The Hyatt Hill Country Resort is still a nice and unique place to stay... but this will likely be our last visit.
The good:
-The hotel's public places, especially the lobby and the grounds, are simply beautiful. Flowers everywhere. The buildings and really all resort features fit beautifully within the Hill Country setting.
-Nicest resort near SeaWorld. Westin's LaCantera Resort is a nicer hotel and will likely be our next stop here, but it is closer to Fiesta Texas and is a bit more expensive. We have also stayed at the Radisson near SeaWorld and its okay but not really a resort. Its a decent hotel with a couple of pools. It is significantly less expensive than the Hyatt and may well be a better value.
-Tons of kid-centered activities. Hard to beat the movies on the lawn each night, s'mores every night, the pools, the "Ramblin' River", great kid food options, Camp Hyatt, all the options for hair braiding, face painting, pony rides, (at extra cost) etc. Kudos to the staff who had puzzles and games and crayons and all sorts of other stuff set out in the grand lobby the day it rained. You really could spend a week here, never take a trip outside the resort and keep everyone very busy.
-Friendly staff. Everyone... front desk, valet, pool staff, really everyone... very kind. Never spoke to a person who was rude or inappropriate. All went above and beyond.
-Convenient everything... everywhere. Meaning only that you never have to leave the hotel. Its all here. Every meal option, every snack food, every toiletry, every item of clothing, everything...
-Good variety of meal options: Pool side grille, buffet style meals at one restaurant (Springhouse Cafe), higher end at another (though Antler's is not near as nice, exclusive, unique as it used to be).
-A couple of really nice bars. Drinks at a premium but the settings are fantastic.
The less good:
-Value is a relative thing. If you are stretching to pay for a room here, then everything is going to seem VERY overpriced. So, instead, I will just spell out what we paid, a few surprises, etc. And you can decide on your own the value.
We arrived on a Saturday and left on a Friday. $329 for the first night, $269 for each additional... with one of the five at $269 "free". A stay 5 night and one night is free deal. It felt very expensive for what this hotel has become. Ten years ago, this was a REALLY nice place. It just doesn't quite feel worth this to us now. Our room was a double double. It was my wife and three children.
They allow for three kids in a room but cannot put a roll-away bed in these rooms due to "fire code". We knew this ahead of time and our 10 year old son was fine with a sleeping bag we brought along on the floor.
Camp Hyatt is more expensive than it used to be. $45 per child for a 6-10pm time slot. That $135 for one 4 hour blocks makes you think twice about making that reservation for 2 at Biga, Acenar, etc. if you want one night of your trip alone with your spouse.
Springhouse Cafe buffet breakfast is $20 for adults, $10 for kids. There are slightly less expensive a la carte options.
Poolside grill burgers, nachos, adult meal options are about $10 each. Kids meals about $6. Drinks extra.
Sodas are $2.50 for a 20oz. Bottled water about the same. Beer is $5.50. Pina Coladas, Margaritas etc. are $8.50.
The "General Store" is fantastic for less expensive eating options. Yet, granola bars are still $4. Bagels about the same. $5 for a Starbucks Mocha Tall. Breakfast tacos $3.25 each. You can get things like KrispyCreme donuts, pop-tarts, etc. if that is your kids style for food. They serve pizza, sandwiches too.
Valet is $15 a night.
The bad:
-Its just not what it once was. Not as polished. Not as clean.
-The walls either seem thinner, or our neighbors are just remarkably noisy. We could hear almost every word of conversations next door. We try to be SO tolerant... but did have to put in one call to the front desk when the family next door came in at 1130 and the two boys were screaming and wrestling, and the parents were just laughing along.
-Pillows smelled musty, sweaty... like a gym.
-Housekeeping seems understaffed. They could never seem to get to our room in a normal fashion so on several occasions were still at it after dinner.
Neither good nor bad, but you just need to know:
-I cannot FATHOM coming here as a honeymooning couple, a senior couple, really any kind of couple unless you have a slew of kids.
-Again... this place is absolutely OVERRUN with kids. They are everywhere all the time. I've stayed at a lot of really nice resorts where kids fit well within the overall setting of the place. Not here. You cannot escape. Again, we are here with our 3 (ages 10, 7 and 6) ... but its tough when you find that yours are amongst the best behaved. There are kids screaming in the restaurants at all meals. There are kids screaming in rooms at all hours. There are kids running up and down the halls at nearly all hours.
-Did I mention there are just a ton of kids here...?
-The clientele has just changed a bit. Don't want to come off sounding elitist at all. It just feels less Nordstrom's and more JCPenny's. And don't miss the point. I may shop at Penny's sometimes too. But if I am paying Nordstrom's prices... I want Nordstrom quality.
So overall, great place for kids. Not as nice as it once was. Hard to call it a value... in fact, feels pretty overpriced.
Other favorites on this trip: SeaWorld still shines. FiestaTexas feels like it nickel and dimes you for everything. Loved La Fogata for dinner. Loved Acenar for lunch. Did the Rio River Boat tour for the kids sake and it was fun. Hadn't done it in years.
hotel reviews