Travaasa Austin

Michael and I were supposed to go to Napa this week for our first adults only vacation in five years, but unfortunately he had something come up for work and we had to cancel the trip. At first I thought we could just do a staycation in Dallas, but then I remembered reading about an adults only resort in an issue of Texas Monthly awhile back. Travaasa!

Travaasa is almost like a summer camp for adults. There are different activities scheduled throughout the day, most of them included with the price of your room, and you can pick and choose the ones you want to try. There is hatchet throwing, archery, a climbing wall & zipline, the prickly pear challenge course, horseback riding, chicken farming, summer seeding, geocaching, swing dancing, and the list goes on. 

We wanted to be able to take advantage of the beautiful infinity pool each day, and maybe fit a nap in, so we only did one activity a day. 

The first day we did the guided Heart Starter Hike. Boy did it get my heart started! A little too much for Michael's liking - he wants me to go see a doctor because I sometimes experience shortness of breath and tightness in my chest. I think it probably just means I'm really out of shape and need to get more active, but it's worth getting it checked out just for peace of mind. There are two trails on property. The blue trail has less elevation changes, and the orange trail has more up and down. I was okay on the blue trail, but once we started climbing back up on the orange trail I had to sit and rest so I could catch my breath. We took a hike the other two mornings as well, but stuck with the blue trail (1.3 miles) those days. 

We were both in need of a massage, so the first day we were there we both had Deep Sleep Aromatherapy Massages. It was 80 minutes of bliss that flew by way too quickly! 

Our activity on Day 2 was archery. I'd done it in 6th grade at camp, so I knew that I'd be a pro. Not exactly, but it was still fun! The instructor was great, but I really wish he'd started by taking pictures of us, because he kept telling us that we had to keep our bodies square with the target, but it wasn't until I saw this picture that I realized how much I was angling my body to the target. No wonder Michael hit the bullseye and I didn't! ;)

That night we went to The Domain to and had dinner at North Italia. The pasta is homemade and is delicious. I'd definitely recommend it.

Heading to Dinner

Travaasa has a farm and they try to use as many "home grown" ingredients in their restaurant as possible. We had dinner there one night and breakfast and dinner the other days we were there - everything was fresh and delicious! My favorite meal was dinner the first night. I had grilled shrimp with roasted tomatoes, kalamata olives, and zucchini noodles. I loved it so much that I went out and bought a spiralizer today! After trying many of the fruits and vegetables that are grown at the farm, we decided to go to a seeding class on our final day so we could actually see the farm. I want to start an herb garden, and my sister-in-law, Lisa, who is a dietician, suggested I try having Sophia and Carter help plant some fruits and veggies as well because studies show that kids who are involved in growing their own are more likely to want to try them. Carter is a little more daring than Sophia, but neither of them strays far from the standard pasta, chicken nuggets, bean burrito/quesadilla, or grilled cheese diet and I'd like that to change. Anyhow, back to the class. It was very interesting, but I can't say that it was helpful in terms of my being able to take what I learned back home and immediately start a garden. I did learn where to look to get information on what to plant and when, so that was helpful. I also ate some flowers (society garlic) and leaves (can't remember) so that was fun.

Travaasa offers an all-inclusive package that includes all food, but no alcoholic drinks, and $125/day per person towards spa experiences or activities that cost an extra fee. We chose to go with the Your Travaasa plan, which wasn't all-inclusive. Even though we did eat at the restaurant several times, and our massages were more than $125, we still saved money by choosing not to go all-inclusive. I'm hoping to go back in the next year or so and will try more activities then, but we will still probably do the same package. 

If you are looking for something a little different, and are up for trying new things, definitely check out Travaasa. They also have a resort in Maui. Someday....

XOXO,

Heidi