Last week, my husband surprised us! He made reservations at Lost Pines Hyatt Resort in Balstrop, TX (http://lostpines.hyatt.com). For all you Texas moms, it is about 1.5 hours from San Antonio (near Austin).
We spent the last three days enjoying family time and making fun memories. It was a wonderful little getaway to end our summer break.
I didn’t anticipate writing about the resort where we stayed, but it was so awesome that I want to recommend it. And, no … I don’t get any benefit or perks for promoting their hotel. This is not a paid advertisement 🙂
This place reminded us of the resort where “Dirty Dancing” was filmed, minus the dirty dancing. Well, I guess the staff could’ve had a secret meeting spot each night and got their groove on, but we were fast asleep by 11p because we were so exhausted!
There were activities each day — horse-drawn carriage rides, three-legged races, worm diggin’, petting zoo, wiffle ball, sponge tag, etc. In addition to the activities, the waterpark is wonderful. It has a lazy river, beach-style pool & sand (we made lots of sandcastles), basketball & volleyball nets, waterslide (which was perfect for my kids’ ages, seven and four). Every night, we made s’mores on the firepit. And, a movie follows on the lawn with unlimited popcorn and the hotel provides blankets so we could stretch out under the big, beautiful Texas sky. All of these activities are included with your resort rate. Just so you can get an idea, I took a picture of the event planner for this past weekend.
We went hiking on the trails in the morning. There are also bikes available, provided with your stay. The kids took their scooters and loved riding on all the paths.
Since the resort is located on the Colorado River, there are also other activities at an additional cost — kayaking, white water rafting, horseback riding (minimum age is 8 for most of these). There is also golfing, adult and youth spas.
The cost of the resort is more expensive than a normal hotel, but it was well worth it. And, they offer package deals. We were so impressed with the facility, activities and friendliness of the staff that we plan to make it an annual tradition for our family.
Vacationing with kids can sometimes be chaotic. But, this was just what we needed – relaxing, peaceful, restful. Now, we’re ready for the crazy schedule that the school year brings!
Here are some pictures:
{Gummy} Worm Diggin'
{We caught this armadillo digging through the mulch}
{Carter and the alpaca had a staring contest}
{Just made s'mores, movie set-up}
Do you have any favorite family-friendly vacation spots?