Pack Light, Stay Soft: A Girls Weekend in the Austin Hill Country
Updated: 4 days ago
Planning a girls weekend in Austin? Skip the downtown scramble and book a few cottages at The Wayback, 15 minutes west of the city in the Hill Country, with a saltwater pool, a café and craft bar, and porches made for doing nothing together.
There's a kind of weekend that doesn't ask anything of you.
It's the one we got to live at The Wayback: four friends, eight cottages, a saltwater pool catching the late afternoon light, and absolutely nowhere to be. No itinerary. No group chat full of "should we...?" Just mornings that stretched as long as we let them, and a porch that didn't mind if we never left it.
We came for a girls' weekend. We left wishing we lived here.
The Hill Country Has a Way of Doing This to You
Just outside Austin, the city noise fades and something softer takes over: cedar and limestone, golden light through the live oaks, the kind of calm that lets you hear yourself think. The Wayback sits right in the middle of it, and the property does the rest. Mornings started with fresh coffee. Afternoons disappeared into the pool. Evenings were porch wine and somebody always reading with a book over their face, because no one was checking the time.
What We Wore (and Didn't Want to Take Off)
If you've seen our reel, you know about the nightgowns. We spent the whole weekend in soft white cotton pieces from Jacaranda Living. They are cotton, breathable in Texas heat, and somehow get even softer with every wash. The kind of thing that's built to last but feels brand new every time you put it on. We basically lived in them, cottage to porch to pool deck, and they were the easiest, most beautiful part of packing for this trip.
This Could Be Your Weekend Too
The Wayback was built for exactly this: eight board-and-batten cottages plus the Nook, a saltwater pool, a farm-to-table café, and enough calm to remember what doing nothing feels like. Whether it's four of you or eight, this is the kind of trip that becomes the thing your group talks about planning again before you've even left.
Plan Your Girls Weekend
Book cottages side by side. Each cottage sleeps 2 to 4 guests depending on the cottage. Cottages 5 through 8 have Hill Country views.
Sort breakfast. Cottage Breakfast Delivery ($26 plus tax and 20% gratuity) arrives 8:30 to 9 am, Wednesday through Friday. On weekends the café serves breakfast and brunch from 9 am.
Time the wine. Happy hour runs Wednesday through Saturday, 3–5 pm, with half-off bottles of wine and $3 off signature cocktails. On Thursdays bottles of wine are half price all day.
Reserve dinner early. Café reservations open 21 days ahead.
Check the calendar. Mahj on the Lawn, live jazz nights and seasonal workshops make an easy group plan. See events.
FAQ
How many people can stay at The Wayback?
There are 8 cottages plus the Nook, and each cottage sleeps 2 to 4 guests depending on the cottage. A full group can spread across several cottages.
Where is The Wayback?
9601 Bee Cave Rd, Austin, TX 78733, in Westlake Hills, about 15 minutes west of downtown Austin.
What are the café hours?
Wednesday to Friday 11 am–9 pm, Saturday 9 am–9 pm, Sunday 9 am–3 pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Can we give a stay as a gift for a birthday or bachelorette?
Yes. Gift cards cover stays, pool passes, and food and drink.
Looking for a bed and breakfast near Austin? Here is our guide to the Austin bed and breakfasts that are still open, with breakfast details and prices for each.
Stay at The Wayback
The Hill Country, and your girls, are waiting. The Wayback was named one of the best boutique hotels in Austin by Condé Nast Traveler, and it is 15 minutes from downtown. For more ideas, see our Hill Country getaway near Austin guide.
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