Austin Bear Creek Resort
A Ranch-style Bed and Breakfast with a Texas-sized Bed big enough for Four

By Madelyn Miller

I am a city girl. I like my creature comforts such as thick towels, chocolates, and fluffy pillows. So when I agreed to stay at an Austin retreat in the middle of nowhere (anywhere more than ten minutes from downtown is nowhere to me) I expected to be roughing it.

Instead, it was the some of the most luxurious nights of my whole life.

Not only did I enjoy a huge house, beautifully decorated with a Texas theme, but there were all kinds of extra amenities usually only found in five star hotels.

I felt like some rich relative I had never met had died and left me his own personal getaway place for four glorious days.

You don’t need a rich relative to stay at Bear Creek Retreat. In fact, it is large enough that if you shared it with friends, it would cost no more than an ordinary hotel room. But you would have an extraordinary experience.

I drove down from Dallas, and asked my screenwriter friend Greg to join me. We walked in and he was blown away but the luxury. "How in the world did you arrange this," he asked. The truth is, I heard about owner Caroline Foley’s new place from an old friend, Kathy Truesdell. Kathy was definitely elevated on the smart friends list for finding this place.

Here is what she told me about it that convinced me to try it. "I think you would like a new retreat/B&B called Bear Creek Retreat. It's three-bedroom house on 170 acres with wonderful facilities and the biggest bed I have ever seen. Caroline Foley, the owner, had it custom made. It's the size of two queenbeds but it's one long mattress with big pillows and custom sheets and comforter. Truly a family bed (or whatever...). Caroline's number is 512-940-9444 , www.bearCreekRetreat.net.

It's wonderfully relaxing. Caroline is a great cook, there is a pool, she has a massage room that she can book with local massage therapists and there is a Large Flat Screen plasma Television in the common room for things like Sports (guys) or Event Parties."

Greg and I enjoyed the hot tub the first night, admiring the stars and congratulating ourselves for being lucky enough to stay at such a cool place. We wrapped ourselves in the thick terry robes thoughtfully provided and monogrammed with Bear Creek Resort. Then we went inside and he nibbled on multi-colored French licorice (in the crystal bowls scattered around graciously) while I enjoyed chocolates as we watched UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN on the plasma TV. We hated to go to bed. But since I had dibs on the big bed, I made an earlier exit to snuggle in.

Greg woke up early and was sitting outside listening to the birds when Caroline brought over warm baked carrot muffins right out of the oven. Greg decided not to wake me up, so they had cooled before I got to them, but were still wonderful when washed down with the tangerine citrus juice I found in the fridge.

RAIDING THE REFRIGERATOR

Some people analyze medicine chests. But I think you can tell a lot about a place by what is in the refrigerator. And Bear Creek Resort passed this test with top marks. It didn’t just have juice and water and Coke. It had imported beer, good wines, bottles of IBC root beer and calorie-free fruit flavored sodas. For carbohydrate counters, there was Doc’s Hard Lemon, a citrusy alcoholic drink I became addicted to while staying there.

The freezer held individual size (well, 16 oz. is a Texas-size individual serving) tubs of Haagen Dasz coffee and vanilla. And thick homemade fudge with heating instructions was standing nearby for a perfect topping.

There weren’t just chocolate kisses around in bowls. There was Ghiradelli Chocolates in four different flavors in a red silk box. And refills stocked in the kitchen cabinet.

This was junque food with flair and style.

TEXAS STYLE

There are fresh flowers everywhere, probably a reflection on the fact that Caroline’s other career is as a landscape architect. She knows how to do things with style, including monogrammed hand towels, cozy shawls draped over couches, Texas-star tiebacks for the curtains.

You could call Caroline as Texas-style Martha Steward. But then I have no reason to think Caroline has ever done anything illegal. I only wish Caroline could come to my loft and raise her magic wand or green thumb and make my place as cozy and comfortable at Bear Creek Retreat.

BEDTIME STORY

The interesting thing about this fabulous place is it is equally good for families or an orgy, depending on what four people you want to share the bed with.

Kids will also love the playroom under the stairs, and they are encouraged to write on the walls and leave their hand or foot print. Who doesn’t love a secret hiding place. The kids can hide in the playroom. And a celebrity or rock star could easily make Bear Creek Retreat their personal hiding place, using the two upstairs bedrooms for their entourage. I can think of a zillion other good reasons to stay there—perhaps for a honeymoon or anniversary celebration or family reunion. I am counting the reasons why I want to go back as a I write this.

I did not yet tell you about the pond, because I never got that far. But the friends I invited down, raved about it. And plans call for individual TeePee tents to be built soon. Imagine a birthday party, or a Cub Scout retreat, or an Indian Princess meeting. Or even a corporate getaway. The possibilities are endless as is the view of the surrounding property.

WHERE IS THIS PLACE?

When I emailed Caroline for directions and asked where to get the key, she replied, "The doors to the home are unlocked. We do not lock doors around here. In fact, we're not even sure we could locate a key. The home does have dead bolts on all the doors if you choose to use them while you are inside."

Because one of the wonderful things about this place is how remotely rustic it seems while only being 10 minutes from I-35, I will let Caroline give you directions when you book.

You probably won’t ever want to leave the property. But if you do, here are some things I like to do in Austin

FOR MORE INFORMATION

512-940-9444

www.bearCreekRetreat.net


GREAT GUIDEBOOKS

Wildly Austin: Austin's Landmark Art
By Vikki Loving
www.wildlyaustin.com

Here are a few of the stories you'll find in Wildly Austin: Austin's Landmark Art:
*King-Kong attacks Dreyfus Antiques' Eiffel Tower
*Restaurant County Line on the Hill's two-headed longhorn runs amuck
*The oldest bug in Austin: the Terminix Bug
* The Longhorn on 15th Street

FAVORITE AUSTIN RESTAURANTS

• Ranch 616
  
• Roaring Fork
  
• Moonshine on River
  
• Monica’s 701, 701 Main Street, Georgetown. Only 20 minutes North of Austin and worth the drive. Be sure to get the Monica Salad and the white chocolate bread pudding

  

Dallas-based Madelyn Miller is the editor of Travellady.com, an online magazine devoted to travel worldwide.