Oh So Enchanting: Lake Austin Spa Resort

You and I... we may be different (married/single, rich/poor, black/white, kids/no kids) but at our core I believe that all people have pretty much the same wants and desires. Primarily, we all want to connect on a meaningful level and feel loved, accepted and appreciated for who we are. These days the world moves so fast that I find it hard to slow down and connect with myself, much less other people. Social media is meant to connect us but I find myself feeling less connected than ever, partly because we don't make the time to spend quality time with each other. I mean, I already know your every move because I see it on social media, so why would we waste time actually sitting down over lunch to talk!? Anyone else feel that way? Lake Austin Spa Resort recently invited me down for a few days and said I could bring a friend, so I decided to use the opportunity to reconnect with the one of the most important people in my world - my Mom.

Enjoying nature over a cup of coffee on my birthday 

If you haven't been to this magnificent slice of heaven, let me tell you why you need to have this place on bucket list... Lake Austin Spa Resort is nestled on 19 lakefront acres in Central Texas’ legendary Hill Country. The 40-room boutique resort offers delicious meals prepared from the resort’s own organic gardens and a 25,000 square foot spa where you can choose from more than 100 spa treatments.

I stayed in one of the fourteen Luxury Lakeview Rooms which are equipped with retractable awnings and Brown Jordan furnishings on the patio that allow you to enjoy spectacular views of the lake. Almost all the rooms offer a lake front view, all have comfy beds, cushy robes, flat screen TVs and yummy soaps and lotions. Don't miss the boutique store inside the resort. They have the cutest clothing and accessories! You know I'd find a way to fit shopping in there...

The property features an outdoor Palm Pool, hot tub and cabanas, 30 treatment areas, including garden tents and suites, indoor Junior Olympic-length lap pool in the Pool Barn, and two acres of terraced foliage and aquatic gardens. More than 20 activities for all fitness levels are offered daily, ranging from BodyFlow® and Trek & Spin to Gentle Yoga and Nia Dance classes. Other offerings include canoeing, Hydro-biking™, kayaking, sculling, hiking, yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Spinning®, meditation and dance. Aquatic aerobics and swimming classes take place in one of three pools. Their training center overlooks Lake Austin and features state-of-the-art cardiovascular, circuit and free weight training equipment. One of the best things about this place? You don't have to dress up or wear makeup! Because everyone is there for exercise/fitness activities and spa services they are either walking around in spa robes or yoga wear. Even at night for dinner! Maybe it's the close proximity to Austin and it's casual weirdness, but for someone who is used to dressing to the nines on a daily basis it was such a welcome change of pace.

(Left) One of the many sitting rooms at the Resort where guests can read a book or write in their journal. 

(Right) One of several dock ares where guests can enjoy the beauty of Lake Travis

Built in the 1940s, the property has had a variety of owners and iterations - from a fishing camp to a nudist camp to a working cattle ranch. In 1997,  Michael McAdams (who now lives in Dallas) and William Rucks, best friends and fraternity brothers at Louisiana State University, purchased the property and in 2004 gave it a major face lift. McAdams spent months crafting purposeful touches of elegance and luxury to create an atmosphere of reflection and renewal for resort guests. “I envisioned a space that marries elements of the Texas Hill Country with the detail of a European dressmaker,” McAdams says. “Ultimately, these rooms are designed to evoke a mood, when people walk through the door they can’t help but smile and breathe a little deeper.” I can personally assure Mike that he achieved his goal.

My Mom on the Hydro Bike

The website states that "Lake Austin Spa Resort offers guests the sanctuary of a world-class spa and the warmth of a best friend’s lake house." This is a very accurate description. The beauty of this place is that you can do as much or as little as you want. There were women there who went from class to class to spa service to class. And then there was me. I lounged in a hammock then moved to a sitting room inside the resort then lazily bounced to a chair on the dock. One of the coolest things we did was their "Sunset Cruise" which was an hour long trek on a pontoon boat up Lake Travis. We saw deer and birds and beautiful houses along the lake.

Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, US News & World Report, Fodor’s, Allure, the Zagat Survey, Health, Garden Design, SpaFinder Wellness, and American Airlines’ Celebrated Living magazine have all honored Lake Austin Spa Resort as one of the best in the country and in the world. I will now also honor them with an OhSoCynthia.com endorsement of fabulosity. You can learn more about Lake Austin Spa Resort at http://lakeaustin.com/spa-resort.