The Retreat at Balcones Springs

My sister had a beautiful fall wedding weekend here. It took a while to find a venue to host 100+ guests for the weekend but Balcones Springs was the PERFECT place. We stayed Thursday - Sunday and spend time at the lake, shooting range, fire pits, and so many other great spots around the property. I can't even begin to tell you how kind the staff is and how delicious the food was!!!! SO hard to find a venue with great food, staff and amenities. The whole family + all the guests are STILL raving about the weekend.

Friends and Family continue to exclaim about Leslie and Shawn’s wedding weekend which we had the pleasure of hosting at The Retreat at Balcones Springs. The staff successfully interpreted our initial imprecise ideas, crafted them into a logical and pleasing timeline of details and shaped it all into a showcase wedding weekend. The Retreat was able to keep the bride and mother of the bride from being overwhelmed by the myriad of decisions that had to be made! They took care of all of the details. Our “camping” weekend in October included a festive Texas Barbecue in The Rose Garden to welcome guests, a beautiful ceremony in The Amphitheater and a gorgeous Harvest Dinner in The Pavilion (maybe the best turkey dinner ever). Compliments about the delicious food, the darling cabins, outdoor wedding ceremony, evening bonfires and hiking the beautiful grounds were abundant. The Retreat at Balcones Springs, an inviting and relaxing venue, is a hidden treasure and truly a rare find in today’s market. Shout out to Christine Baskin, Jennifer, Austin, Caitlyn, Chef Mark and his crew. These are exceptional people who work very hard. It is apparent that they have passionate customer commitment. Be proud of what you achieve. You deserve both gratitude and admiration. YOU WOWED US!

We don't have the words to explain how absolutely perfect our wedding weekend at the Retreat was. We wanted a camp weekend feel and the Retreat gave us a wedding beyond our wildest dreams. Guests even commended that they wish they had had their wedding there! There was something for everyone to do, either relaxing at the beach or skeet shooting or playing tennis. There are so many hidden spots to sit in an Adirondack chair and enjoy the scenery. The cabins were so comfortable and luxurious that people said they got the best sleep they've had in years. But the real reason the weekend was so perfect was because of the absolutely incredibly hardworking staff. Our coordinators, Caitlyn and Jennifer, went ABOVE AND BEYOND to ensure that the whole weekend was seamless. From making creative chalkboard signs for guests to grab their gifts to bringing us hors d'oeuvres while we took photos during cocktail hour knowing that we would miss it but not wanting to tell us since we wanted to make it, they took SUCH great care of us and every single guest. They organized vans after the buses left knowing that some people would inevitably stay late and need rides back to the hotels. I don't think they sleep because they were always the first awake and last to go to sleep! They answered every single nitty gritty question in the months leading up to the weekend and we had weekly check-in calls. I'm a fairly type A person but I had total and complete faith in them to execute everything beautifully and perfectly and they did just that. By the end of the weekend, we felt we had made true friends and were so sad to leave. You can truly feel how much each staff person personally cares about every guest's experience and are always looking out on how they can help someone. Whether it was bringing special granola out to guests who came way after breakfast ended to bringing gluten-free options during the wedding reception to people who needed it, they accommodating every single request. Also, the food was absolutely amazing!!! The chef was SO accommodating and not only made every recipe we proposed but added extra details to make the food exceptional. They have so many options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and made sure that there was something for every palate. I could go on and on but you will not regret having your wedding at the Retreat. Christine and her entire operation have it down to a science and we wouldn't have changed a thing and know we will be back there for one of their own events because it is SUCH a special place!!!

This place is a beautiful backdrop for a wedding! So many great areas for great photo opportunities for dreamy photos! Everything from beginning to end was great! Caitlyn (event coordinator) is attentive and has it all down to a fine art - was a complete joy to work with and you can tell that she really cares about her brides! Their chef is amazing as well and is creative!

