Park Lane Guest House — Hotel in Austin

Calling this a "bed and breakfast" simply doesn't do this place justice, because while it has both a bed and provides a breakfast, those facts are only the beginning here and staying here was the highlight of our vacation. Park Lane is more like a meditative retreat near the lively SoCo area of Austin that just so happens to offer a quiet bed and bountiful breakfast.

The Park Lane is located in a quiet and peaceful residential neighborhood. This small facility has a guest room in the main house in which the proprietor lives, and three other buildings - we toured all three. The carriage house was huge and was a full fledged apartment that you could easily house four people while the Vicky house was a bit smaller and had a bed on a loft. Given my fear of heights, I took a pass on that.

We stayed instead in the Carriage House which was a delightful studio apartment that opened up to the pool area. Inside was a full coffee bar with a drip, espresso and french press depending on your morning coffee preference and a small assortment of teas for those so inclined. The filtered water pitcher was a nice little touch.

This place was all about nice little touches: from the fountains around the facility to get you in a peaceful state too the ethically sourced toiletries. Even the toilet seat was heated. Who thinks of a heating toilet seat when setting up a guest house? Shakti does, that's who.

Shakti was everything you look for as a proprietor: welcoming, informative and extremely helpful She takes pride in the fact that she rehabilitated the facility and made it simply gorgeous. The style is antique and rustic creating a soft and inviting atmosphere.

Although the weather was warm here in January, the pool isn't heated and we couldn't enjoy a nice swim. Shakti told us some people like the brisk refreshing dip in the cold pool followed by the heated outdoor shower. While I love animals, I'm not a polar bear.

Those afraid of animals need to think twice before staying here. The adorable dogs greet you each morning and walking around you'll hear a wide variety of birds tweeting throughout the day. I love animals so that was a big highlight and I really enjoyed the chicken coop located in the garden. A sustainable ecosystem is one of the nice touches here.

Sitting out on the porch, listening to the pool and waterfalls, and eating a delicious vegetarian breakfast made me forget that I wasn't travelling to Austin to go too this retreat, but rather to see and experience all of South Congress, which is only walking distance away.

If I would have known how tranquil Park Lane was, I probably wouldn't have planned anything else for my visit. Consider staying at Park Lane, enjoy the bounty the universe has to offer you, as well as a place to sleep and eat an...

Every city seems to have a particular neighborhood that is more vegan-friendly than the rest of the city. So whenever I travel, I look for dog & veg-friendly hotels that are located in that section of the city. Park Lane Guesthouse ended up being just perfect! The bed & breakfast is vegan-friendly, fragrance free and loves dogs! And many of the restaurants I wanted to try on South Congress and First Street were within a few minutes walk. We decided to skip renting a car this trip and Park Lane's location was great for walking the SoCo District. The garden and pool are simply gorgeous. It is such a peaceful space to just sit and relax or paddle around the pool. I alternated between soaking in my claw foot tub & showering outside near the pool! I loved meeting the hens who would just wander around the garden. The resident dogs Olevia & Layla are small & sweet and by our final morning, came over to have breakfast with us. I loved seeing my little dog Violet wandering through the garden sniffing everything & enjoying her first trip to Austin. We chose the Carriage House because it was small and adorable. A one room cottage with a huge king size bed, a small kitchen stocked with organic, fair trade coffee with a fountain in front & a view of the pool from the back. Just thinking about it now brings my blood pressure down! Although I was working a bit for the blog & visiting family too, staying in this space made it impossible to feel stressed about much of anything. We will soon be moving to Europe but Park Lane Guesthouse is definitely the only place we will stay when we come back to...

It will be hard to say something the other exuberant reviewers haven't already stated, but in short our stay at Park Lane Guest House was nothing short of fantastic. Shakti & Co. have created, over the past 30 years, a sanctuary in the midst of urban chaos. Not only were the facilities (our cottage, the pool area, the gardens) delightful, we learned that Shakti - as a master restorative carpenter, buit the three cottages from reclaimed materials and they are spacious, quiet, and functional. Ours had a loft, our own coffee maker and fridge, and even an espresso maker! The pool was sparkling clean and open 24/7 for late nite dips, and the outdoor shower rivalled the indoor variety. But the clincher for us was 1) Shakti herself - a most pleasant and informative host but also respectful of our privacy and 2) her breakfasts! Yes, we asked when we get to purchase her cookbook, these meals were SOOO delicious. While we are not vegans ourselves, it made us appreciate how good ingredients tastefully combined make for an extraordinary gastro experience! The only thing lacking from our breakfasts were "seconds!" Thank you for making our much needed getaway a relaxing, peaceful and memorable time at Park Lane Guest House...convenient to the hubbub of Austin a mere two blocks away but miles from the...