Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa (Austin, TX) - REVIEW - MASTER THREAD
Nov 22, 2009, 8:31 am
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 12,482
.......but the person checking us in could not be more bored. Fastest check in that I ever encountered, no further information given, no map of the resort etc. …......Tried our luck at the Spa Django, which has a heated pool and a hot tub, but they charged $ 15 per day and guest
( despite the resort fee of $ 15 ) At least at some other resorts, the fee for the spa is included with the resort fee.....
( despite the resort fee of $ 15 ) At least at some other resorts, the fee for the spa is included with the resort fee.....
30 seconds check-in, the resort fee wasn't even mentioned to me although I knew they charge one.
Room is large but sparsely furnished. It actually looks like an old resort which has seen its better days, despite being only 3 years old.
Extra charge, on top of resort fee, to use the Spa pool is a little puzzling 
; not really a big deal since the spa pool is about 1/2 miles away from my room in the north wing. You can get more workout by going to/from the gym than in the gym. 
Maintenance/cleaning is also lacking as I found several spiderwebs in the balcony.Overall, a very average Hyatt Regency. It is ok for a short getaway if you are in the Austin area. Not worth it to fly in to visit as a destination.
Nov 22, 2009, 11:31 am
#17
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Texas
Programs: Hyatt Glob (Barely); Marriott Plat Life; AA Up and Down Now Plat; Hilton, UA, BA, HA Peasant
Posts: 2,669
Bit on the One-Day Sale and Just Back
Generally very positive impression and would recommend for a short stay when its not just packed. We were on a recon run to check it out and I'm sure we will go back. I can't imagine it swallowing all the people at high occupancy, but then I'm an introvert. It was reasonably full when we were there.
The Good
1. The suite upgrade, after some confusion at check in, really was a suite and not just a larger room.
2. After reading reviews here, comparing menus, and deciding we did not want to be locking in to a reservation time, we opted out of Stories for Fire Wheel. The food was very good. We ordered off the menu, but there were good-looking buffets both morning and evening if you have better self-control or better metabolism than me, including a drool-inducing dessert bar. Server was pleasant and prompt without being overwhelming. Food arrived warm after a reasonable wait considering the place was full.
3. I think there would be lots of hiking on property and nearby if it was not raining cats and dogs, but since it was I really can't tell you.
4. The Regency Club served appetizer-sized portions that were good and unique and not-standard issue RC stuff. Might be hard to make it dinner but darn good at being what it tried to be. (As an aside, strict continental fruit and pastry in the morning, with no protein of any kind. Is this new standard everywhere now, or just my last two stops)? Appealing hostess.
5. The Fire Wheel menu, well except breakfast, had local variation. There were still other choices if you dined in the bars. (Many people were to escape the ninos in Fire Wheel, but there was not a noise problem). If I was staying for several days or go back soon I would really appreciate that variety.
The Bad
1. The self park could not be much farther away without needing a bridge across the river. Along with no real front awning to pull up under and define an entry point, it makes arrival awkward if you are disinterested in valet. (I've had to leave unexpectedly in the night before, so thanks but I'll keep my keys with me and know where my car is).
2. Didn't ruin the trip, but its really not the housekeeping supervisor's job to open the door and interrogate us if we had an authorized late checkout or were just slow.
The Neither Good Nor Bad Just Is
1. South and east of Austin proper. Would not be a long drive from the airport if you flew in.
2. Regency Club and other dining all south and east of the lobby in the front and seemingly smaller of two wings (assuming I have my directions right). We were in the north and west wing in the back. For us it was a hike. If that sort of thing lights up your care-o-meter or you have mobility issues you might cover room location on the front end.
3. The Texas farmhouse theme decor was so eclectic it was slightly goofy. It reminded me of my grandmother's farmhouse with pieces of different styles and eras that don't quite match. Not the only Texas nice hotel I've seen that idea at, although perhaps more pronounced. There's an old Faulkner quote that Texas is neither south, nor west, it's simply Texas. I suppose it is and was and the contrast was intended.
The Good
1. The suite upgrade, after some confusion at check in, really was a suite and not just a larger room.
2. After reading reviews here, comparing menus, and deciding we did not want to be locking in to a reservation time, we opted out of Stories for Fire Wheel. The food was very good. We ordered off the menu, but there were good-looking buffets both morning and evening if you have better self-control or better metabolism than me, including a drool-inducing dessert bar. Server was pleasant and prompt without being overwhelming. Food arrived warm after a reasonable wait considering the place was full.
