This luxury lakeside resort feels like a summer camp for adults

In Texas Hill Country, Lydia Spencer-Elliott stays at Lake Austin Spa Resort for a break combining wellness and watersports

Apr 13, 2026 - 15:15

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This luxury lakeside resort feels like a summer camp for adults

On the shores on Lake Austin, this wellness retreat has a village-like feel with cottages, a spa complex and plenty of activities

Location

Lake Austin Spa Resort is situated in the heart of Texas Hill Country, just over 30 minutes by car from downtown Austin. Expect views of the namesake lake, backed by rolling hills, and for wild deer to sidle up to your cabin. It’s an affluent area, with lakeside houses owned by tech giants Elon Musk and Michael Dell (of Dell computers) just along the reservoir.

Austin-Bergstrom International (AUS) is the nearest airport, with direct flights from London Heathrow. It’s a 40-minute drive to the hotel from here, depending on traffic, though you can also take a detour to visit the city’s downtown area.

Alternatively, for a more stylish entrance, guest can request a river taxi pick-up, with departures from numerous locations along Lake Austin.

The vibe

A yoga class is one of the many activities available on the hotel’s all-inclusive activities schedule

A yoga class is one of the many activities available on the hotel’s all-inclusive activities schedule (Lake Austin Spa Resort)

The all-inclusive resort has the feel of a summer camp for adults (in the best possible way). Rather than a single hotel building, Lake Austin Spa’s lakeside village-like layout sits across 19 acres of land with paths, steps and gardens linking the main house – where the reception, restaurant and studio spaces are housed – to the 40 cottages and 25,000 sq ft central spa complex, complete with its own restaurant, pool, and lake access.

Your stay includes Lake Austin merch, so a drawstring bag and bottle printed with your name are left on your bed to use during activities. But if you just want to chill out in your robe that’s fine too. Simply put, it’s bliss.

Service

Southern hospitality is alive and well here. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff at Lake Austin Spa Resort.

From the receptionists to the waiting staff, every employee radiates a sincere kindness that makes you feel instantly at home. Activity instructors are fun and encouraging, and spa staff excel in their chosen fields, whether it’s massage, facials or water therapies.

Bed and bath

Lake Austin is an intimate retreat with just 40 cottages and bungalows on site. Each of the rustic-chic “rooms” are like private cabins, with their own front porches. All bungalows are complete with a plush king bed or two full-sized doubles to a room.

The suites make bathing a luxurious experience with Vitamin C-infused shower heads, a spacious bath, and aromatherapy oil inhaler jars installed in every room to help you stay zen even after your treatments have ended.

The hotel rooms have a cottage-core vibe

The hotel rooms have a cottage-core vibe (Lake Austin Spa Resort)

Furnishings reflect the cottage-core vibe of the resort, with “Garden Bungalows” offering a private meditation garden in the back, and “Hot Tub Cottages” including a private patio, electric fireplace and, of course, a hot tub. All rooms feature a desk, a coffee and tea station, a chest of drawers, and a TV that can connect to your phone.

Food and drink

Seasonal ingredients from local providers are the star of the show at Lake Austin Spa Resort’s StillWater restaurant, with each dish carefully balancing flavour and nutrition. Lunch is usually light – think salmon poke bowls or a Mediterranean wrap, which can be conveniently grabbed from the location’s second eatery, the spa’s casual Aster Cafe, in between treatments.

The resort serves healthy and flavourful food

The resort serves healthy and flavourful food (Lake Austin Spa Resort)

For dinner, the most picturesque spot to eat is the StillWater terrace overlooking the water. The menu changes nightly. Dishes including hamachi crudo, and seared branzino with brown butter caper and toasted pistachios were on the menu during my visit. In case you get peckish between meals, staff lay out crisps and dips, brownies, a fruit selection, nuts and gummy bears throughout the main building and in the spa for guests to graze on throughout the day.

Room service for breakfast is encouraged and comes as part of the hotel’s all-inclusive package.

Lake Austin’s menus include gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan options, with the resort staff happy and willing to adjust dishes to any additional dietary requirements.

Facilities

The spa boasts a Junior Olympic-length lap pool inside its Pool Barn, as well as an outdoor Palm Pool surrounded by cabanas and aquatic gardens. Inside the main spa building there’s also a spacious sauna, steam room and whirl pools (which are also available for use by day guests).

There are over 100 spa services and treatments to choose from, including facials, full-body wraps, massages and sound baths. Staff quietly and calmly collect their clients from the spacious Blue Room for their appointments, where there are squidgy sofas which look out over views of Texas Hill Country.

The Lakehouse Spa Blue Room where guests can relax before treatments

The Lakehouse Spa Blue Room where guests can relax before treatments (Lake Austin Spa Resort)

Guest-only areas include a lakeside fitness centre and meditation room, and mirrored dance studios used for pilates and yoga classes, as well as cosy lounge spaces where you can curl up with a book and look out at the lake.

If you want to get out on the water, equipment including kayaks, hydrobikes and paddle boards is available daily. Floating yoga, wake surfing, water skiing, wakeboarding and tubing are also on offer at an extra cost.

There’s also the option to take part in cooking classes in the resort’s demonstration kitchen, where guests can learn how to make chicken meatball soup or spinach bean pasta.

Accessibility

The resort is made up of multiple buildings, some of which are connected by stairs and have steep inclines, without alternative accessible routes. Staff recommend contacting them in advance with accessibility requirements so they can advise if there is a room to suit your needs.

Pet policy

Lake Austin welcomes dogs over one year old to the spa resort if they are well-behaved and kept on a leash outside of your room. Dogs cannot be left unattended unless they’re confined to a crate, and are not allowed in any of the indoor food and drink locations, pool areas, or the spa. A non-refundable £225 pet fee is required per room.