I am currently on my way home from my latest South Texas Staycation, but I felt it the perfect opportunity to bring you the goodness of my last staycation! A few weekends back, my mom, sister, and niece and I all traveled up to Central Texas to celebrate my mom’s 60th birthday. It was a girl’s trip so it was very relaxing and very little focus on doing A LOT in a short amount of time! My travel VLOG is on my you tube channel now, so go check it out if you love a visual experience!
Where to Stay:
I pretty much went on and on about how cute the Hillside Boutique Hotel is throughout my video, but once you see it, you´ll see why! My mom specifically asked for ¨Hallmark Movie¨ vibes for her 60th birthday weekend. If you haven´t searched for an airbnb lately, I´m here to tell you that there are VERY FEW available for last minute planners like myself. We centered this trip around Fredricksburg because it´s a small town and has a Main Street/Strip area that we’d be able to hang out around for the day.
I stumbled upon Castroville’s cutest little hotel on Instagram and it checked all the boxes I was looking for. It gives off a resort and isolated vibe without taking you too far off into a wooded area. I feel comfortable recommending this to a group of girls looking for a socially distanced girls’ weekend. The pool area has small cushioned bed/benches that provide sufficient seating for groups. I want SO BADLY to go back and just sit by the pool.
We ate at the hotel at least 3 times! When booking, you can pre-pay for welcome drinks and breakfast. We actually missed breakfast the first day (there was a Baby Shower in one of the party rooms, which caused a longer wait than usual), but the manager was so kind to offer to accept the tokens for dinner, which I thought was so kind! We ended up using our tokens for Sunday breakfast!
The hotel also has a spa that can provide for a full day of relaxation and lounging with friends. The resort feel is also completed by the on-site restaurant. We also got a charcuterie board and nachos one night and while I don’t know, I can totally imagine myself enjoying these by the pool in-between spa services. Can you tell I’ve thought extensively about going back??
There are a ton of new things coming this fall, including: the fall special (we utilized this for a lower priced stay!); a new dinner menu with a new curated wine list and craft cocktail menu. Our mimosas on Sunday Morning were incredible, so this is exciting news if you ask me!
My visit to the Hillside Boutique Hotel was not sponsored AT ALL and everything I’m sharing is my own opinion! I would go back again in a heartbeat!
What to Do:
Because our hotel experience was so good, we only left the hotel for one full day. Castroville is filled with a lot of cute little local spots including a
cutie little bakery that we totally missed out on going to.
My mom’s good friend told her about The Empty Cross,and she requested that we make a stop there. I wasn’t expecting this to be such a HUGE part of our trip, but it certainly made it even more special. All of us took the time to write on a prayer rock and spend time with the Lord. I’m pretty private about practicing my faith for the most part, but the way this year has gone, you KNOW I’ve been praying for peace and for a better tomorrow. It was so special to share this with the women in my family and RELAXING to leave my biggest prayers in a different part of the world. If this is something that speaks to you, I highly recommend you pay a visit to the Empty cross.
On Saturday, we had the main goal of heading to Fredricksburg. Hot tip: if you’re heading over in October and are looking for a ghost tour, book ASAP. My most recent staycation has taught me to be wiser! I digress. We made it to Fredricksburg a little after mid-day and just walked around! We shopped, we drank wine while we shopped, and we had a late lunch at the Wild Hare Bistro. My mom and I aren’t big wine drinkers, so we opted not to head to a winery! For a good idea of which wineries to go to check out
THIS post from my last winery visit!
What to Eat:
Are you surprised that we ate mostly at Hillside Texas Bistro ? The brunch was amazing- like one of the best I’ve had in my life! They have simple plates but the flavors combined with the mimosas were SO GOOD! We had every type of meal at the hotel and I don´t think we made a poor choice!
We had lunch at the Wild Hare Bistro and grabbed wine at Fiesta Wine in Fredricksburg. Both of which were fun spots! The sangria wine from Fiesta Wine is delicious!
Last but not least:
Check out my FIRST VLOG and latest you tube video! If this is something you want to see from me, please make sure to like, comment, and subscribe to my channel!
I hope y’all enjoyed this little Travel Tale and South Texas Staycation! Stay tuned for my San Antonio Staycation with my husband in a few weeks. Until then, where should we head to next?!
Love,
Aly
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