Austin & Hill Country Resort - Review of Lakeway Resort & Spa
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the service is outstanding - very attentive, friendly and outgoing, and committed to making your stay memorable
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the amenities are good and there is easy access to Lake Travis and all that it has to offer including beautiful sunsets
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the facilities are clean, comfortable, and well landscaped and maintained
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the pool and views of Lake Travis are fantastic
From the minute we arrived to the time we had to sadly depart, we were very impressed with the staff and service they provided. For example, after checking in and heading to the pool, we happened to run into the guy who checked us in and as soon as he saw us he said "is everything in your room ok, Mr. Sharp - anything you need?" and as my wife was waiting outside for me to return from parking the car, a bell boy said "I'll go pick him up in the parking lot" and lo and behold a golf cart with a friendly guy found me and brought me to the lobby! All of the staff was very friendly and outgoing, helpful and seemed sincerely committed to making our stay enjoyable.
Lakeway Resort & Spa first opened in 1963 and has remained one of the top rated resorts in Texas and some of the recent awards and accolades include: AAA Four Diamond Award; Bride's Choice Award from WeddingWire; "Certificate of Excellence" Winner from TripAdvisor; "Top Local Meeting Facilities" from Austin Business Journal; and lots more. The Resort was designed to blend in naturally with the environment and as such it's constructed of white Austin stone and natural wood, well landscaped with a variety of colorful fauna, and surrounded by live oaks and other trees.
Lakeway Resort Accommodations
The Resort has several options for accommodations designed to fit your needs and budget constraints - you can choose from hotel type rooms, large suites, or two and three bedroom condos. The room choices at the Resort include an Executive King, Deluxe Hill Country Room, or a Lakeside Room. We stayed in one of the 350 square foot Lakeside rooms with a balcony with two chairs and a table overlooking Lake Travis. After I finally convinced myself to get out of that comfortable bed and mosey over to the balcony for a morning cup of coffee overlooking Lake Travis, I realized how lucky I was to be living. Even better than that was sitting on the balcony that evening with a cold beer, playing a game of dominos, and enjoying a stunning sunset over Lake Travis. Our room was clean, comfortable, and included a workable with WiFi, a flat screen, coffee maker, and a very comfy king bed with premium bedding, and two bathrobes!
If you need something a little bigger or plusher, then the LBJ or Mansfield Suite are perfect. The LBJ Suite is 968 square feet with floor-to-ceiling windows, a large balcony, separate living room with a 55 inch HDTV and a dining area for nine. The 1,144 square-feet
Mansfield Suite is the most spacious and luxurious suite and it has an expansive living room with a 55-inch HDTV, dining area for 6, floor to ceiling windows, balcony, and a plush king sized bed plus soft bathrobes and oversized cotton towels.
Families or larger groups will enjoy the two and three bedroom condos ranging from 1888 square feet to the three bedroom, three bath condo with and a loft that is 2770 square feet. Each of the condos have full kitchens with all the appliances and cookware needed to cook a gourmet meal, a dining room and place settings, living room with flat panel TV, and a laundry room plus a private balcony overlooking Lake Travis. Every room is masterfully decorated in a southern contemporary style with natural and neutral accents.
Lakeway Resort & Spa Amenities
In addition to the great service, beautiful views and sunsets, and comfy bed, one of the other reasons we liked Lakeway Resort & Spa was the wide choice of amenities.
The Lakeway Pool Area
The pools at Lakeway are unbelievable. The pool area is a huge terraced and well landscaped area that includes
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a three tiered infinity edge pool that cascades toward and overlooks Lake Travis with one of the tiers having a swim up bar - there are also 5 U-shaped areas along one side of the pool to sit in the water with your friends and enjoy a drink, the cool water, and the view
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a large kid friendly pool with a walk in shallow end and lots of water toys plus a wading area and separate spray water feature plus the kids and us kids at heart will love the Little Devil's Cove with a looping water slide
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the whirlpool is the place to soak the tired body, enjoy a refreshing drink, socialize with some friends or meet some new ones, and enjoy the view of Lake Travis as you relax in the whirlpool
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around the pool there are plenty of comfortable lounge chairs and umbrellas but if you want some privacy or more shade, then consider renting a Cabana by the pool which includes cushioned lounges, ceiling fan, TV, fruit plate, chilled bottled water, and WiFi access
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between the kids pool and the infinity edge pool is a bar and small covered patio with tables and chairs and as you relax by the pool the attentive wait service will bring you food and cold drinks - the Pina Coladas and Margaritas are fantastic!
Kid's Activities at Lakeway Resort
In addition to the kids pool, Lakeway has an indoor Kids Zone with lots of activities, video games, movies, toys, books, arts and crafts, and more. There is a small fee for these supervised kid activities.
Lakeway Resort Spa
The award winning Spa at Lakeway is a great place to unwind after a stressful week at work or a tough round of golf or a set of tennis or just a place to go to rejuvenate and relax. With exceptional scenery and decor that creates a serene and magical environment, the spa has 9 indoor treatment areas, separate men's and women's locker rooms (each with a sauna), lounge, outdoor spa terrace, couples massage room, and a spa boutique. The Spa at Lakeway offers a variety of services.
