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Inn Above Onion Creek
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3 reviews for Inn Above Onion Creek
"Affordable luxury" is used quite a bit on the website to describe the experience at Inn Above Onion Creek. When you take a look at the room rates, you'll quickly realize that it commands some luxury prices. The "affordable" spin in my mind is that they provide a hot breakfast AND a 3 course dinner. If you do the math in your head for the cost per meal per person and nightly room rate, the rates are a bit more reasonable, but your wallet will still feel considerably lighter by the end of the stay.
The grounds are quite handsome. The winding 1 mile road into the property is a nice way to shed yourself from the busy lifestyle you just escaped from. We stayed in the Nance Suite, which is a cozy, yet spacious top floor room with tons of windows. The decorations are whimsical and Texas chic. Don't expect leather seats and stuffed animal heads in this room. The whirlpool bath has a commanding view of the hill country and the king size bed is incredibly comfortable.
If you wanted to stay cocooned in your suite and never leave the grounds it's certainly possible here. Breakfast and dinner is served out of the kitchen. Meals on the most part were a very average 3 star in my opinion. I have to agree with Georgette that for all of its fanfare I was expecting a bit more whiz bang out of our meals. Had the meals been higher caliber I certainly would have felt that the high prices for a stay at the inn were more justified. Still, there were some highlights. I was addicted to their peach ice tea and Reese's peanut butter cookies. After a cool, refreshing dip in their swimming pool with a fantastic view of the hill country, the iced tea hit the spot.
No doubt everyone was friendly and accommodating. Booking a massage at the on-site spa was a challenge, but I guess it was partially our fault for waiting until our stay to book a reservation. I could certainly be convinced to come back and stay here, especially in the colder months when you could enjoy a hearty Merlot in front of a fire. But, I would still want to see some upgraded food coming out of the kitchen to feel ok paying the higher than normal B&B rates.
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This is a nice place just far enough outside of Austin to feel like you're "away" and still not be driving all day long. We stayed the night in the Porter Room to celebrate our first anniversary. The grounds are very pretty, with a cutting flower garden that provides fresh bouquets in the room as well as the dining areas. We strolled out to the overlook (no water in the creek but still very pretty) and enjoyed the nice weather. The inn is set up nicely with a kitchen you're free to roam in-- grab a soda or juice out of the fridge, pinch a cookie out of the jar. There's also a library with a (small) selection of books and a (larger) selection of DVDs and CDs to use in the rooms. The towels are huge, thick, fluffy and wonderful. The monster bathtub was big enough for a small family. I only tried the shower (wished it had one of those rain showerheads instead of the dinky one that only pointed straight down though.)
I was really hoping for more in the food category, unfortunately. Dinner was duck confit with dried cherry salsa, mushroom risotto, braised greens and a caesar salad; dessert was pound cake with peaches and whipped cream. The caesar dressing was off-- watery and too tart-- and the portion was small. The duck confit was heavenly, but the risotto a tad undercooked and I could have done with more greens and risotto. Tough to mess up a pound cake, which was pleasant if uninspired.
Breakfast was really disappointing. The fruit (sliced pineapple, cantaloupe and honeydew) was fine, but the freshly-squeezed OJ totally disappointed because the carafes contained ice, which substantially watered down the drinks as it melted. There was a coffeecake with cranberries or some sort of fruit which I didn't try. The hot portion of the meal was scrambled eggs (dry) and biscuits (dry, mealy, crumbly, bland) with sausage gravy. I'm a Yankee, raised in Chicago, and this sausage gravy looked like the stuff I would make. Watery, white, thin, with sausage PENNIES quartered in the mix. That's right-- not crumbled breakfast sausage, but something like hotdog slices cut in quarters.
IMHO if you have a bed and breakfast, the breakfast should offer several CHOICES to accommodate a variety of guests. How about a slow cooker full of oatmeal or grits? some cold cereals and a pitcher of milk? some bacon or sausage on the side? How hard would it be to have a selection of bagels, bread, and a toaster? These are a few low-maintenance, low-demand-on-staff options I would have liked.
I don't mean to be a downer, but for $250 for two people (one Sunday night stay) I think the food should be better. And the light fixture over the shower shouldn't be chock full of dead bugs.
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Ultimate Hill Country bed and breakfast (and dinner), just a 30 minute drive from Austin. The property is well appointed and no detail is overlooked. The owners and staff really make you feel at home. You can help yourself to the kitchen if you need anything at all.
The rooms are also very well done- just wait until you see the bathrooms! Breakfast and Dinner are included in the price of the room. Both meals were excellent. Hot breakfasts included french toast and eggs benedict.
If you are going in the summertime, the pool is where you'll want to be if you are staying on the property during the day.
Other bonuses: Delicious cookies and drinks are left out 24/7 in case you get the munchies or the thirsties. At dusk, you can watch the bats zooming around over head.
Oh, and Emeril Lagasse stayed here recently too!
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