Many of you, our readers, have been telling me for years that I’ve got to visit the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa on my next family vacation to San Antonio. I heard all about the lazy river, water slide and it’s proximity to some of San Antonio’s biggest attractions - about 15 minutes to Sea World and 25 minutes to Fiesta Texas. It’s been on my bucket list for years and this summer, we were finally able to make the trip.
I am going to start off by saying that this is hands down, my all-time favorite hotel and I so highly recommend it to all of you and your families. To start with, while I’m checking in, the lady behind the counter brings a red wagon full of little toys and lets each of my child select one to keep. Way to score big brownie points with this mom and her kids! My kids were busy opening up their toys which gave me time to focus on getting us checked in.
This is a full service resort which means that you do have the option of using the valet and bellhop – something that I really enjoyed since we brought so much luggage with us for the week. Walking through the lobby and up to my room, I really did feel like I was staying in the Texas hill country with the rustic decorations and sweeping windows giving a view to the expansive grounds. Our room had two double beds and a balcony with 2 chairs and a small table which I spent many nights out on waiting for my kids to fall asleep inside the room.
The first thing that my kids wanted to check out was the pool, lazy river and waterslides. The pool is heavily shaded which is something that I really appreciated as a mom. The pool has a very natural feel like it had been there before the resort. My son immediately joined some other boys in a game of water basketball over at the basketball hoop and my daughter headed for the waterfalls at the end of the pool area. Me…I made a bee line for the hot tub which was amazing after our 3.5 hour drive to get there and stop over to visit and climb around in the Natural Bridge Caverns. The lazy river is actually connected to the pool area so you don’t have to get out and walk over to it which is something that I love. In fact, you can access most of the resort just by hopping in the lazy river. My favorite part of the entire resort is the lazy river. My sister and her hubby checked in a few days after we arrived and they floated in the lazy river for 5 hours straight their first day! It’s that wonderful.
Once in the lazy river, my kids and I made a beeline for the waterslide. My youngest absolutely loved the waterslide and went on it over and over again. Walking distance from the waterslide is the surfing area where you can pay to surf for about an hour I believe. We didn’t have the opportunity to try that but it is going on our list for the next time. Another area that you can get to from the lazy river is the beach area where little ones can make sandcastles and have lots of fun. I really enjoyed reclining in a beach chair watching my kids play.
At each of these locations, there is a staff member ready to take and bring you your drink/food order rather than needing to clean up and go back inside the hotel to the restaurant. We ate poolside many days and the food was delicious. They can also accommodate gluten allergies making pretty much all of the sandwiches on the lunch menu available to someone with a gluten allergy which is really nice. This is also true for the breakfast buffet at the hotel in the mornings plus, they have gluten free muffins which is a great bonus! The breakfast buffet ranges from omelets, waffles, yogurt, fruit, granola, eggs, sausage… Really yummy!
In the evening, kids can make s’mores and watch a movie outside. There is also a nice big lawn set up with some soccer goals and my kids and I had an impromptu soccer match. For Moms and Dads that want some time off, they have a great kiddie camp where you can drop the kids off while you get to spend some time relaxing. Other family friendly activities include feeding the ducks and squirrels in the morning, Family Express Golf where the whole family can learn to play golf together, family water balloon toss and family flag football. There are also daily arts and crafts sessions in the morning.
Each night I would put the kids to bed and spend time sitting on the balcony thinking about all of the fun that we had that day. I so highly recommend this hotel and would go back to visit in a heartbeat. We’re even planning on doing an extended family trip here next summer. My kids were very sad to leave the resort and I told them that’s the sign of a great vacation…one you never want to leave.
I was given a complimentary stay at this resort in exchange for my review. The views and opinions expressed are my own and I do plan on visiting again soon. All photos in this article are courtesy of the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa.