3. I think there would be lots of hiking on property and nearby if it was not raining cats and dogs, but since it was I really can't tell you.
4. The Regency Club served appetizer-sized portions that were good and unique and not-standard issue RC stuff. Might be hard to make it dinner but darn good at being what it tried to be. (As an aside, strict continental fruit and pastry in the morning, with no protein of any kind. Is this new standard everywhere now, or just my last two stops)? Appealing hostess.
5. The Fire Wheel menu, well except breakfast, had local variation. There were still other choices if you dined in the bars. (Many people were to escape the ninos in Fire Wheel, but there was not a noise problem). If I was staying for several days or go back soon I would really appreciate that variety.
The Bad
1. The self park could not be much farther away without needing a bridge across the river. Along with no real front awning to pull up under and define an entry point, it makes arrival awkward if you are disinterested in valet. (I've had to leave unexpectedly in the night before, so thanks but I'll keep my keys with me and know where my car is).
2. Didn't ruin the trip, but its really not the housekeeping supervisor's job to open the door and interrogate us if we had an authorized late checkout or were just slow.
The Neither Good Nor Bad Just Is
1. South and east of Austin proper. Would not be a long drive from the airport if you flew in.
2. Regency Club and other dining all south and east of the lobby in the front and seemingly smaller of two wings (assuming I have my directions right). We were in the north and west wing in the back. For us it was a hike. If that sort of thing lights up your care-o-meter or you have mobility issues you might cover room location on the front end.
3. The Texas farmhouse theme decor was so eclectic it was slightly goofy. It reminded me of my grandmother's farmhouse with pieces of different styles and eras that don't quite match. Not the only Texas nice hotel I've seen that idea at, although perhaps more pronounced. There's an old Faulkner quote that Texas is neither south, nor west, it's simply Texas. I suppose it is and was and the contrast was intended.
Last edited by jayer; Nov 22, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Nov 23, 2009, 10:15 pm
#18
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: YYZ
Posts: 6,138
Wirelessly posted (iPhone: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)
There are now two mobile cell towers set up in the parking lot of the hotel, one ATT and one which is unmarked, possibly a CDMA provider?
My ATT service was clear and strong. Didn't try data.
There are now two mobile cell towers set up in the parking lot of the hotel, one ATT and one which is unmarked, possibly a CDMA provider?
My ATT service was clear and strong. Didn't try data.
Jan 1, 2010, 10:21 am
#20
Join Date: May 2005
Programs: Marriott LT Titanium, Hilton LT Diamond, AA LT Platinum
Posts: 426
Kid Heaven
This hotel was different than what I expected. It`s mainly a Family Resort. If you like kids everywhere - running up and down the hallways or lying down in the halls so you have to step over them - then this is your place. When I mentioned to the front desk the huge number of children I was told 'oh yes this is mainly a family resort'.
Some aspects of the ClubRoom were also surprising. Breakfast on weekdays is from 630-830am. This end date of 830am was most unusual. Also, the breakfast table was the most spartan I have seen. It only consisted of a whole bunch of different refined processed white flour breads and pastries, some cereal and one plate of fruit. The evening appetizers were very nice though.
Contrary to a posting above, I found the walk to the self walk lot to be very close. It is also a very pretty area with trees, the Colorado River, and hills and footpaths.
By the way, does anyone reading this posting know of any Hyatt resorts in the USA which are more geared to adults than children?
Some aspects of the ClubRoom were also surprising. Breakfast on weekdays is from 630-830am. This end date of 830am was most unusual. Also, the breakfast table was the most spartan I have seen. It only consisted of a whole bunch of different refined processed white flour breads and pastries, some cereal and one plate of fruit. The evening appetizers were very nice though.
Contrary to a posting above, I found the walk to the self walk lot to be very close. It is also a very pretty area with trees, the Colorado River, and hills and footpaths.
By the way, does anyone reading this posting know of any Hyatt resorts in the USA which are more geared to adults than children?
Feb 28, 2010, 9:33 am
#21
Community Director Emerita
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Anywhere warm
Posts: 33,750
We had a lovely one night stay here. I had read this thread, and was a bit concerned. However, thanks to DealDetective bringing the suite1 promo to my attention, making the stay comparably priced to the Hyatt Places in Austin, I decided to give it a try. I'm very glad I did. (Note: the suite1 promo expires this weekend.)
