This is NOT a sponsored post. Regardless if it was or wasn’t, opinions are my own and truthful, as always.
What do you do when you’re invited by Garth Brooks to attend his show in Gruene, Texas? You squeal, of course, but you also scramble to find a hotel as close to the event as possible. It’s no surprise that all the hotels were booking up fast so I was tickled when the Gruene River Hotel and Retreat showed one room available! Granted, it had a price tag of $265, which is way steeper than we would normally pay, but I’m pretty sure “Garth Brooks’ totally justifies the cost. Read on to find out what I really thought of the hotel & retreat…… (scroll all the way down for a quick video and walk-thru of the room)
So this is my second time to visit Gruene. I know some of y’all will freak out over this but I had never heard of Gruene before and, yes, I’ve lived in Texas my whole life. My girlfriends had invited me on a weekend river getaway and took me to Gruene one evening to see what all the fuss was about it. I fell in love with it immediately! When I found out that Gruene Hall was where Garth was performing, I was excited to go back and for my husband to see the area.
As I mentioned before, we wanted to find a hotel where we could walk to Gruene Hall and most everything was booked, except one room at the Gruene River Hotel & Retreat, called The Retreat. $265 is a lot for us to normally pay for a room but when it comes down to it, it’s really not that much for people who want to stay in this “touristy” area. It’s a very popular place to spend on the river, shop, devour delicious food, and dance the night away. And when you’ve learned that people like Miranda Lambert have stayed there with family, then it’s definitely what I’d consider a reasonable rate for such an established hotel.
When you arrive, you’re immediately greeted and offered beverages and snacks. It’s like a really nice, large living room area! You don’t have far to walk to get to your room, regardless of which room you have. I LOVED that I didn’t have to mess with keeping with a key! You’re giving a code to get in and out of your room and to the rest of the hotel after hours.
The room, itself, was just lovely and very spacious. We really appreciated the rustic but classy decor. It all felt very cozy as if we were home. The Guadalupe River was our “backyard” and if you’re not into lounging in the river, you can lounge out back at the many tables provided.
While we didn’t spend a ton of time at the hotel, it didn’t take much time to experience such a cozy, personable retreat with wonderful views, easy access to all the happenings in Gruene, and a peaceful stay. Part of the reason it was so peaceful? Well, if you read the title, then you know that no kids are allowed. Basically, it’s a 21 and older hotel & resort, which I found to be refreshing. I like the idea of offering adults a place of relaxation without kiddos running around even though that would exclude my 13-year-old from getting to stay there. I guess that would be the only downside. My two oldest (26 and 23) could stay but my youngest couldn’t. But you know what? That just means we stay elsewhere for that particular visit. No biggie. That’s the beauty of having multiple hotel options. ;)
One of the best parts of the stay was breakfast. Oh.my.cow. The breakfast was fantastic and it’s homemade. This woman gets up extra early so that you can have a delicious, “home-cooked” breakfast to get your day started. It was all good but the cinnamon rolls were amazing. In fact, they reminded me of the ones my mom & dad would make. It sparked up a memory for me as soon as I smelled them baking. Absolutely heavenly. Going to all that effort is greatly appreciated and rare! That alone gives the Gruene River Hotel & Retreat 5 stars!
Check out the short video for more photos and a walkthru of the room!
Overall, it’s a place that I’d highly recommend to anyone and everyone. We absolutely loved it and plan on making it our place to stay on future visits!
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