The temperature outside today is almost 100 degrees, but we are asking you to think about fall and winter gifts for those you love. To that end, we are bringing you another article about a spa that we have visited and like very much so that you can begin to think about getting into shape yourself or giving the gift of fitness to someone else. Lake Austin Spa and Resort is very different from the Ranch which we reviewed a few months ago. Nestled next to Lake Austin, it is surrounded by the green hills of Southern Texas.
You arrive by plane into Austin, the capitol of Texas, and are taken to the Spa by waiting vans. As you turn off the main road, you make a note that you must be near a cattle ranch because you go over cattle rails in the road (the rails supposedly keep cattle from leaving the ranch). The first time our spa group went to Lake Austin, there was little development on this road. The last time the face of urbanization had shown itself, but not for long as we wended our way down towards the spa. The facility has recently been sold to new owners who have continued to update and add rooms. Their public relations person states that they've kept the best of the past and continue to improve the spa. Their mission is to "help guests retain a sense of balance in their lives."You arrive by plane into Austin, the capitol of Texas, and are taken to the Spa by waiting vans. As you turn off the main road, you make a note that you must be near a cattle ranch because you go over cattle rails in the road (the rails supposedly keep cattle from leaving the ranch). The first time our spa group went to Lake Austin, there was little development on this road. The last time the face of urbanization had shown itself, but not for long as we wended our way down towards the spa. The facility has recently been sold to new owners who have continued to update and add rooms. Their public relations person states that they've kept the best of the past and continue to improve the spa. Their mission is to "help guests retain a sense of balance in their lives."
Currently there are ten garden suites and thirty cottages which overlook Lake Austin. We stayed in the cottages which were spacious and quite lovely. All rooms have a TV with cable and telephones so that you will not go into lack of culture shock. Aside from the difference in terrain and presence of the modern eyes and ears of society, Lake Austin differs from the Ranch in that you do not have to come for a week from Saturday to Saturday. They offer day packages for locals and three, four, and seven day packages for the rest of us. Still another major difference is the preponderance of water sports available at Lake Austin. Learning to scull or kayak is an experience you won't soon forget.
When your scull crew is in sync you cut through the water like a knife, enjoying the scenery and the call of birds that you may have never heard before. The total silence of canoeing or any other solitary water sport is at once meditation, inviting, and exhilarating. Those memories remain with me as some of the most precious moments of that time in my life. If you like to swim, there is a lakefront pool and an indoor aerobics pool. Something new since our last visit, are the hydro-bikes. According to the spa these look like mountain bikes suspended between pontoons. Bikers pedal above the water powering an underwater propeller so the rider doesn't get wet.
My first boxing class was at Lake Austin, and although it was exhausting, I returned home able to spar a bit with my husband who boxed in college. There are, of course, aerobic classes, yoga, tai chi, and body treatments. But for my friends and me, it was the staff that made our stays rewarding. For example, our first visit to Lake Austin coincided with Halloween. At that time there was a commercial about an old lady who fell but couldn't get up, plastered on many TV stations. Halloween arrived and all of our instructors were costumed and then in came our favorite teacher in a wig and old dress with a commode attached to her so that she appeared to have fallen, and the commercial product around her neck. To tell the truth she and her husband had won a prize for their costumes in Austin, but she donned hers, had her husband arrive in his, and gave us a holiday to remember. We all wondered at their creativity, and more than that, the élan of the entire staff. This did not change when any of us returned either together as a group or singly with daughters for family time.
Food at Lake Austin is good. In fact, the Spa launched its second annual cooking series with Cooking Light and Eating Well magazines in June. Cooking classes were offered for those who wished to eat well and healthy. Chef Terry Conlon who wrote the spa's popular Lean Star Cuisine cookbook leads the morning and afternoon classes which include Thai, Southwestern, Cajun, and Mediterranean to name just a few of the cuisines presented. For your shopping convenience, we have placed his book in our book store under "other books." There are also Discovery Classes on such topics as organic garden tours, aromatherapy, managing stress, and making herbal oils and butters. If you are interested in conservation you will be glad to know that the spa was named to the Green Texas Star Program by the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission.
At the spa we wake up early, hike before breakfast, and then choose classes and lectures. What else is there to do in Austin? By the end of the week when we all miss our husbands and families, have exercised and eaten healthy for one too many meals, we all pile into a rental car and go into town. What do we do? We go to the best organic supermarket we can find and load up on packaged foods, oils, herb vinegars, etc. to cram into our suitcases and carry-on bags when we go home. Then we eat at a healthy restaurant and finally we drive to the Texas-sized outlet mall at San Marco to find bargains. This group of shopping outlets actually takes up two exits from the highway and in the time we allotted, we see only one small section, but the bargains were good so we have a good day. With our packages, we head back to the spa and pack for our flight back home the next day.
Being a diabetic need not cause you problems at a spa if you take precautions. Lake Austin has fresh fruit out in the dining room all day so that you are always close to carbs. Fruit is also placed in rooms and cottages. After dinner, popcorn is served so your night time snack is provided. Each morning before our hike, the staff would open the kitchen for me and toast some bread so I could accompany our group without worrying about low blood sugar. They also allowed me freezer space for my cooling rod so that my insulin remained cold in my room, switching off between two cooling rods. A nicer group of kitchen staff I've never met. You know I was in their way getting into the freezer and needing food at odd times, but they smiled and asked what else they could do.
Before I arrive, I always advise administrators of my special needs, and if someone slips up, I speak up. This makes me feel good about taking care of my glucose levels, and protects the staff from having to deal with paramedics. As with other trips, I always take lots of meds just in case. These are always carried with me on the plane and never checked in my luggage. My friends all know that I have diabetes and offer kind gestures like carrying an apple for me when we go any place. They all know the signs of hypoglycemia and have handed me one of those apples at one time or another. I do not go out on the lake without another person right beside me. My instructors know that I may become hypoglycemic and that I carry glucose tablets with me. They also know that sometimes I have difficulty knowing that I am sinking fast into that state. So far, I've never really scared one of these fine people, but a word to a person who can save some of my brain power is important and so I feel fine sharing my vulnerabilities. We all need sun screen, and being on the water makes this double important. Hats protect our faces and we usually wear athletic gloves to protect hands from blisters. We start off the week slowly, build up endurance, and end with that exhausting day of shopping. What could be better?
You can contact Lake Austin Spa and Resort at 1-800-847-5637 or at http://www.lakeaustin.com/. Make sure to ask about specials at different times of the year. You'll be glad you did. Now's the time to preplan fall and winter fitness vacations for you or as a gift. Think about taking your daughter or daughter-in-law for a few days, or get together with a friend and bring home a new way of thinking about health and how to maintain yours.
