Sun Outdoors Lake Travis — Hotel in Lakeway

We had reservations for four nights. I was surprised at the price ($71 per night), and was told that the deposit was to be half of the total for our stay. Due to an illness of a family member, I asked about a cancellations, but I did not understand the reply. The reservation person then made the reservation and I got an email but was surprised that I had been billed for over 55% of the total cost. Then it became clear that our family member only had a few days to live. I called the reservation line back to understand about a potential cancellation and was told that the reservation was made within a 45 day “window” of the stay date, that the policy was that the deposit was non-refundable. This meant that if we cancelled, we would be out for more than half of the total charges for our intended stay, and of course they could then re-rent the site. Since we had been over-billed for the deposit, this raised a red flag about their billing and cancellation policies and procedures.

I asked the reservation person about the over-billing and was told that “the computer must have made a mistake.” I asked to talk with the manager and was told that the manager was on vacation. I asked to speak with the owner and was told it was a corporation (Sun RV Resorts) and that there was no one to talk with there.

Computers don’t make mistakes; their results are established by people and software. While this is a minor “mistake”, it may be symptomatic of a corporation chasing profits at the expense of integrity. When I tried to talk with a manager at the corporation, it went to voice-mail. When we arrived at La Hacienda (yes, we came), I spoke with the manager there – who told me that they have a local compassion policy that when such things occur you get your money back. That was not my understanding when talking with the corporate office, who said (paraphrasing) “we keep your deposit; that’s corporate policy.”

I was surprised when told that trash was only picked up on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Then, when we walked our dogs we discovered that their wonderful dog walk area where we used to throw a ball for the dogs at the office end of the resort had been chained off. I spoke with the La Hacienda manager, she said that the dog park was really a septic field, and for safety reasons it had been closed off to guests. When I googled their web site, the site advertised a 1-acre fenced-in dog park. When I talked with the manager about the web site misinformation, she said that there were old web sites out there; she referred me to a new web site, which had no mention of dogs or dog parks that I could find.

My assessment is that La Hacienda has changed, which was confirmed in discussions with three “permanent” residents, who said when the corporation had taken over La Hacienda they immediately raised prices 30% and reduced upkeep, examples being a number of showers that were not working properly and a leaky septic field. The corporation is going to convert monthly pull-through sites used by the permanent residents to transient-only sites during the summer, confirmed by an email to us, which also announced another price increase for 2020.

In my opinion, the price for a site is excessive, given the issues mentioned above. However, the staff was very friendly, the permanent residents keep their sites neat and clean, the RV “pads” and roads are in good shape, and the overall ambience is cheerful until you ask about corporate policies. Certainly, the corporation can employ any rules and regulations they choose, and can charge any price they want for RV and Vacation Rentals. Should corporate policies affect a decision to stay here? Perhaps, but that is an individual’s preference. It is possible that the more influence the corporate owners have over the local situation, the less likely it will be that those of us who remember how this destination used to be run will choose La Hacienda RV Resort as our...

#WhereAreLoveyAndMillieHowlNow ||We are on a year long trip throughout the continental United States in an RV and thought it might be helpful if we added reviews of places we’ve gone or stayed from a dogs perspective. So here we go||The humans booked us right outside of Austin, Tx at the Sun Outdoors Lake Travis RV park and we have to say we give this place 🐾🐾🐾🐾’s. ||🐶 from a dog perspective one of the things we loved the most were the 3 dog parks! So space for all kinds of dogs regardless of personalities. Each dog park has a few big trees for shade, picnic bench for the humans to sit & 💩 bags and trash close by. While there are no jungle gyms for us to play on, we are ok with that as that gives us more room to run off the crazies. Also no water bowls @ 2 of the parks, but the largest did have a water bowl along with a doggie wash station! ||The park had nice wide roads throughout so the humans can walk us and if there are any other dogs, each can pick a side of the road if needed! Also a nice off road walking path if you want more spec / adventure. ||RV site - nice and enough room between RVs so you don’t feel on top of your neighbor. Usually a tree or two per site, picnic table, and grass at site. Humans were happy, 50amp service, great water pressure, and sewer available at each site AND daily trash pick up and while the site was gravel, it was level and no standing water so they were happy. Site was also long enough for a 42’ 5th wheel and long bed truck! ||RV park - nice wide roads, no low overhanging branche. Pool ( with a airstream cafe), clubhouse, workout facilities, playground for kids and mini golf all a plus. also had tiny cabins that could be rented if needed. Looks like laundry facilities onsite, although we didn’t use. ||Took about 20-40 mins to get to downtown Austin depending on traffic. ||We would definitely stay here again, everyone was nice and the park was kept in great condition. One paw knocked off for no fire pits at site....

We’re currently staying here with our three- and one-year-old and have really enjoyed our time so far. The resort is beautiful, peaceful, and well-maintained. The staff and the community have been so kind, and the playground near our site has been perfect for our little ones. We chose a site to be close to the pool and park, which has been really convenient.

Something to note for other families with young kids: during our stay, the resort began more strictly enforcing a rule that children aren’t allowed in the warm pool. We completely understand that this is based on safety considerations, but it’s helpful to know in advance—especially if pool time is a big part of your plans.

The only pool option for children is the cold pool, which the staff have mentioned is heated and kept at a comfortable temperature. However, in our experience—and from chatting with all the other guests we’ve met—it still feels too cold for young children and even the adults to enjoy. Since the rule change, the pool area has been noticeably quiet. We’ve had to find other ways to entertain our littles.

We respect the resort’s perspective, but just want to share what it’s actually been like during our stay, in case it helps other families with little ones plan ahead.

This is still a wonderful resort, and we would absolutely recommend it to couples, solo travelers, or families with older children. For families with toddlers hoping to swim, this may be a better fit during the summer months when the cold pool might feel more inviting. Our hope is that the resort might consider turning up the temperature in the cold pool to accommodate for the seasons, so that all guests—especially families or those with grandchildren —can fully enjoy the beautiful amenities they’ve worked so hard to create.

We’ve had a great stay, and just wanted to share our experience to help those with children plan...