The best experience ever ! The food was amazing and our guests loved it . From The beer donkey to the fishing and swimming and paddle boarding , this place has all you want! Simply put its perfect

OUTSTANDING!! My daughter got married here on 3/15/14. I would give them 10 stars if I could. We had over 300 guests and it seemed that each one came over to me to tell me how great the food was, how much fun they were having, how cool the camp was, etc. Samantha, our wedding coordinator there was an absolute pleasure to work with. She specialized in saying "YES" to any & all of my requests. LOVE HER!!! She is knowledgeable, sweet, helpful and truly a treasure. The chef is first rate. Each meal was beautifully presented and delicious! This facility has 42 cabins that we occupied all weekend. The cabins are super cute and can be configured to sleep 1-6 people. I wish there were more cabins so that all of our guests could have stayed onsite with us. those that got to stay here felt very fortunate! The fun thing about having a wedding here is the opportunity to spend all weekend with your guests and have FUN! People loved the skeet shooting, zip lining, fishing, canoeing- and just getting to know each other. The cabins were super cute and very comfortable. We rented a couple golf carts to make it easy for some of our older guests to get around and particate in all the activities. We feel so fortunate to have found the Retreat at Balcones Springs. It truly was a weekend that exceeded all our expectations.

The retreat at balcones springs was the perfect place to have our wedding. The staff was great but we loved being able to hangout with our guest all weekend not just for one night. It was great that our guests got to stay at the venue in their nice cabins. It will be a night that we will remember forever!

During the summer, The Retreat is Camp Balcones Springs, where I attending summer camp as a child for five years. It was my lifelong dream to one day get married there, and I am so thankful to all the people in my life who helped make that dream come true. Right off the bat, having your wedding at The Retreat is amazing because your guests and family can stay in the cabins. So on the day of our wedding, my guests were shooting skeet, ziplining across the lake, and taking hikes in the hill country. It meant so much to me to be able to share why I loved Camp Balcones Springs with all the important people in my life. Also... The cabins! These cabins are not what most people would think of when they think of summer camp. They are gorgeous, air conditioned rooms that are decorated with awesome Hill Country flair. Camp Balcones Springs is kind of like the Plaza Hotel of summer camps. With that said, there is also nothing more reassuring than knowing that your guests do not have to drive anywhere after a fun wedding where drinks have been served. The Retreat is a large camp with many buildings and options to have your rehearsal dinner, ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. So whatever your dream may be, The Retreat will have a room or outdoor space to meet your needs. Most importantly, I cannot be complimentary enough about the service we received at The Retreat. The wedding coordinator went so above and beyond for us and I will forever be grateful for how much she cared about executing my vision and making it the best night of my life. Also, the owner was there every step of the way and they both truly treated us like family. At the reception, they completely took charge and coordinated all the vendors, brought us our food and drinks, and made sure my husband and I were taken care of every second. Everyone working that weekend knew me by name and knew exactly what was supposed to be happening at all times. The staff at The Retreat is made of an entire team of loving and kind people and it will be a part of my wedding memory that I will never forget. The biggest pay-off for me was how much everyone seemed to love our wedding. I heard several people say that I "stole their dream wedding." I can't think of a better compliment. And more importantly, my parents were so incredibly pleased. Planning the wedding was stressful, and to know that in the end they felt as parents that all the stress and money was completely worth it really made me happy. Thinking about having your wedding here? Do yourself a favor and DO IT! And call soon so you get the best date :)

We selected The Retreat at Balcones Springs for our Texas Hill Country destination wedding, and we couldn't be happier with our decision! On location are 41 cabins that our family and wedding party stayed in and there are close hotels for any guests overflow. We got married April 2 and the wild flowers were blooming and the grounds were beautiful. The staff was amazing!!! Every person working there was happy, helpful and dedicated to making our wedding weekend perfect...everyone from our wedding coordinator, to the grounds keepers, to the servers, the chef and even the owner. I never heard the word "no" to any idea or suggestion we had and every detail we asked for was met. The food was amazing and the location was so fun for a full weekend of activities...including zip lining and a bonfire. It was wondeful to have everything all in once place and best of all, we were the only group on weekend so every guest felt special! On property are several locations for your ceremony and reception, they can accomodate big and small weddings. Our wedding was around 260 and it still felt intimate and personal. The weekend rental fees and food and beverage costs are very reasonable. I'm so thankful that we found this little gem in the Hill Country.