Hill country lodging (1 Viewer)

[Birdbox]

It seems that the place to stay when doing the Hill country is Neal's Lodges.
Everyone namechecks the place to the extent that you'd be forgiven for thinking it's the only place for miles around.

A little surfing though has revealed a multitude of camps along the Frio river.
Does anyone have any experience of any of these?

Not many are geared to couples but the following all could at a decent price;

Buchanans
Bent river retreat
River rim resort
Frio river cabins
Frio springs

Is it simply that the birding is good and immediate at Neal's or that the on site facilities are unequalled in the area?

 

[Lisa W]

I stayed closer to Fredericksburg when I went. I think one of the attractions to Neal's (in spring) is the possibility of seeing a Golden-cheeked Warbler, as I understand they have bred close to the trails there in recent years.

 

[lulubelle]

The newer cabins at Neal's are nice, while the older ones are more rustic. Nice to be able to wake up, walk out & start birding. The cafe on site is very decent. Haven't heard anything about the other places you have mentioned. Concan is a TINY town!! Uvalde is bigger, not great. Neal's does have country store that carries all kinds of necessities as well.

There is a man by the name of Bob Rasa whose email I will post for you. He is very familiar with the area & can probably give you some advice on accomodations, as well as heavy duty birding advice for birding that area.

 

[ehrodz]

Buchanans and Neals share common ancestry and grounds and I found them both to be helpful and friendly people but they don't cooperate business wise. And since Buchanans doesn't have any of the support services that Lulubelle mentioned at Neals sometimes the customer is caught in the middle. For example if you are not staying at Neals you can't bird their grounds unless you pay extra. Buchanons operates by cell phone and e mail(no office), but only AT&T Phone Co. operates in the area so if you subscribe to a different phone service they are hard to reach.

By the way, during Spring and Fall migration Bob Rasa, whom Lulubelle mentioned, offers basically free birding tours of the area and he opperates out of Neals although you can join him even if you don't stay there. Also, I think that during Spring migration both facilities offer reduced rates. During the Fall the area is very crowded so make reservations early.

 

[lulubelle]

Knew I needed to add something to one of these posts!! Here is Bob Rasa's email:

[email protected]

Very nice guy, excellent birder & knowledgeable about that area.