Rio Frio Lodging

Located in Houston, Texas

Address: 5181 Ranch to Market Rd 1050, Utopia, TX 78884, United States

Phone: +1 830-966-2320

Rating: 4.4

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Comments

Review 1 (2024-02-03 - Rating: 5)
Did a beautiful 3-mile hike through this gorgeous property. Nature Center is set up so nicely for kids of all ages. Quiet and unspoiled land that you can explore for hours.

Review 2 (2017-09-21 - Rating: 5)
Stayed in the treehouse with a group of our closest friends and we eneded up having a blast!! This is a great weekend getaway to unwind and enjoy the great outdoors!!!

Review 3 (2023-07-09 - Rating: 5)
We stayed at the Waters Edge cabin in Leaky and it was awesome. Amazing views, abundant wildlife, and a nice spot to swim right in the backyard. We will definitely book again.

Review 4 (2017-07-20 - Rating: 5)
We stayed in Country Cottage last weekend and had an awesome time. Yes, it is in the middle of nowhere, but that is what we wanted. You have dark, clear skies at night, no big city sounds like we are used to in Houston, plenty of wildlife and birds, etc. The house is older, but very clean and comes with all amenities such as cookware, bedding, etc. Plus, the price was about half of other properties located close to the rivers. Also, it is only five miles from Utopia, TX and my family loved eating at the Lost Maples Café. My wife and I are planning to go back and stay a week at Country Cottage in the Fall.

Review 5 (2015-02-05 - Rating: 5)
Fantastic, comfortable place to view the starsMy husband and I came out to Rio Frio Lodging (we stayed in the Star Suite) to get to a good dark sky. We were looking for a dream place that would be ideal for 3-day weekend hide-away from Houston. Star Suite is the upstairs part of a gorgeous house (Bluebird Hill) that is part of a 250-acre ranch six miles east of Garner state park. The hosts, LeAnn and Tony, have created a perfect place for hiking, biking, birding and star-gazing. The ranch is a bird-watching and wildlife reserve with other lodging, including several upscale cabins, a treehouse (sleeps 16) and the Main house (Bluebird) that sleeps 15. At the Star Suite, there was a wonderful hot tub (great for post-star gazing on cold nights), a big hammock between large oak trees, and a rock fountain that made for a wonderfully relaxing atmosphere. There was also WiFi and satellite TV for the less adventurous (and for rainy days--we didnt have any, but Im sure they happen!). It was heavenly.The star suite has its own entrance into a large living space with full kitchen, hard wood floor, separate bathroom with shower. The living space (except bathroom) is a large living area with a solid wall partitioning off the one bedroom, sleeps 5 if have children. The living space is surrounded on three sides by windows with view of the surrounding hills. The star suite would be very cozy (but completely doable) for 5 adults. There is a single bed and pull-out queen couch in the main area. All the furniture was high-quality, solid and very well maintained. If you have a larger party, would suggest the Bluebird Suite (downstairs), which is a beautiful home with Mexican tile floors, original paintings, and a great enclosed front porch with a spectacular view of the nearby hills.For star-gazers: There are nearby state parks, Garner State Park with a Bortle 4 rating and Lost Maples State Park with a Bortle 3 but we were concerned about car lights interfering with our photo shots. We set up our telescope (f/4 8 Newtonian astrograph with Losmany G11 mount) at the entrance to the bird reserve (quite near the house) and saw Bortle 3 skies on the two very clear nights of our four night stay. By staying at Rio Frio, we avoided the annoying (and quite damaging if taking pics) headlights from passing cars that are a real problem at Garner SP. Since the site for the scope was close to the house, we could also come into the house to warm up during long exposures (we were visiting in January). There was also a large shelving unit in the middle of the common room that we used for telescope lenses and other supplies (just put the knick-knacks back when you’re done). The windows have shades and the outside lights from the house can all be easily turned off.Overall a fantastic place to gaze at the stars within reach of Houston, Beaumont, and (of course) San Antonio. We definitely plan to come back for our next 3-day weekend!!

Review 6 (2017-09-21 - Rating: 5)
We enjoyed spending a weekend with friends and family at the treehouse over the river. This place was well kept and at an amazing location.

Review 7 (2016-07-13 - Rating: 4)
They do not provide long distance calling on the phone line provided, making it almost pointless for anyone coming from outside the area.Bring a calling card if you need to communicate with anyone outside the local area.