Lakeway Resort Fitness Center
You're on vacation, but if you still fill obligated to finish that Pina Colada and get out of your comfortable lounge chair for a workout, a Cybex state of the art fitness center is right next to and overlooking the pool! The center includes cardiovascular equipment, circuit training, and free weights and is accessible 24 hours a day.
Fun Things To Do During Your Stay At Lakeway
Enjoy Lake Travis - Lake Travis is one of the prettiest lakes in Texas and it is huge with over 270 miles of shoreline that is covered with trees, large beautiful homes, some good boat up to restaurants, a very fun party cove, and more. Here is a link to our Review of Lake Travis and our Lake Travis Map. Within a two minute walk from your Lakeway Resort room you can be at Lakeway Marina where you can:
- Go Sailing - Texas Sailing is an independent concession in the lobby of Lakeway and they offer family friendly, corporate event, or romantic sailing packages as well as sailing lessons. You can go for a beautiful sunset cruise, a three hour sail on Lake Travis, or a barefoot charter for experienced sailors. The boats are clean late model Beneteau and Precision sailboats ranging from 18 to 37 feet.
Rent A Boat -Lakeway Marina is a short walk from the lobby and they have private charter yachts for up to 80 people, ski boats with or without drivers, pontoon boats, party barges, and wave runners for rent. They also rent tubes, skis, wake boards, and knee boards. - Catch A Big Fish - Lakeway Resort can arrange for a fishing guide to meet you at Lakeway Marina who will take you out on the lake to some of his favorite fishing holes where the big ones are just waiting for you
- Give Flyboarding A Try - Aquafly is co-located at Lakeway Marina and they will take you flyboarding - which means you strap on some unique boots, jump in the water, and a jet stream of water will propel you into the air - wow, what a fun experience and you can learn more about our flight with Aquafly. It's going to take a few more lessons before I can do what the instructor does below.
Hit The Links - if you like golf, you're in golfer's heaven when you visit Lakeway! You'll have access to 4 outstanding courses, each of which has its own unique personality and characteristics. Flintrock Falls is a Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II design that offers you a wide variety of challenges including rolling hills, blind tee shots, and tight tree lined fairways. Falconhead is a classic Texas Hill Country design with rolling hills, knobby oaks and cedars, creeks and ponds, and more. Live Oak is named after the huge stately live oaks that frame the meandering fairways. Yaupon will take you past limestone outcroppings and serene water features and it's elevated tee boxes, rolling fairways, bunkers and water will test your game. Each of the links on those courses will take you to our review of the courses. Those courses are within a 10 minute drive of the Resort and if you want to venture a little farther you'll find lots of choices and some outstanding courses - this Austin Golf Map will help you find the courses and provide links to our reviews and ratings of most of the Austin Golf Courses.
Zip Across Lake Travis - Lake Travis Zipline Adventure is home to five zip lines from 250' to the longest zip line in Texas at 2800' - all of which will take you on an incredible ride across scenic canyons and Lake Travis inlets.
Explore Austin - Austin is loaded with lots of fun things to see and do and has everything from museums to excellent restaurants to fun nightlife and live music everywhere - see our Top Ten Fun Things To See & Do in Austin.
Lakeway Resort & Spa Dining
After swimming laps, golf, tennis, a flight with Aquafly and more, you're going to be starving and Lakeway Restaurant is the place to go to load up on some carbs for the next day's activities. Lakeway Restaurant is Lakeway's newest restaurant and is a sophisticated yet rustic atmosphere with pristine views of Lake Travis for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And it's home to an impressive marble-topped bar with abundant seating and hi-def televisions and a great view of the pool area and lake. It's hard to beat some good food on the balcony overlooking the pool, colorful landscaping, and the sun setting over Lake Travis. Breakfast has a little bit of everything including Eggs Benedict, Omelets, or a good buffet. Lunch includes soups, salads, appetizers, sandwiches, burgers, and plenty of other choices. Lakeway Restaurant is known for it's variety of other dinner choices.
Our favorite was lunch (choices of burgers, sandwiches, salads, and more) at the pool and it is really hard to beat the swim up pool bar that serves some excellent Margaritas and Pina Coladas.
The Back Porch is clearly one of the most picturesque areas at Lakeway - a grand staircase leads to back porch seating with majestic views of Lake Travis and the sunsets on the outdoor patio are unbelievable!
Events, Retreats, & Weddings at Lakeway Resort
Lakeway Resort & Spa is perfect for any corporate events, reunions, or a romantic wedding. They have over 24,000 square feet of meeting space in a variety of configurations, full catering and event planning services, and top notch service. Some of the meeting rooms have floor to ceiling windows and overlook Lake Travis and the pool and just outside the meeting area is a large wrap around balcony with unbelievable views!
Bottom Line - Lakeway Resort & Spa is one of our favorite Texas resorts and is perfect for everything from a weekend getaway to a memorable wedding or corporate event. Have fun.