The resort is just off Hwy 71, about a 15 minute drive east of the airport. Our value proposition was amazing: $119 for a suite plus G3 bonus plus 2.5K bonus because the lounge is closed til sometime in March. We got a $25 diamond food benefit on our bill. We will use Costco certs on checkout, saving another $20. We chose the amenity of a lb of candied pecans in a tin with a map of Texas on it, a very nice amenity. Why they call our room a junior suite is baffling to me. It is a full 750 sq ft suite with dining table in the living room, and a bedroom with doors. The bathroom is spacious, though only one sink despite room for two. The small downside is that all such suites have queen beds not kings. As diamonds, we got free internet which worked just fine, and free breakfast. I've had no trouble with internet connectivity nor with cell phone access. The property is immaculate. It shows a lot of respect for Texas history, with pictures and plaques talking about different events. It really gives a sense of place.
Today, we walked around the grounds a bit. Beautiful. This property has a wide range of activities, including pretty walks along the river. It has small bikes and tricycles for children. It is really a child focused resort, and even in Feb, had a lot of small children in house. During the winter, their business is predominantly conferences. In summer, it's families. I'll leave it to those of you with children at that time. I'd come again during the winter months, as the setting is beautiful. I'm very glad we chose this instead of staying in Austin.
The resort is just off Hwy 71, about a 15 minute drive east of the airport. Our value proposition was amazing: $119 for a suite plus G3 bonus plus 2.5K bonus because the lounge is closed til sometime in March. We got a $25 diamond food benefit on our bill. We will use Costco certs on checkout, saving another $20. We chose the amenity of a lb of candied pecans in a tin with a map of Texas on it, a very nice amenity. Why they call our room a junior suite is baffling to me. It is a full 750 sq ft suite with dining table in the living room, and a bedroom with doors. The bathroom is spacious, though only one sink despite room for two. The small downside is that all such suites have queen beds not kings. As diamonds, we got free internet which worked just fine, and free breakfast. I've had no trouble with internet connectivity nor with cell phone access. The property is immaculate. It shows a lot of respect for Texas history, with pictures and plaques talking about different events. It really gives a sense of place.
Today, we walked around the grounds a bit. Beautiful. This property has a wide range of activities, including pretty walks along the river. It has small bikes and tricycles for children. It is really a child focused resort, and even in Feb, had a lot of small children in house. During the winter, their business is predominantly conferences. In summer, it's families. I'll leave it to those of you with children at that time. I'd come again during the winter months, as the setting is beautiful. I'm very glad we chose this instead of staying in Austin.
Mar 2, 2010, 9:42 am
#22
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond
Posts: 12
Valentine's Day Weekend Stay at Lost Pines
This past Valentine's Day weekend my wife and I stayed at Lost Pines for the second time. We're from Austin so this isn't much of a hike, and she appreciates a weekend getaway here when I've got nights to burn. Though I originally wanted to use FFN for a three-night stay, due to the high volume I had to book a paid night at a discounted rate for the middle night of the stay. Due to a paid night sandwiched between two FFNs, I used a suite upgrade when making the reservation and between that and my relatively-new Diamond status, I hoped for the best. After a quick and friendly check in, we received a room that was really no larger than when we stayed previously (on the plus side, it looks as though the suite upgrade was not deducted from my account).
Based on two stays, what I'd definitely echo from the above comments is that this property is that this is definitely a family resort. It has a kids' "spa" that looks like on-site day care with video games and activities. Lots of kids, running around, often in pajamas - some of the parents kinda gave off a can't-be-bothered vibe. Also, it looked like lots of people brought their dogs.
The landscaping is great and though I'm not a golfer, what you can see of the course from the resort looks beautiful. My wife enjoyed her (slightly overpriced, IMO) horseback riding tour of the grounds, and when she told the guide she was a teacher, the guide seriously asked if she had any interest in working during the summer "helping with the kids' riding lessons." But the outdoor activities are not entirely child-focused, because we enjoyed some archery with proper adult-pull bows. Shooting at targets and foam-rubber turkeys together was a bunch of fun.
Our only experience with the paid Spa Django services was my wife's mid-premium pedicure, which she was happy with but was sure she could have gotten for half the price at her usual place in town. That said, I had the best time using the spa facilities, which you can use even if you don't pay for a treatment. I spent the better part of two days alternating between steam room, dry sauna, and hot tub with a couple of light workouts for good measure. Despite the high volume of people at the resort, the spa area was sparsely populated - as friendly as the staff is, they don't go out of their way to tell you that you should spend time at the spa regardless of whether you have a treatment.
