Family vacations… the stuff that dreams are made of, right? Except the reality of taking a break en masse with relatives, with their varying interests, needs and schedules, will often leave everyone feeling like they need another vacation, not like they’ve just had a good time filled with rest and relaxation.
Grandma wants to eat breakfast at 7am every morning, but little ones would love to chill in the room watching cartoons, eating Cheerios in the hotel bed, while their mum would love to take an alfresco yoga class, but then who’d entertain her dad (who can’t sit by a pool and do nothing without grumbling) or her partner, who wants to play golf and dump the kids on her.
And don’t even start thinking about dinner plans! Do the grandparents even eat sushi? Will the kids become tantrum-throwing monsters if they stay up for a lobster dinner at the fancy restaurant your in-laws have booked?
I had similar nerves recently when I booked a trip to La Cantera, a resort outside of San Antonio in glorious Hill Country, for my Septuagenarian parents and pre-teen children. I was prepared to be the buffer between all things kid-like and all things acceptable to well-traveled 73-year-olds, but didn’t know how much of a break it would really be for me. I needn’t have worried. If you’re looking for holiday vibes to suit every generation, there is enough here to not only give everyone the entertainment they desire, but the space too!
The most wonderful thing about the resort is the vast area it covers – and with it the different locations for pools, bars, gardens and sunbathing spots, depending on your fancy. While my ten- and eight-year-old disappeared happily for hours together, sliding into the shallow depths of the kid’s splash zone, taking part in water horse races – riding inflatable seahorses – along the lazy river - and playing Giant Pong on the lawn, my parents disappeared with their books into the over 21 only adult infinity pool, where anyone looking suspiciously fresh-faced would be discreetly withdrawn by staff. They got to nap in the sun without being awoken by the excited squeals of children hurtling down water slides, and my kids got to escape their tutting and disapproving glances.
I, stuck in the middle, was content – because in the middle at La Cantera, is yet another infinity pool, for all ages, with waiters in fuchsia polo shirts bringing Pina Coladas and nachos on silver trays, while I waited for my JetPeel facial at their award-winning spa, Loma de Vida – which means hill of life. It was a great way to be together… without being in each other’s pockets – the downfall of too many family vacations.
This also meant we had plenty to meet up and chat about as we s’mores-ed by the firepit, a universally joyful activity which has no age limit this vacation proved, and over dinner. There are numerous upscale dining experiences, where hand crafted cocktails and Texas-inspired cuisine with a Hill Country twist can be enjoyed by the gourmands of the group, while children are sated with kids’ menus and mocktails.
The one thing we all agree should not be missed by anyone is the Toasted Brioche and Bourbon Bread pudding, served with vanilla bean ice cream and a caramel sauce at the resort’s Sweetfire Kitchen. One portion is large enough to feed four – not that you’ll want to share. My mother and I fought over every spoonful, it was such pure delightful decadence, as we silently celebrated that we seemed to have this multi-generational vacation thing licked, thanks to a place that offered so many different ways to be happy, all high atop a glorious hill.
For reservations, go to lacanteraresort.com
