Growing up, I was told I needed to learn to be flexible. Regardless of my inclination to plan everything out to the tee, I learned that in my plan, I should leave room for unexpected events, since their occurance is just about as predictable as the to-do list on my desk. This past weekend, I experienced a disrupted plan while on vacation. And in fact, being flexible was key to a very happy ending.

It was supposed to be girls’ weekend at Lake Travis. Even though we heard the water was low after such a hot summer and we didn’t have a boat, we just wanted some sunny relaxation in a remote area where we could catch up with 8 of our friends. After the short 1 hour drive to our temporary rental home away from home, we all arrived without any major complications (not typical for us). As we were preparing dinner Friday night, two of us noticed the water wasn’t working. We tried again. No luck. So, we called the home owner, who came out to check on a few things. We learned that the house ran on well water, and the well had gone dry. There was nothing we could do, besides spend the night water-less (not what we imagined for a girls’ weekend vacation), and decide on a new plan for the final night on our getaway.

Since we would be getting a refund for the inconvenience, we started to brainstorm. How could we turn our dry spell into a grandiose time? At the very moment we realized we were in a pickle, a light went off in my brain, and I remembered the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa about 25 minutes east of Austin, in Bastrop. After a quick phone call where we received a very reasonable rate for two rooms split by 8 people, we were off to the resort races.

We arrived, literally looking like we had packed for camp with the coolers full of food and beverages (basically I’m a traveling sangria shop), since we had planned out every meal for our lake house trip. All in all, we ended up spending less than we had budgeted for two nights at the lake, since we were refunded for our water-less night, only paid for one night at the resort, and brought food with us. Talk about some happy (Hyatt) campers!

Moral of the story? I strongly Rebeccammend the 405-acre Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa, whether for a family trip, a summer weekend away, or possibly even a bachelorette/bachelor party combined. Positives include:

• Excellent service, and out-of-your-way friendly and helpful staff (When asked for a wine opener to be sent up, we were asked if we’d like a beer opener and wine glasses as well!)
• Lazy river (known as the Crooked River)
• Clean accommodations
• Last minute accommodations with quick check-in, check-0ut…we wanted to maximize our one day of vacation!
• Several brunch restaurants to choose from
• Only 30 minutes from Austin
• Rugged western Texas-inspired decor mixed with the relaxed resort feel provides for a unique and unforgettable retreat 
• Did I mention the lazy river?

Other amenities include:

• Gorgeous green golfcourse
• Childrens’ activities almost every hour on the hour, including movies and bikes to ride around the grounds
• Outside firepit with s’mores event
• Several restaurants and poolside grill
• Adult pool and children’s pool, complete with towels provided
• Full spa

Rebeccammended day trip retreat from Austin: Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa located at its self-named address: 575 Hyatt Lost Pines Road, Lost Pines, Texas.