In addition to the treatment house, the spa has a co-ed pool and hot tub, as well as separate areas for men and women. Each of the separate areas has a relaxation room with fireplace and cucumber water, stone hot tub, and the steam and dry sauna areas mentioned above. The locker rooms are clean and well appointed with lots of complimentary toiletries (combs, toothbrushes, razors, shave cream etc.) that you can help yourself to. My wife said that many of the ladies apparently considered the womens' tub/steam/sauna areas to be pretty clothing-optional; the guys were definitely more modest. I really enjoyed the decadent Vichy showers (large-stall shower that floods you from six showerheads) and definitely used more water than is ecologically responsible.
I was actually surprised to see the RC open since it wasn't on our last visit. At first, we were told that the RC would close after Saturday's evening appetizers, but after those of us in the club on Saturday afternoon made puppy-dog eyes, the RC attendant called the front desk and the decision was made to keep the club open through Monday breakfast. The attendant said the front desk was surprised at the number of Platinums and Diamonds that showed up. I was a little surprised that they were surprised. But the RC attendant then called each elite guest's room to advise them of the extended RC availability, which really impressed me. The morning breakfast and evening appetizer spreads were both great, and the honor bar offered great value. The attendant cheerfully encouraged us to give ourselves generous pours!
The property has several nice bars with different feels (think saloon/sportsbar and bar-in-a-home-library.) Lots of places for fire, both in the lobby and at least two outdoor pits that feature nightly smore making.
All told, our second experience was better than the first. I think the resort is more on top of it's game when it's heavily occupied; as long as you can handle the army of kids it's a fair trade-off. I'm not sure I'd pay full price, but with free or discount nights and no resort fees for Diamonds it can be a real value and a nice place to chill out for a few days.
Based on two stays, what I'd definitely echo from the above comments is that this property is that this is definitely a family resort. It has a kids' "spa" that looks like on-site day care with video games and activities. Lots of kids, running around, often in pajamas - some of the parents kinda gave off a can't-be-bothered vibe. Also, it looked like lots of people brought their dogs.
The landscaping is great and though I'm not a golfer, what you can see of the course from the resort looks beautiful. My wife enjoyed her (slightly overpriced, IMO) horseback riding tour of the grounds, and when she told the guide she was a teacher, the guide seriously asked if she had any interest in working during the summer "helping with the kids' riding lessons." But the outdoor activities are not entirely child-focused, because we enjoyed some archery with proper adult-pull bows. Shooting at targets and foam-rubber turkeys together was a bunch of fun.
Our only experience with the paid Spa Django services was my wife's mid-premium pedicure, which she was happy with but was sure she could have gotten for half the price at her usual place in town. That said, I had the best time using the spa facilities, which you can use even if you don't pay for a treatment. I spent the better part of two days alternating between steam room, dry sauna, and hot tub with a couple of light workouts for good measure. Despite the high volume of people at the resort, the spa area was sparsely populated - as friendly as the staff is, they don't go out of their way to tell you that you should spend time at the spa regardless of whether you have a treatment.
In addition to the treatment house, the spa has a co-ed pool and hot tub, as well as separate areas for men and women. Each of the separate areas has a relaxation room with fireplace and cucumber water, stone hot tub, and the steam and dry sauna areas mentioned above. The locker rooms are clean and well appointed with lots of complimentary toiletries (combs, toothbrushes, razors, shave cream etc.) that you can help yourself to. My wife said that many of the ladies apparently considered the womens' tub/steam/sauna areas to be pretty clothing-optional; the guys were definitely more modest. I really enjoyed the decadent Vichy showers (large-stall shower that floods you from six showerheads) and definitely used more water than is ecologically responsible.
I was actually surprised to see the RC open since it wasn't on our last visit. At first, we were told that the RC would close after Saturday's evening appetizers, but after those of us in the club on Saturday afternoon made puppy-dog eyes, the RC attendant called the front desk and the decision was made to keep the club open through Monday breakfast. The attendant said the front desk was surprised at the number of Platinums and Diamonds that showed up. I was a little surprised that they were surprised. But the RC attendant then called each elite guest's room to advise them of the extended RC availability, which really impressed me. The morning breakfast and evening appetizer spreads were both great, and the honor bar offered great value. The attendant cheerfully encouraged us to give ourselves generous pours!
The property has several nice bars with different feels (think saloon/sportsbar and bar-in-a-home-library.) Lots of places for fire, both in the lobby and at least two outdoor pits that feature nightly smore making.
