Get Lost at Lost Pines
written by Dustin Wenzel
In the most uninteresting (and that’s a good thing) vacation we’ve had in the last few years, we wanted to brag about the Hyatt Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop … and give some tips if anyone is ever interested in checking it out.
Our tribe has taken this trip around Cooper & Kerri’s birthday each of the last 3 years. Only going there once before in March just for one night, we still didn’t have a great expectation on what to expect. So … here’s what to expect:
When to Stay
Sunday-Tuesday. During the summer. Nuff said. Weekend rates, like all of these resorts, go crazy high, so it’s definitely worth your dollar to find some time off work during the week. Our rates have varied in the three years, but we’ve never paid more than $179 a night. Big asterisk … that doesn’t include $35 of a resort fee per night + taxes/fees/horse food, scissors for the landscapers, etc. Few tips here:
If you’re looking at a suite, don’t book it online. Wait until you check in the day of, and ask for the rate that night. The two times we got a suite, it was $150 extra per night. … instead of the $500/night difference online.
Cheapest rooms will be the King beds. If you have a clan, just take air mattresses. Two twin ones fit well in the room. We have stayed in a suite, a room with two queen beds and a king bedroom and never had a bad room. Nor have we ever had bad service with the room cleaning service. They have been top notch.
Book the price early, then check the same stay each day until you arrive. When you see it cheaper, call Hyatt and request that they move your rate to the current rate. They will. I did this in 2018 and saved $150, and again this year to save $90 total on 3 rooms.
Where to Stay
Call a few days before and request a room near the pool area, or on the side of the restaurants. It’s a bit of a trek otherwise (nothing like Disney … and yes … I am being lazy when I say this).
What to Do
There’s a ton. Let’s start with where we spend a total of about 11 hours – the pool. The pool has a beach entry, so about ½ of the large pool is covered with some amount of sand. I’ve gotten used to it on my third time back. Felt like I was on sandpaper the first year. Every now and then you still step on a small stone, gravel or shell but it isn’t bad. IF you have sensitive toes then bring some water shoes. Kids can play in the sand (bring your own sand toys – you need a credit check to buy them there).
There’s a lazy river that takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes to round out – depending on whether you’re floating, drinking or chasing children – guess which one we did …
The lazy river meets the pool near a water slide that requires any rider to be 42” tall – for the record, that is exactly what Cooper was, so we avoided a potentially HUGE meltdown by getting to that mark. No floaties, no going in hands first, no stomach rides – so basically half of the rides Cooper took, he could’ve gotten lifeguard-arrested for. Since the autism was strong with that one this trip (he LOVES things that loop), he rode the slide a total of 50 times. I just wish I had 50 drinks in that time. It’s not long, too fast or too intimidating, so that helps.
Don’t let the lack of crowd fool you at the bookends of the day – we were the first ones at the pool at 8 a.m. for about an hour – so the lazy river is awesome by ourselves (although you may see landscapers and pool dudes) … and it’s open until 10 p.m., so you can take the lazy river again when it’s pretty dark and relaxing.
There is also volleyball set up inside the shallower end, an adult pool (next to the lazy river entrance) and plenty of seating. They also moved the giant checkers close to the pool bar and added foosball.
Moving past the pool, Kerri took a trip to the spa to feel fancy. Loved the foot massage I got her for her birthday. Note to adults: There’s a quiet adults-only pool & sauna there that probably nobody but spa-goers know. There’s also a fitness area, men's and women's relaxation rooms, hot tubs, saunas and steam rooms. Also note to adults: SpaDjango is Cha-Ching-Django. Unless you take advantage of the adults-only pool, sauna and relaxation rooms which are free to guests.
There are also animal encounters with some of the resort’s animals. There is always things going on, including a camp for kiddos, puzzles, games and more.
Other things that are expensive but cool things to do …
Horseback riding – We did this on our first winter trip and loved it. It was pricy, but make this the first thing on the list that would cost money (maybe beside the foot rub)
Archery / axe throwing
Fishing
Zip-lining across Bastrop State Park – sounds and looks cool, but pooping your pants does not (and that’s what I would do).
Golf – Looks expensive, b/c it is expensive … but looks like a great course. I just don’t wanna chase a ball for 6 hours when I could chase a beer for that long.
The “don’t miss” item for us, toward the end of the night, is the free s’mores and movie on the launch, equipped with Cooper’s favorite – popcorn. That movie doesn’t start until about 8:30ish, but if the kids had a nap, it’s great to hang out after a long day in the sun.
We like the s’mores time because we can play on the green. We toss a football around, play badminton or gaga ball.
Where to Eat
The food there is $$. Eat breakfast from the gift shop, McDade’s, to save some money. Their tacos are amazing and are $3 instead of $20 buffet at another restaurant.
Since we’re not buffet people, we opt to go instead to the Shellers Bar. Good wings, very good beer (doesn’t the word good and beer go hand in hand, though), and Kerri loved their healthy option of chicken and asparagus.
At the pool, try to avoid the hot dog stand, b/c of the bank it takes to stick a dog in your pie-hole. It’s $9 for a bag of chips and a hotdog. Yup. I agree. There’s also a food truck with pizza and BBQ just outside the pool that looked good, prob b/c it wasn’t a $9 hotdog. You can also opt to get something from your waitstaff at the pool if you want to feel fancy.
There are plenty of stores and restaurants outside the resort. We really like the brick oven pizza from Bastiano's Pizzeria. They do a ton of carry-out but we love to go eat at the small, welcoming restaurant. It’s family owned. The staff is wonderful and the food is amazing. https://www.bastianospizzeria.com
There’s also a burger place and a place next to the Golf Clubhouse to check out if you wanted to walk a block or so. Here’s a list of all the eating options there: https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/texas/hyatt-regency-lost-pines-resort-and-spa/auslp/dining
Just don’t plan on eating cheap … UNLESS …
You want to bring things to microwave, b/c there are microwaves hidden next to the ice machine on each floor. So … got kids that don’t eat anything but rocks, hot dogs, nuggets and mac and cheese? We have a plan for that! Bring the microwaveable mac, and save yo’self some dough.
All and all, LP is a great place to spend a few nights that only required a minimal 2-hour drive away from our hood.