Driving west out of Austin toward Fredericksburg, the road narrows to two-lane blacktop, and the edges of the city’s suburbs gradually give way to a different kind of Texas, one of ranches, old wood churches, farm stands and wineries.
This is the Texas Hill Country, a 31,000-square-mile area of rocky karst hills that is considered the threshold between the Southeast and the Southwest. As the state’s wine tourism center, and with a more temperate climate than neighboring cities, the region has been attracting visitors for generations, whether for hiking or tempranillo wine or just to get away from it all of this.
Figuring out exactly where Texas Hill Country begins and ends is a task best left to local songwriting legends like Willie Nelson and Lucinda Williams, but this past weekend, along with the fierce by Ms. Williams on the car speaker, I toured the back roads of the region. to see what’s new, especially in terms of accommodations.
To meet the increasing demand over the past 30 years, megaresorts, such as Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa, opened and now dominates the hotel market in the area. These characteristics, along with La Cantera Resort & Spa, JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country, Hilton San Antonio Hill Country and Hyatt Regency Lost Pinesare spacious, multiple pool complexes, some with children’s zones and lazy rivers, and start at around $200 for weeknights and $450 for weekends.
But in recent years, a different kind of Hill Country hotel has emerged. I found a variety of surprising options, from a luxury wellness resort where you can learn to country line dance to a boutique hotel with grazing giraffes and rhinos.
Located 40 minutes from downtown Austin in Dripping Springs, Camp Lucy serves as a popular venue for weddings, with oak statues framing wedding photos. But in 2014, the owners also started adding rooms to the hotel, and in 2020, even better ones — “treetop” rooms, with balconies overlooking the hills. The on-site restaurant, Tillie’s, has elaborate tile work and teal leather bar stools, and the pool is large with comfortable lounge spaces. But it’s the country details that make for an unforgettable visit: A communal fire pit is a fun outdoor space for evenings, and the front desk provides kibble that you can feed to the property’s alpacas. (Nightly rates are around $300.)
Far to the west, outside the town of Fredericksburg, I passed Longneck Manor, a small hotel that opened in 2021 with a unique offering: African wildlife roaming the grounds outside your room. Built by the former director of the Houston Zoo, the hotel offers tours to see the wildlife, which includes giraffes and white rhinos, and several overnight rooms (nightly rates starting at $1,000). The Giraffe Suite that went viral on TikTok thanks to the large glass window in the room where the giraffes go, sleeps four and starts at $1,600 a night. It was booked months in advance.
Also in Fredericksburg: Contigo Ranch, which opened in 2017 with farmhouse cottages and cabins that reflect a minimalist style. The property is a family-owned cattle ranch, and also hosts an array of wildlife such as whitetail deer, jack rabbits, and armadillos. The cottages range in size and the number of people they can fit, and start at around $230 a night.
A clutch of glamping options have also sprung up across the region. In Fredericksburg, Firefly Resort offers glamping in the form of an RV (and tiny-home) resort that opened this year and centers around a clubhouse and resort-style pool. Fifteen minutes away from the town of Wimberley, Collective Retreats expanded its portfolio with a new Hill Country site. The sturdy tents feature king-size beds and patios with Adirondack chairs and start at around $250 per night. An hour south of Austin, tents are also set up at Wawahtaysee Resort, near the banks of the emerald San Marcos River. Safari tents start at around $350 and often include a living room.
Rounding back to Austin, I also visited Miraval Austin Resort and Spa, which opened in 2019 as a sister property to the popular Miraval Tucson. Perched on a bluff outside of Austin, with Lake Travis in the distance, the adults-only, Hyatt-owned hotel caters to those in need of serious rejuvenation. A resort representative listed for me some of the common motivations for guests to come to Miraval, including career change, divorce, death in the family and detoxing. But people also come for a spa retreat experience, or to celebrate birthdays and other life moments.
I bought a day pass for $560, which is the “budget” way to experience Miraval, compared to the $1,100-a-night lodging packages. Soon, I had an itinerary for me that included sound therapy classes, line dancing, and deep breathing in the “yoga barn.” The Miraval also features an infinity pool overlooking the Hill Country, a white whale of sorts for central-Texas resort seekers.
Plan ahead: Word has gotten out among Texans and those further afield about these charming new spots, so it’s a good idea to book early (and don’t underestimate the popularity of midweek days — the resorts are attracting crowds during off-peak hours). Additionally, if you want to hop between destinations, you can count on spending some time in the car on country roads, as the resorts are spaced out in true Texas style. But driving those roads is an essential part of the Hill Country experience, traveling past ranches and farms, letting Texas troubadours on the car radio lead the way.
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