Last week, we last-minute booked a one-night stay at the J.W. Marriott Hill Country Resort. We had a gift card to hotels.com (thanks Mom 🙂 ) that helped us spring for the somewhat-of-a-staycation. Although the party ended a little earlier than expected (keep reading to find out why), my husband and I are already discussing when we might head back.
J.W. Marriott Hill Country Resort is located northwest of San Antonio in the beautiful hill country. It’s about 90 minutes from the Four Points Area of Austin, but we think it’s another trip worth heading “Out of Bounds” with your family.
We arrived around 1 pm and were surprised to be able to check into our room right away. Even though we booked the cheapest room we could find (that still added up to nearly $400 with the required resort fee and taxes – yikes), we were pleasantly surprised with the size of the room.
We do wish the beds were queens instead of doubles. However, we appreciated the mini fridge in the room (but it only chilled for two hours at a time, so don’t bring anything frozen). And, the bathroom was huge. We were thrilled that it had a bathtub for the kids and a separate shower.
We quickly changed into our swimsuits and headed to the River Bluff Water Experience.
Since Parker fell asleep as soon as we got on the highway, we first stopped at the Rivertop Bar & Grill.
The Rivertop offers your usual poolside fare, including burgers, sandwiches, and salads along with a full bar menu. The kids got an Uncrustable PB&J and fries, I ordered the mixed salad with tuna, and Jarrod ordered a wrap. My salad was surprisingly very fresh and exceeded my expectations for a salad in a box.
Then it was time to find a spot by a pool. Although I’ve never “loved” sand and typically choose to lay out by the pool even when at the beach, we spent most of our time hanging out at the sandy beach, the River Bend Activity Pool.
Seeing Parker do this did give me a mild panic attack, but I love watching her have a blast.
We found chairs at the edge of the pool that weren’t in the sand, but were close enough to supervise. Yay for somewhat accommodating my sand aversion! Even better, the River Bend Activity Pool had tons of sand toys lying around. This was genius on the resort’s behalf. Like me, I’m sure most parents didn’t bring beach toys and only brought a handful of pool toys. There were plenty of sand toys to share, and they were nice and clean the each morning (along with the pool that magically looked as if children didn’t dump buckets of sand into it the entirety of the previous day).
And, are my kids unique in that they can spend hours upon hours digging in the sand? I mean HOURS! And I love how easily kids make friends. 🙂
While sitting out at the River Bend Activity Pool, servers came by frequently to ask if we wanted anything to eat or drink. We had to remind ourselves that we were on a vacation and to not freak out over the nearly $15 pina colada. So, yes, the food and drinks were over-priced, but they typically are at any resort whether in Hawaii, Mexico or San Antonio. 😉
A short walk across the water park led us to the Children’s Pool. The Children’s Pool also didn’t disappoint, and the kids went down the “little slides” there over and over again. This pool area had tons of splashy fountains, though, so their eyes (and mine) wore out quickly.
Just tall enough to ride the Cibolo Falls Tube Slide, Foster went down a few times with Jarrod and me our first day there. We all also floated down the River Bluff Lazy River a handful of times. The river was the only area that I felt was uncomfortably crowded. Let me be clear, the resort was obviously busy and there were tons of people there. But, the resort itself and the rest of the River Bluff Water Experience has enough space to accommodate large crowds without you feeling like a sardine.
We also spent a short amount of time in the River Bluff Activity Pool, but it was a little less toddler-friendly than the River Bend Activity Pool.
Also, most small children had on puddle jumpers, but the resort did have tons of child-sized lifejackets in case you forget to bring one.
After a few hours, we were exhausted.
We left the pool area around 5 pm to head back to the room, shower, and head to dinner. Within about 20 minutes of being in the room, we could tell that Foster wasn’t feeling 100 percent. Initially, I thought he was likely dehydrated since he’s the child that we have to force to drink enough fluids. By the time we arrived at dinner, though, he was burning up and just down and out. My husband had his food delivered to go and Foster and he went back to the room for Foster to crash.
Parker and I ate at High Velocity, which is the resort’s casual sports bar with a 120-foot-long media display.
Although it is a “sports bar”, the restaurant was full of children and even offered a great selection for the kids all-you-can-eat buffet (priced at $9). Kids 4 and under were free, though, so we lucked out! The buffet included: chicken tenders, corn dog bites, mac and cheese, salad options, cookies, cake, and fresh watermelon. Parker seemed to enjoy her meal.
I ordered a burger and it was actually very tasty. I don’t remember what my husband ordered (since he grabbed it to go).
They were making fireside S’mores that evening, but we ended up missing it due to Foster’s condition. Instead, Parker and I enjoyed an hour just the two of us, finishing dinner and shopping at the convenience store on site for children’s Motrin and a few treats for Jarrod and me to enjoy after bedtime.
Sadly enough, we all crashed right away so my husband and I didn’t get to enjoy our anticipated late evening on the balcony.
The next morning, we enjoyed a breakfast consisting of fruit I brought from home as well as coffee, milk, and breakfast treats from the Starbucks on property. Since Foster was feeling better (temporarily) and there was decent cloud cover, we headed back to the pool for about an hour.
The kids had fun enjoying the less crowded pool early in the morning, as did Jarrod and I.
Our requested late check out was at 12, but we could have stayed at the pools all day and cleaned up in a bathroom or hospitality room (if available) later that afternoon. However, we packed up and headed back to Austin for a trip to the doctor.
As a side note, my college girlfriends and I enjoyed a girls’ weekend at the resort a couple years ago. I definitely recommend an adults-only weekend here too! There is an adults-only pool with an infinity edge that allows you to relax sans-kiddos. Plus, there are seven restaurants on-site so you won’t be limited to “what can [insert child’s name] handle tonight after he’s been wired at the pool all day?” There are a few different bars and several seating areas around the resort to hang out with your friends and/or partner.
A few random tips before you head to J.W. Marriott Hill Country Resort:
Tip 1: You aren’t allowed to bring coolers into the River Bluff Water Experience. We were carrying Yetis and had sippy cups and snacks in our pool bags, though, and they didn’t stop us or search the pool bags (despite signs warning that no outside food and drinks are allowed).
Tip 2: If you’re going with your children, request a room on the side of the hotel that is closest to the main entrance of the River Bluff Water Experience. Otherwise, it’s a long haul with your swim gear and kids.
Tip 3: Gather up your spare quarters before the trip to use at the little arcade on site. I believe all games were $1 (yikes, that makes me feel old because I remember them being 25 cents …).
Despite leaving early with a sick kiddo, we consider this a successful quick family getaway. It is pricey, but I believe you can find better rates in the fall (which is when we’re looking to head back next time).
Have you been to J.W. Marriott Hill Country Resort? Share your experiences and any tips in the comments below!
