The Westin La Cantera Hill Country Resort

My boyfriend, daughter and I came here for the weekend right before spring break. We noticed how far the self parking was from the front entrance so we decided to valet our car. It is a longggg walk from the self parking to the front so it's probably best to just valet. If I remember correctly, I think valet was $14 a night with unlimited in and out access. The valet guy was very helpful with our bags. He tagged them to have them sent up to our rooms. We got into our room, and our bags never showed up. We had to call the front desk to have our bags sent up. The lady at the front desk gave our daughter a small stuffed animal with the westin logo on it. It was cute.

The pool area is really nice. It has different sections to play volleyball, go down a slide and a kiddie area. When I called the hotel, they said that the pool is heated. It didn't feel heated. It was chilly outside, and the water was still cold. So even though the pool is open 24 hours, the only place to get in would be the hot tub without freezing. They have an adult pool area that is 21 and up. The hot tub there was real hot and relaxing. It overlooks the hill country. We ordered chips, salsa and queso by the pool from the gantry. The salsa and queso were really good that we ordered it three times throughout our poolside visits. The servers at the pool were very attentive and came by every so often to check up on us. Pool servers=good service.

There is a restaurant that overlooks the pool. We grabbed a quick dinner there. I ordered the filet which was oh so yummy. It was tender and just delicious. My boyfriend ordered salmon, it was okay. Our daughter ordered salmon and rice for kids. Her kids entree was better than the adults salmon. For dessert, we got the apple pie with ice cream on top. It was good but not the best. Their desserts are very small but just enough and not too much. We got the bill, and it said that kids ate free. Even though kids meals don't cost much, that was great.

We planned to go to Fiesta Texas. Since the park is right by the hotel, they offer a free shuttle that takes you to and from the park every hour. It was so convenient to hop on the shuttle. That was a big plus for us. There is also a mall right by our hotel also...the la cantera mall. We didn't get to stop by, but I know that the hotel provides a shuttle bus there also.

The weekend was over, and we were ready to check out on Sunday. We got our car from valet, and when the valet guys are supposed to help you with your bags, I was the one putting my suit case into the car because the valet guys were hanging around. These valet guys were young, and they should have known better to get my luggage instead of having me wait and do it myself. That was irritating.

I would definitely go back to this hotel... we're already planning to see when we can go back.

Absolutely loved their suite and the club lounge!

The pool was awesome (with a separate adults-only section) and had a waterfall; I woke up to greenery/golf greens all around; room/hotel/property was spacious and overall refreshing!

This property is huge and with so much activity going on, you really need to plan ahead to make the most of your time here!

Highly recommend this property for anyone looking for a weekend getaway!

Pros: Great service, lots of activities for the kids and adults, beautiful grounds and setting, great little hiking trail, nice pool.

Cons: Pool was way too over crowded. Rooms a little small- our AC was broken- (but they fixed promptly). Use of space in the hallways and public areas, etc just kind of weird and not super inviting (i.e. the Spa doors are barely noticeable since they are heavy fire doors, elevator landings make you wonder if you are headed up a service elevator).


I would like to recommend that they add another pool. Perhaps convert some or all of the pond in the lobby courtyard to a pool to take some pressure off the other two pools. The pond is pretty, but it can't be much of a money maker for the hotel and a nice pool could be just as attractive as a pond to use for weddings and parties, etc. Just my 2 cents.

Wow! Yes, I just gave a really nice resort a 1-star. I trust me, I have my reasons.

Disclaimer: I LOVE Starwood Hotels, The Westin, and this property. HOWEVER, the quality of service I have received on my last two stays has been ABYSMAL!!!!! After my previous stay I discussed my issues with hotel management for over an hour on the drive home. Did that take anything to heart? NO

Let me take you through my latest experience:

1. Arrival: after a 5 hour car ride, we arrive at La Cantera.
-- To Valet or Not to Valet? ....Since I've stayed here before, I know NOT to valet my car as the hotel is perceptually understaffed and it can take more than 1 hour to retrieve your car.
-- Bell Hop ... Yes please! Expectation: bags will arrive in my room shortly after check-in
-- Early Check-in for 1 pm ... should be good to go, it's shortly after 1 pm
2. Front Desk:
-- Ahhh ... a refreshing glass of infused water.... Hmmm ... why are there NO CUPS?
-- Greeting from Platinum Check-In ... NO EXISTENT.... no smile ... no welcome greeting ... no eye contact
-- Conversation with check-in ... Why do you have 2 rooms? Me: I didn't order 2 rooms? .... Staff person disappears .... Staff person comes back. Still no eye contact. Still no warmth. Staff person mumbles something about room not being ready. Me: Gosh, I was guaranteed a 1 pm check-in and would love some water but there are no cups. Staff person calls housekeeping. Staff person: Room isn't ready; I can't release it.... I wait. She continues staring at her computer screen. Nothing. Me: Well, can you tell me how long it will be? We would like to hit the pool and then clean up before we need to be somewhere at 5 pm. Staff person: 15 minutes.
Long story short, we went to wait. No water. No fixes. 30 minutes later, I check again. Same story. This GOES ON FOR 3.5 HOURS! During this time, I speak to the manage who is RUDE! Manager: "We're busy today!" Really?!? It's the summer and this is a resort -- my goodness, I would hope you were busy. But I also hope you know what you are doing! And at a minimum know how to turn rooms quickly and treat guest well! .... Finally, I walk to our room, find housekeeping, ask them if room is ready, they say yes - that it had been ready for 1.5 hours, I walk downstairs and find the manager again.
This time, the manager is singing a different tune? Why? Because during the wait, when I was repeatedly lied to, I tweeted @SPG and @StarwoodBuzz who immediately address me in a polite manner and CALLED HOTEL MANAGER on my behalf! I WAS LIVID. :) But it gets better.

