Category Archives: Conference

Comfort & Beauty at the Hyatt Lost Pines

Summertime is the prime time for traveling, especially for families. More so, accommodations while you are checking out a new location, attending events or even conferences for work. I’ve got you covered, or should I say the Hyatt Lost Pines has you covered.

While staying at the resort last month, I was basking in absolute comfort. Besides the entire resort being absolutely gorgeous, the tranquility of my personal room was hard to leave or just perfect after a long day enjoying the outdoors. The rooms had recently been updated (that’s always a plus) but there’s more than just looking pretty and having extremely comfortable beds to get a great nights sleep. It’s all in the details….

The bathroom. Have your pick of an amazing shower or soaking in an oversized tub. What caught my eye was the type of products that were left out. I know, most hotels / resorts leave the typical shampoo / conditioner, etc. however the Hyatt Lost Pines also left out body lotion, foot lotion and after sun gel. Not only did they leave out the extra essentials, they’re also dermatologist approved. Comforting for people with sensitive skin like myself.

Free Wi-Fi, cable, coffee, tea. The ice machine was right down the hall.

It’s the little things, right? I will say, allergy season in Texas almost seems to be year round at time. I GREATLY appreciated this air purifier in my room. I didn’t have to ask for one, it was already there and turned on. Makes everything so much more, breathable.

Texas art and details in the fixtures brings the outdoor, indoors.

If you are like me, you can’t wait to be outside, when you’re inside. Well, you get the best of both worlds! No matter where your room is situated on the property, the view will be phenomenal. I’ll promise you that myself.

Could you ask for a more relaxing view?

For families or groups traveling, be sure to ask about the Family Stay More, Play More resort credits. With a two night minimum stay, you and your family can earn additional credits to spend while staying at the Resort. These can be used for meals or other activities.

Hyatt Lost Pines was voted the top Texas destination and 18th place for the “Top Family Hotels” list in Travel + Leisure’s 2012 World’s Best Awards.

Most Historic Small Town In Texas

Exploring Nature at the Hyatt Lost Pines

Firewheel Cafe at the Hyatt Lost Pines

Activities at the Hyatt Lost Pines

Disclaimer: I was not compensated but did receive one night’s stay at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa in return for this post. All photos and opinions are 100% my own.

Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa, Bastrop, TX

3 Replies

I was recently invited out to the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort and Spa in Bastrop, Texas (just east of Austin). I couldn’t have been more excited as everything I had seen and heard about the resort seemed to be right up my alley – nature, exclusive, beautiful, a ton of outdoor activities and the food was suppose to be fantastic. Well, turns out everything I heard was right and I can’t wait to go back!

Bastrop is an easy 3.5 hour drive from Dallas / Fort Worth. It’s a perfect distance for a family vacation for a week or even just a weekend getaway. Once you’re there, you’ll feel even more removed from the everyday world and just fall into relax/vacation mode (and you won’t want to leave).

Upon arrival, you’ll pull into the drive for the Hyatt Regency. Be careful, you still have three miles to go. That’s right, three miles! The drive will be scenic and you will soon forget where you are, windy, hilly and absolutely gorgeous. Wildflowers and bluebonnets filled the side of the roadway in front of the trees. Every so often, you will see a small pulloff for a scenic view. Take one, or two. The view will capture you, trees as far as you can see, no civilization or seeing the next small town over. Just nature. Be sure to let out a big exhale.

Continue driving. It seems that the three mile drive is just enough time to let all your frustrations, anxiety, stress, anything that is going on in your life go. You have arrived.

(Photo credit: Hyatt Regency Lost Pines)

The Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa is breathtakingly beautiful. Photographs really provide no justice at all. I took what seems like hundreds of photos and still I felt like I couldn’t quite capture it all together.

Each of the rooms provide a magnificent view of the grounds whether it be the garden landscape, the Colorado river, the pond and golf course. There is not one sight that won’t make you completely relax.

(Below) This is the main house / lobby from the back of the building. Seriously, how beautiful day / night is this building. I actually had breakfast on the back porch in a rocking chair. My day couldn’t have started much better than that.

I plan on sharing every detail of my trip but I wanted to share a few facts about the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa and give you a glimpse as to what’s to come!

Sits alongside the Colorado River, just outside of Austin on 405 acres of scenic wilderness.
Hosts 491 guest rooms, more than 60,000 square feet of indoor meeting space and 230,000 square feet of outdoor function space (including pavilions and an amphitheater).
Amenities include the Wolfgang Golf Club, Spa Django and the Renegade Trailhead (equestrian facility).
McKinney Roughs Nature Park can be found right next door where activities include kayaking, shooting, swimming, birding and 18 miles of hiking trails.

