diedrich's Coffee has fewer locations, but better coffee to go with your wireless.

Gifts to buy Goode Company offers yummy hampers with a Texan flavour – although stick with rich pecan candies and milder preserves if the intended recipient has not shown a preference for hot and spicy sauces and jellies. (5109 Kirby Dr.) Pinto Ranch, a 13,000-square foot boutique with walls of cypress wood, offers flashy cowboy-style clothing and accessories for those with a giant budget (Intersection of Post Oak and San Felipe).