Lake Austin Spa Resort

Rolling hills carpeted in green, limestone that glows a pinkish gold in the setting sun, and miles and miles of river, dammed into sections referred to as lakes, define the Texas Hill Country that surrounds Austin. It is here, 35 minutes northwest of the energized capital city, where you'll find more than 1,000 species of trees, flowers, herbs and vegetables on 19 lakefront acres designed to nourish the body and soul. This is Lake Austin Spa Resort, which is quite simply, really darn pretty.

Left: Vine covered arbors in front of guest rooms feature Trumpet creeper, wisteria and crossvine which provide almost year round blooms. The trumpet creeper provides a summer long buffet for hummingbirds to the delight of guests enjoying the lake views from the front patios.

Check in with family or friends (or just yourself) for at least three days, and enjoy simple but sumptuous accommodations, healthy gourmet meals, daily mind and body classes, and best of all, the LakeHouse Spa where the garden is queen. When the massive spa opened in 2004, the selected location was placed slightly farther from the previous spa's site and also uphill from the main part of the resort.

Left: Looking west toward guest rooms from the limestone walls at the entrance to the serpentine trail. Fig ivy covers the walls on the right side.

Director of Flora and Fauna Trisha Shirey knew she wanted to provide guests with an interesting and enjoyable experience while walking there, so with the help of the landscape architect, she planned a meandering path beneath old-growth pecan trees and devised surprises for the senses around each turn: flowers that attract butterflies, water features that calm and connect the viewer to the river below, aromas that sooth.

Left: Decomposed granite and sandstone stepping stones line the path to the covered Pool Barn. White lantana blooms on the right side, velvety lamb's ears are on the left, and white pampas grass plumes wave in the breeze.

The garden is woven into every part of the spa experience, from selecting herbs from the organic Healing Garden to be used in your treatment to the private gardens where au naturel sunbathing is permitted off both the men's and women's locker rooms. Even the elevator carries on the motif: It is lined with silk that is embroidered with butterflies.

Left: White pampas grass plumes flank the cabanas at the Palms Pool.

The south entrance to the Lakehouse Spa is lined with orange zinnia linnearis, yellow lantana and Esperanza blooms all summer long.

Roman fountain wall at the Lakehouse Spa features native limestone and a water feature with an antique millstone.

Sabal Palms, Sago palms, peach ginger, banana trees and brugmansia flank the patio at the Pool Barn. Brown Jordan furniture provides a comfortable sitting area to enjoy the fragrance of the ginger and brugmansia.

A private outdoor garden, the Bamboo room, provides a tranquil setting for an outdoor massage under a tent canopy lined with black bamboo.

An outdoor shower in the Bamboo room features black mondo grass and black bamboo.

Brown Jordan table and chairs provide a place for relaxing and dining under a Monterrey oak tree in the Bamboo Room, a private garden room at the Lakehouse Spa.

Private in ground hot tub lined with native limestone walls in the Bamboo Room at the Lakehouse Spa.

Tented canopies provide relief from the Texas sun at the Palms Pool. Hibiscus bloom in pots and the pool is lined with Texas Sabal palm trees.

Lounging beds provide comfortable sunning at the Palms Pool.

The Palms Pool at Lakehouse Spa. Tropical hibiscus bloom in pots around the pool.

Sandstone boulders flank the path to the Lakehouse Spa. Native Mexican Bush Sage, Mexican Plum, Redbud and yellow buckeye thrive under the massive pecan trees that provide a shade covered stroll to the spa. Holly fern thrives in the deepest shade of the pecans.

Night time view of the tented canopies at the Palms Pool.

The outdoor patio at the Aster cafe at the Lakehouse Spa features a wood burning fireplace and an outdoor cooking area for dining, parties and entertaining. Umbrellas supplement the shade canopy of adjacent live oak trees.

A water feature in the private garden off the ladies dressing room at the Lakehouse Spa.

A water feature in the private garden off the men's dressing room.

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