Undoubtedly, a year-round seasonal resort, with a wide variety of dining and entertainment options. There is truly something here for everyone. The only problem you will have is finding time to fit it all in. Stay tuned to see what my adventure at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa entailed!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated but did receive one night’s stay at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa in return for this post. All photos and opinions are 100% my own.

Family Travel Conference, Dallas

6 Replies

After I moved to Texas, I was taking road trips and attending events however I felt as if I couldn’t fully share how great these adventures were with my family back in Vermont. In 2011, Down Home Traveler was born. Since then, it’s generated into not only a way to share my adventures with my family and friends but with all readers alike. Still, something was also missing. I didn’t feel as if I was really connecting with other travel bloggers who shared my same passion. Lately, I’ve felt like I’ve been in a bit of a “traveling rut”. I’m so glad those days are over!

Let’s fast forward to last weekend. I had the privilege of attending the Family Travel Conference at the Omni Hotel in Dallas. I’ve spent the last couple days trying to find a way to put my experience into words. The event opened my eyes to the world of other travel bloggers, educational and business training but I most importantly I gained new relationships with not only businesses but with other travel bloggers. I can not tell you how grateful, excited and proud I am to be a travel blogger!

The Family Travel Conference was held at the Omni Hotel. Although, I didn’t stay at the hotel during the conference, the Omni staff was phenomenal during my visit. I will need to write more about the Omni in another post in order to try to even touch upon how great they made this experience. One special event was when the bloggers split up into groups and went on a different tour of the hotel. Keep an eye out, I’ll be letting you in on my special tour!

We had some great speakers! Not only did they present and speak to us regarding their successes and passed on their wisdom, they stayed all weekend. This provided us with an opportunity to not only know and learn from their experiences but gather connections that we probably wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. We touched upon how to use social media to grow brand / blog, how to capture our audience thru storytelling and video, learned how to edit and create our own video (which was terrifying as I am NOT tech savvy) and travel trends.

This probably sounds like a lot of “work” related experiences, but the entire weekend was filled with a whole lot of fun! For starters – let’s talk about the Dallas Zoo!

The Dallas Zoo was open just for us. We got to see various animals, feed the giraffes, attend the lion show and eat dinner next to the elephants!

I have a friend who literally just got back from running the half marathon at Disney World this past weekend and I had to tell her that Saturday there was more than one “happiest place on Earth”. The second place was in a conference room at the Omni. Not only did we get to meet these two but Disney gave away two trips to Disney World / Disney Land!

Saturday evening we took a little field trip up to the Galleria Mall. Did you know it’s one of the most visited places in Texas?! I surely did not but I do love the mall this time of year. You are about to see why.

Although there are palm trees on the outside, within the doors you will see the World’s largest indoor Christmas tree! (You can read more about the tree and events from when I visited the Galleria last year.)

Finally, what did we eat? Well, it felt like we were royalty and it was all fat and calorie free (so I told myself)! And yes, it was all more delicious than it looks! Believe it! At one point during dinner, I found myself at a table where others were also taking pictures of the food. I pointed it out as I’m usually the only one. Grace Duffy said “You’re with your kind now.” It felt so good!

What resonated with me the most is something that Krista Parry (SnowMamas) said – we are doing this “for the greater good”. We’re not here to compete with one another, to see who can get the most sponsorship or make the most contacts. We’re here to encourage each other as bloggers and to encourage our readers to get out there and experience travel with family and friends. I love blogging because I love to travel. They go hand in hand for me but more importantly I hope that I encourage my readers to go out and try something new. I try to provide the resources and references so anyone can do that, families, couples, single people, girls getaway weekends, etc.. I hope that I am able to do that for all of my readers.

Thank you to Family Travel Conference for inviting me to attending this conference as a local. Thank you to the sponsors and organizers for creating an absolutely amazing event and unforgettable experience! Thank you to my fellow bloggers for getting me out of my blogging rut and giving me the encouragement that I needed. I look forward to continuing my relationship with so many of you. Finally, to my readers – thank you for letting me do something that I truly enjoy!

Family Travel Conference is founded by Kim Orlando (Traveling Mom), Kyle McCarthy (Family Travel Forum), Eileen Ogintz (Taking The Kids) and Joanne Vero (Travel Media Showcase).

The speakers of the event were outstanding. If you have an opportunity to visit their blogs or look into their work, please do. Genevieve Brown (of ABC News), Rob Burgos (Full Circle Post), Valarie D’Elia (Travel With Val), Paul Eisenberg (Micato Safaris and Shermans Travel), Christi McNeill (Southwest Airlines), Melanie Nelson (Blogging Basics 101), Krista Parry (Snowmamas), Wendy Perrin (Conde Nast Traveler) and Kaleel Sakakeeny (New Media Travel).