All told, our second experience was better than the first. I think the resort is more on top of it's game when it's heavily occupied; as long as you can handle the army of kids it's a fair trade-off. I'm not sure I'd pay full price, but with free or discount nights and no resort fees for Diamonds it can be a real value and a nice place to chill out for a few days.
Mar 28, 2010, 3:44 pm
#24
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Houston, IAH
Programs: United Global Services,Hilton Diamond, Starwood Platinum, Hyatt Diamond, National Executive Elite
Posts: 449
My wife and I just completed a stay here, had very mixed feelings about the place.
Rooms : I agree with the previous posters, if I didn't know that the place is fairly new I would have guessed that it was old based on the room furnishings. The bed was particularly bad (though they did bring a bed board for us). The room also looked like it was furnished as an after thought rather then decorated. I found this to be very odd.
Grounds : Absolutely lovely, just wonderful to walk around, the pools are amazing, the fire pit smores are great, wish I had brought my clubs to play a round of golf.
Staff : With a notable exception the staff was incredibly helpful and courteous. They went out of their way to make things great for us including sending up some nice appetizers to apologize for the bed. This was after they offered to move us to a different room, and when we demurred they asked that we at least take a look to see if the bed was better.
Food : Stories : We found the meal here to be acceptable, the service was fantastic, prompt, efficient, friendly, etc. The wine suggestion from our waiter was just terrific and was quite a bargain. The food we found to be fairly pedestrian. Had the veal cheeks and the wild boar rack, which was all just ok, it was cooked properly, but I would have liked to see more seafood options on the menu.
Food : Firewheel : We ate here for breakfast both mornings, and dinner one night had the buffet each time. This was comped due to the RC being closed for the weekend. (Actually the RC did open but we opted to stay with the full breakfast buffet as we had brought a nice bottle of booze to drink on the patio). We found the service to be terrible overall. It starts with the nearly useless hostesses that always seemed to tell us that it would be a "15-20 min wait", when I walked back I found the reason for the wait. There where (no kidding) over 15 tables that had not been cleaned at dinner. When I mentioned it the hostess found us a table in the middle of the mess. We ate dinner and most of the tables where still dirty, in fact the only way we got our plates cleared away was by having to ask the waitress to clear them (We had 3 plates each at the time). Similar experiences in the mornings, except not to the same extreme. This was fairly unacceptable to us. The food however was quite fresh and tasty overall, and when I mentioned the experience to the front desk they took the dinner charge off our room (which I told them I really wasn't looking for.) One notable exception to this whole experience was the guy cooking omelets at breakfast. He was extremely attentive and chatty, and remembered us and our preferences from the previous day. If the whole staff was like him they would have no problems at all. If anyone from the hotel is reading this his name was Jeff and he is an example of why we prefer Hyatt.
Location : While the hotel is outside of Austin a bit, I don't really find it to be "too far", it is very nice if you want to unplug for a weekend and chill. We did go over to Fredericksburg to go wine tasting on Saturday and that was a bit of a haul, but it was a nice day for a drive.
Overall : We enjoyed ourselves and will be back.
Scott
Rooms : I agree with the previous posters, if I didn't know that the place is fairly new I would have guessed that it was old based on the room furnishings. The bed was particularly bad (though they did bring a bed board for us). The room also looked like it was furnished as an after thought rather then decorated. I found this to be very odd.
Grounds : Absolutely lovely, just wonderful to walk around, the pools are amazing, the fire pit smores are great, wish I had brought my clubs to play a round of golf.
Staff : With a notable exception the staff was incredibly helpful and courteous. They went out of their way to make things great for us including sending up some nice appetizers to apologize for the bed. This was after they offered to move us to a different room, and when we demurred they asked that we at least take a look to see if the bed was better.
Food : Stories : We found the meal here to be acceptable, the service was fantastic, prompt, efficient, friendly, etc. The wine suggestion from our waiter was just terrific and was quite a bargain. The food we found to be fairly pedestrian. Had the veal cheeks and the wild boar rack, which was all just ok, it was cooked properly, but I would have liked to see more seafood options on the menu.