After we reach our room, which I admit was nice because they upgraded up, we still had to get our baggage. Remember the Bell Hop? After 15 minutes, I called. I heard, "It's on it's way sir." 20 minutes later, I call again, "You'll have it in 10 minutes, sir." Another 15 minutes later, I call again, "My manager is bringing up to you personally." ALL OF WHICH WERE LIES!!! After this nonsense went round and round, I walked back downstairs, went through the Bell Hop area, found my cart of luggage and took it upstairs myself.

End result? It took 6+ hours to get checked-in and have our things. That's a whole day at the resort that was wasted. In addition, we were late for an event.

So now you know my sad, sad story of why I gave this place 1-Star. If it was just a one time occurrence, I would not have been so harsh. BUT THIS WAS THE 2ND TIME in as many stays that this has happened.

My suggestions?
1. Self-park your car
2. Have a swim-suit / change of clothes ready
3. Do not use the bell hop
4. If manager is rude, tweet about it

Follow Up: 7/1/2013 ... Management contacted me via Yelp. I appreciate that. However, I have already had multiple conversations with them and IMHO my recommendations were not followed. The result? Hot air.

So I Did the weekend thing in San Antonio, basically our original plans for vacation fell through so Shamu here we come. Where to begin with this place. Living in Houston where it's flat, we were looking forward to a road trip to the Texas Hill Country and especially a resort. We are members of Starwood and were able to use our points for the weekend. When we checked in they put us in on the 2nd floor. I didn't care as long as I had a view of a pool or some rolling hills. Well I had neither. What they don't tell you as your checking in, the lobby is actually on the 3rd floor. My room was on ground level and I had a view of nothing, OK maybe I'm blowing it way out of proportion. I did have a view of a parking lot, and I had people from the next room sitting on my balcony smoking a cigarette and chatting away on their cell phone.

I was disappointed, so I decided to complain to the front desk. Unfortunately they were busy this weekend, so rooms were tight, but after about 45min they were able to find us a room on the 4th floor with a view of the pool and the beautiful hill country. The front desk decided to send us a bottle of California's finest Sparkling Wine and a mini Chocolate Mousse Cake for the inconvenience. Bonus! The Westin just went up another star.

The Westin La Cantera is a beautiful property. They have a great pool broken off into 4 sections with a canal connecting them all. The last pool has a water slide, my daughter and I spent most of our time here. She loved it. They also have a good size spa and a Golf Club house. From my room the course looked beautiful.

I will be making another stop at the Westin La Cantera, but I will make sure I'm not stuck in the basement next time

Each summer we do one kid's trip and one adult vacation. This year, SeaWorld in San Antonio was the destination. Let me just say, I am not a theme park person. However, I have 3 young kids and will be enjoying this particular type of destination for many years to come. I outsource many things, but this is a rite of passage that is unavoidable. Therefore, choice accommodations are key. Last summer it was Disneyland and LEGOLAND. My kids loved it; I survived and felt moderately ready for SeaWorld.

This year, the resort was the highlight of this trip. We were pleasantly surprised by the exceptional service (Four Seasons-esque) and the kid/adult friendly activities + accommodations. It is always a compromise of kid's vacation needs versus our adult need to have comfort, decent food and a good glass of wine. The Westin fit the bill.

Well, the food and wine were not particularly notable for us, but the kid's meal options were well above average. We ordered steamed vegies and salmon for the kids at dinners. Both fresh and well done. Breakfast was typical fare but also done well. It was also not ridiculously expensive. We ate all our meals (expect during our SeaWorld day) at the hotel and it was very reasonable. Also, kids 5 and under eat for free (as 2 of our 3 kids fit the bill, it was a nice bonus).

The resort is a quick 15 minute drive to SeaWorld (Six Flags is even closer. A shuttle service runs to and from). We enjoyed lovely views of the city from the hotel. We upgraded to a "Casita." A larger space than the hotel rooms, perfect for families. They also give you your own golf cart to drive around the resort. For our kids, the cart was on their top 3 faves from the trip.

