02 03 R & R and lack thereof: Le Tour de Texas, part 3 - Girls Trip to the Texas Hill Country 04 05 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 31 32 33

Le Tour de Texas, part 3 - Girls Trip to the Texas Hill Country

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So I know everyone has been on the edge of their seat waiting for part 3 of the Tour de Texas. I've been telling stories and giving reviews of the places visited by my Belgian friend and me on her first trip to the Lonestar state. I had planned for this to be the last Tour de Texas posting, but the Hill Country Girls' Weekend recap is quite long and detailed. So listen up girls - you can learn from this!

 We planned on taking a Girls weekend road trip during my friend Isabelle's visit. I gave her a long list of things to see and do in the Hill Country, and she replied back that she was interested in: spa treatments, local shops, mall shopping, relaxing by the pool, fine dining and lake views. This is totally in line with what I had been wanting out of this trip, so I set about researching and planning.
 
Day 5 

On Friday of Isabelle's week here, after rising bright and early and getting my big girl R off to school, we packed our stuff in the mom mobile and headed south! We were on the road by about 9:00 AM, which is not bad, considering  I had planned to be on the road by 8:30. (Hey, 8:30 was my best case scenario!). We were joined by a 3rd gal for our road trip - my friend Sara, who also just happens to be my husband's cousin. I asked Sara to go along with us because she's laid back and always prepared for anything. I mean, the girl carries a Leatherman in her purse! I also had reserved a hotel room suitable for 4, so why not?

Our first stop was Fredericksburg, Texas. The drive between Dallas and Austin is pretty boring, but between Austin and Fredericksburg, it's beautiful - rolling hills and blooming wildflowers. And cactus. It's Texas after all. We rolled into Fredericksburg right about 1:00 PM, and stopped at the Visitor's Center. (We figured they had a restroom and women always need restroom). I had hoped to make it in time for lunch, so by this time we were starved. We asked for lunch advice - we wanted something light and fast - so we could commence shopping right away. The helpful ladies at the visitor center recommend Sweet Marley's, a yogurt shop and sandwich bar just a block off Main Street. At first I thought, "We don't want a yogurt shop!" but I'm so glad we gave it a chance. They had a great sandwich menu with just what we were looking for. I ordered half of a sandwich with black bean soup. They served it with these awesome crackers - I believe some people call them Firecrackers - that were seasoned spicy hot and super yummy! (I even went back in after shopping to try to purchase some of these crackers, and they were sold out. Darn). You can check out Sweet Marley's Facebook page here.


 
Lunch at Sweet Marley's

 After lunch we immediately proceeded with shopping. There are SO many stores on Main Street, and while we didn't go in them all, we made a serious dent in the 3 hours that we had. (The shops on Main Street close at 5 PM). My friend Isabelle was looking for Texas-themed gifts to take home to her friends and family in Belgium, and she wasn't disappointed. You can find everything on Main Street from painted bluebonnet potholders to children's boutique clothing. I picked up several things, including a Christmas ornament (I have to get one every time I travel) and some cool glass bottles which are currently displayed on the granite counter top in my kitchen.


glass bottle trio purchased in Fredericksburg, Texas



 At 5:00 when the shops closed, we weren't quite ready to leave Fredericksburg, so we decided to visit one of the wineries for a tasting. We still had an hour's drive to our resort in Austin, so we couldn't hang around too long. We decided to hit Mendelbaum Cellars, primarily because it was one of the few wineries open after 5:00 PM. At first we were the only people there, so we had lots of attention from the sommelier. We enjoyed one tasting, and even chatted with other guests about Texas Hill Country towns and songs about them. "Let's go to Luckenbach Texas..." (That's another trip and a future blog post!)



Then it was time to head to our resort. I picked Lakeway Resort and Spa on Lake Travis in Austin for this trip, because it fulfilled many of the things on Isabelle's list, including lake views, lounging by the pool, and spa treatments.  Lakeway is a very upscale and growing area of Northwest Austin on Lake Travis. For many years, Lake Travis has been a go-to lake destination in the Hill Country and even the whole state. While drought conditions in recent years have brought the lake to record low levels, Lake Travis' views are still a sight to behold.  Of the Austin-area spa resorts, Lakeway Resort is quite affordable, and boasts a great view of the lake (dwindling as it is). I had stayed at Lakeway in 2008 with my family, and I had a conflicted review of the resort back then. This time, however, I think Lakeway was the right choice for our group. Our room overlooked the lake, it was plenty big enough for us, and it was quiet in the evening. The staff was friendly and helpful, and upon arrival they advised us of nearby restaurants which were on the resort's shuttle route. 

View of Lake Travis from our room at Lakeway Resort
 We chose the Grille at Rough Hollow Yacht Club (a new addition to the area) for Friday night's dinner. We didn't want to drive into Austin proper (a 30-45 minute drive), because it was late and we were tired. After being shuttled to Rough Hollow by a member of the Lakeway staff, we were sat on the beautiful patio overlooking the lake immediately. And that is where the service ended. We waited and waited for someone - anyone - to notice us. After about 30 minutes of waiting, I flagged over a busboy who agreed to give us some water and find us a waiter. And we waited some more. People around us (regulars?) were waited on. It look literally an HOUR (!) for a server to attend to us.We quickly ordered and the food was brought out soon. Although I do not see it on their online menu now, I ordered Chicken Parmesan. The chicken was good, but the pasta was extremely bland. I had to ask our server for salt and pepper to liven it up a bit. My girlfriends had other dishes (sorry that information has escaped me now), and they both were happy with their meals. The "club" itself is beautiful - an expansive view of Lake Travis, nice pool and amenities from what I could tell. But as far as the Grille, the consensus was the bad service was hard to overlook. We won't be visiting there again. 
Rough Hollow Yacht Club

Rough Hollow Yacht Club. A thing of beauty, but the Grille needs work.

 So, on to more happier things - spa treatments! I had called Lakeway prior to our stay and inquired if there might be a discount for guests at the resort's on site San Saba Spa. I was shocked when I perused the spa menu and saw the treatments pricing. It was double, if not triple what I'm used to paying. So this is my one downside to the resort - the spa's treatments are overpriced, and they don't offer discounts to guests staying at the resort. But never fear! I did my research and I found several spas nearby. One in particular, Spa at the Lake, had a cancellation and openings for us. Score! 

Up next, I'll review Spa at the Lake, and tell about Days 5 and 6 of the Tour de Texas in the Hill Country. Check back soon!

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