Food : Firewheel : We ate here for breakfast both mornings, and dinner one night had the buffet each time. This was comped due to the RC being closed for the weekend. (Actually the RC did open but we opted to stay with the full breakfast buffet as we had brought a nice bottle of booze to drink on the patio). We found the service to be terrible overall. It starts with the nearly useless hostesses that always seemed to tell us that it would be a "15-20 min wait", when I walked back I found the reason for the wait. There where (no kidding) over 15 tables that had not been cleaned at dinner. When I mentioned it the hostess found us a table in the middle of the mess. We ate dinner and most of the tables where still dirty, in fact the only way we got our plates cleared away was by having to ask the waitress to clear them (We had 3 plates each at the time). Similar experiences in the mornings, except not to the same extreme. This was fairly unacceptable to us. The food however was quite fresh and tasty overall, and when I mentioned the experience to the front desk they took the dinner charge off our room (which I told them I really wasn't looking for.) One notable exception to this whole experience was the guy cooking omelets at breakfast. He was extremely attentive and chatty, and remembered us and our preferences from the previous day. If the whole staff was like him they would have no problems at all. If anyone from the hotel is reading this his name was Jeff and he is an example of why we prefer Hyatt.
Location : While the hotel is outside of Austin a bit, I don't really find it to be "too far", it is very nice if you want to unplug for a weekend and chill. We did go over to Fredericksburg to go wine tasting on Saturday and that was a bit of a haul, but it was a nice day for a drive.
Overall : We enjoyed ourselves and will be back.
Scott
May 7, 2010, 3:53 pm
#26
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 847
The Junior Suites usually have a Queen bed in a separate bedroom and a sofabed in the living room, so can sleep 4. They also have some "extended" suites that are larger with a King bed, but the sofa in the living room is not a sleeper. That suite could probably accommodate 2 rollaways if necessary.
May 7, 2010, 10:25 pm
#27
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: MR-Amb, Hyatt-Globalist, AA-EXP
Posts: 1,744
The Junior Suites usually have a Queen bed in a separate bedroom and a sofabed in the living room, so can sleep 4. They also have some "extended" suites that are larger with a King bed, but the sofa in the living room is not a sleeper. That suite could probably accommodate 2 rollaways if necessary.
Jun 29, 2010, 8:31 pm
#29
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 847
Jul 6, 2010, 9:04 am
#30
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: MR-Amb, Hyatt-Globalist, AA-EXP
Posts: 1,744
I just completed my first stay at this hotel and my experience pretty much mirrored everyone else's. I used a suite upgrade and was given a fairly large junior suite. It had a separate living room with a sofa bed, a 4-person table and a couple chairs. This place is VERY family oriented, but that being said I had a great time on an all adults trip. It's a fairly large resort and there were lots of people everywhere, but I felt like the staff was very well trained and organized so I didn't notice any problems that you would expect which such large amounts of people.
There is an adult pool connected to the lazy river that provides some relief from the craziness and the pool at the spa is even more secluded and relaxing but it's $15/day. If you don't like kids running and playing, definitely pay the $15/day and relax at the spa pool.
The golf course was fabulous. It's $140 in the morning, but almost half price after 3pm. I highly reccommend it for any golfers. The course is challenging but not impossible and the scenery is amazing.
Dinner at Stories was also great. It was a little pricey if you're on a budget(entrees were $30-40), but the food was excellent. The breakfast in the Monarch Room (Regency Club) was ok, but nothing great. It was basically pastries, smoked salmon, cereal, and toast/bagels. The evenings snacks were OK too, but I've never been a fan of the evening snacks at most hotels so others might enjoy them more than I did. They also had cookies during the day which were good and desserts in the late evening.
I would definitely come back to the resort, but I would pick a less crowded time to come. I didn't experience any issues with the crowds, I just generally prefer a less crowded resort. And for anyone in Austin, the golf course is definitely worth the short trip.
There is an adult pool connected to the lazy river that provides some relief from the craziness and the pool at the spa is even more secluded and relaxing but it's $15/day. If you don't like kids running and playing, definitely pay the $15/day and relax at the spa pool.
The golf course was fabulous. It's $140 in the morning, but almost half price after 3pm. I highly reccommend it for any golfers. The course is challenging but not impossible and the scenery is amazing.
Dinner at Stories was also great. It was a little pricey if you're on a budget(entrees were $30-40), but the food was excellent. The breakfast in the Monarch Room (Regency Club) was ok, but nothing great. It was basically pastries, smoked salmon, cereal, and toast/bagels. The evenings snacks were OK too, but I've never been a fan of the evening snacks at most hotels so others might enjoy them more than I did. They also had cookies during the day which were good and desserts in the late evening.
I would definitely come back to the resort, but I would pick a less crowded time to come. I didn't experience any issues with the crowds, I just generally prefer a less crowded resort. And for anyone in Austin, the golf course is definitely worth the short trip.