Hope you enjoy my review of a recent trip. I thought you might be interested in more than just my spiritual journey…
We invited some neighbors and took the kiddos to the Hyatt Lost Pines in Bastrop, Texas (near Austin) to celebrate the 4th of July this year and had a fantastic time.
This was certainly an ideal family spot… as we checked in with the masses, I cannot tell you how many strollers, scooters, boppy’s, diaper bags and bags of toys I saw being rolled through the halls. And the lobby was welcoming with face-painters, hair-braiders, strolling musicians and apples for snacks. We were in for a seriously family-oriented good time and this place knew how to do it up right.
Our rooms opened up to a small patio which overlooked a large hummingbird meadow. The kids loved opening up the doors and exploring the gardens, looking for hummingbirds, butterflies, tadpoles and the like throughout our stay. And the patio also proved a great spot for relaxing and chatting with the grownups while kiddos slept in the room behind us, or for waking in the early morning and reading and writing, without waking anyone else.
I think the kids’ favorite part of the resort, though, was the pool area and crooked river, a long flowing pool designed to be like a river that you float through in inner tubes, being pushed along by the current.
In the crooked river, the older boys liked to just swim and float along, but I sure liked relaxing in my tube! After balancing my 2 year-old on my lap for the first lap, my friend came to the rescue with a mini tube that had an x in the bottom for the toddler’s feet to dangle while supporting her bottom. For that lap and the many after it, I was in relaxing, floating heaven. The kids had a blast and the grown-ups did, too. And it was great to be so relaxed with all the kiddos… even when my husband was elsewhere!
The pool area also had a waterslide for kids (old and young) 42″ and taller, a hot tub, a randomly squirting water fountain area, and a sizeable baby pool that varied from 12″ to 1’6″ deep. The actual pool (which connected to the crooked river, waterslide area and hot tub) had a spot for water volleyball and a beach entry, complete with sand. The sand area above the pool was perfect for sand castle-building and the hotel even hosted a friendly competition while we were there. There is also an adults-only pool, but I never checked that out.
All around the pool area are tons of chairs, tables, umbrellas and roving waiters and waitresses to bring lunch, snacks, ice cream and cold drinks. There is also a full bar and a shop selling anything you might “need” that you’ve left at home. And at lunch they also offered a buffet.
Aside from the incredible pool area, the resort hosted a horseshoes tournament and all sorts of other activities throughout all the days we were there. They had lots of silly games for the kids and grownups… Our 5 year-old enjoyed one “game” where he and a bunch of other kids used their mouths to search for a maraschino cherry in his own plate filled with whipped cream. They also offered more traditional activities like tennis, golf, horseback riding, stargazing, a complete workout room, yoga and mat pilates classes, a great playground area, and s’mores every evening around a fire with plenty of rocking chairs everywhere.
The resort is situated near Bastrop State Park which is nestled in a very hilly part of Texas and is host to quite a challenging road bike path. (I’d say it is the most harrowing part of the MS 150, a ride that rolls from Houston to Austin every spring to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis.) My husband was able to escape to take that ride while I had a leisurely breakfast with the kids and then floated along the crooked river. If you’re a cyclist, try to arrange it so you can make the same escape!
On the 4th, they put on a fantastic fireworks display with patriotic music mixed in with American favorites. (My kids were especially excited to recognize the Star Wars and Indiana Jones themes.) The fireworks display was perfect… just enough “wow” and just the perfect length. We watched from the pool area, some of us stretched out on pool lounges. We never felt crowded and rather than fight traffic on the way home, we just took a quick walk back to the rooms for bed time. Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh. That was nice.
The rooms were spacious, the staff was accommodating, the food was great and the resort offered a lot of fun things to keep grown-up and kids happy. I hope to be back.
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