Review: JW Marriott Hill Country Resort and Spa

For Father’s Day weekend, my dad took Dex and I out for a real treat. He had decided before coming to Texas that he wanted to take a side trip down to San Antonio for a night. He booked a hotel, and D and I were ready for an adventure to see the Alamo and the Riverwalk. Unfortunately, Logan wasn’t going to be able to join because he has to work on Sundays, but we were going to forge on without him. Saturday morning we loaded up the car and the three of us started our journey down to San Antonio to the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort and Spa.

I will start by saying that my one complaint about this hotel is that its location is so new that no GPS can find it. The address that they gave us as a “nearby” location was actually about 40 minutes away from the hotel. It took talking to them three different times to get accurate directions. Luckily Dex was behaving beautifully on the way down, so we were able to get there in good spirits despite the “adventure” it took to get there.

When we got there, it was worth the extra time. The entryway was flanked with huge rocking chairs that Dex was happy to climb up in and rock in while Papa checked in and got our room. We got settled in our room with a nice view of the grass and flowering trees outside. After a minute we decided that the best idea would be to slather on some sunscreen and head out to check out the “water experience.” I am truly sorry that I don’t have pictures of this place, but I was too busy actually enjoying the experience and not wanting to worry about leaving my camera around.

Dex and I immediately jumped in the calmer of the two lazy rivers while Papa settled himself in from the drive with a drink. After a round of lazing, we decided to explore some more. This is when we found it. Declan’s new heaven. The best child pool area I have been to. The water ranged from up to ankle deep to two feet deep. (Where Dex could stand, but needed very close supervision). They had three toddler sized water slides, water pouring from above and water shooting from below. Declan was obsessed with the water slides. (The hotel had two other adult sized water slides that you used tubes on but I didn’t get a chance to check it out) Someone had to catch him at the bottom, but he was SO brave going down that it made my heart catch a little. He even became so comfortable in the water that he was dunking himself under and standing back up. My boy can hold his breath! It’s awesome.

We grabbed some food and ate poolside. There was a nap and then more exploring. One of the highlights of the evening was the fire pit to make S’Mores. In fact, just about every corner I turned had something for kids. Ice Cream making, Storytime, those big hamster type balls for them to run around in, airbrush tattoos… I was so impressed. And most of it was free! We had S’Mores, tried to get some real food into the little guy and then went to watch “How to Train A Dragon.”

The next day was much of the same. Dex slept in, and while Papa went to check out the Alamo (we didn’t make it) we had a great buffet breakfast. It was so good that Dex ate for almost an hour. Fresh made Belgian waffles, fresh fruit, pastries… it was all so good. More pool time came after that. It was really hard to leave.

I got good reviews from my Dad on the adult only pool. He said it had a great view and the sound from the kids was really blocked. I was so happy with the experience. The place itself was great, and the staff was really friendly and helpful. Everything was really efficient and well run. Except for the directions, it everything was so smooth. I would absolutely recommend this place to anyone. I don’t know if there were more kids than usual because it was Father’s Day weekend, but it had something for everyone.

So many thumbs up!

Check out the website for pictures!!