A few other kid friendly notes. Each night they roasted marshmallows for s'mores by the main pool. Afterwards, they showed a movie on the lawn each evening. Large towels available to spread out were a nice touch. We brought our own pillows and snacks. Nothing beats watching movies and snacking under the stars.

Overall, a really nice getaway for the entire family. We will definitely put Westin, La Cantera on our repeat list.

Nice hotel, we stayed in some rooms located down from the hotel. They gave us a golf cart to get around and we had a pool/hot tub right out the back door. The room 8072 has little "black widow looking" spiders in the floor corners of the bathroom. Also apparently they are installing new AC's in the rooms as some guy was pounding on my door at 700 am and then we got to listen to pounding from the next rooms all morning. Kind of ruined that part of the day.

The staff is okay but not as friendly as the Marriott staff from the JW. You can tell they don't like there jobs by the way they act. The kids activity center is the best part of the hotel. My kid had a blast there.

We ate dinner and breakfast in their restaurant. Wasn't anything special. I had a butternut squash soup and a salad for dinner. The soup was okay but I wouldn't order it again. The salad had some browning lettuce in it. Breakfast was good, the only problem I saw was there wasn't enough staff as we had to wait as our poor waitress ran around to multiple tables. Kind of funny, the guy in charge just stood there and watched while the waitress ran around, he didn't even try to help.

The best part about this place was the golf cart. Other than that, I'm thinking we will be heading back to the JW next time.

I've been hearing about the Westing at La Cantera for years it seems. My husband's family swears by this place and we had considered it for our wedding at one point. After all the talk, I was more than a little excited to stay the weekend for our early Thanksgiving celebrations.

I won't say that I was completely let down, but my initial reaction is to give it a 3 just because it didn't live up to the hype. However, to be fair, I really need to give it the full 4 stars it deserves.

The grounds are beautiful. The hotel is beautiful. The restaurants have delicious food. The service was pretty good. BUT (and in a hotel that charges so much per night, there really shouldn't be any big BUTs), I found that the parking lot being so far away from the main building to be incredibly inconvenient, the price for the hotel should've equated to service that was fantastic (especially since we're Starwood Preferred members), and they could've been a bit more helpful with our bags. For some reason housekeeping forgot to clean our two rooms and the knocked off $100 for the inconvenience which made me feel a bit better.

Regardless of some of the disappointments, I would definitely come back. It is conveniently located pretty much across the street from The Shops at La Cantera which is great. The restaurants offered a decent selection if you didn't want to leave the room. Wi-fi wasn't free, but $10 a day isn't outrageous. And it really is gorgeous. If you have a bit of money to blow on the weekend, this should definitely be something to consider.

The Westin La Cantera is a great resort. A short drive from Austin (1.5 hours door-to-door) makes it an ideal place for a family getaway. Once you get on to the property, the Westin could easily be mistaken for a great resort in Mexico or the Caribbean. There are pools, tennis courts, a nature trail, workout facility, bar and a few restaurants. Just minutes away are 2 great golf courses. It has something for everyone.

The best features of Westin La Cantera:
* The Staff is incredible. They really understand how to deliver great service. Beyond just being friendly, they all seem well trained on how to make a guest feel welcome. Little touches like, comping a couple of diet cokes we ordered while sitting at the pool, made a big difference. The Westin empowers their employees to make these decisions, which I appreciated as a client.
* The kids pool is great. Our 2 year old was in heaven.
* Kids eat free. We didn't even know, but the staff was always on top of it. This is an added bonus for anyone taking the whole family.
* The 1 mile nature trail was too steep to jog, but was a great change of pace for a workout.
* The (newer) Palmer golf course was a great course. Challenging with lots of blind shots, but the course was well manicured. In the Summer their twilight rate is only $49.

Lots of great things about the Westin La Cantera. Go check it out.

Paradise hidden in the middle of hill country Texas.

I've never quite been anywhere like this before. The service was phenomenal, everyone was so friendly, but not in a creepy way.

There are beautiful trails and gardens and hills and just everything you can possibly think of. I would have spent the whole time walking and taking in the view if I could.

Poolside - tons of fun - they have activities planned throughout the day like battle of the sexes beach volleyball, etc., and even a small little wading pool where little ones can splash and be obnoxious to their hearts' content. There are servers walking around taking your food order and a bar a few steps above with TVs tuned into sports/news. Drinks were all very good although I think spiking my coconut frappacino with Cap'n won out over their pina coladas.

The interior of the hotel is simply stunning. I love the old-style spanish rennaissance feel. This is seen from the architecture to the light fixtures, doors, windows, and beautiful portraits of women with dark eyes and red lips from the 1800s dressed in jewel colored ballgowns.

Such an excellent place to be. I would even go there just by myself.