My fiancé reserved the rooms for our weekend getaway. When he told me how reasonable the rates were, I really didn't expect we'd be staying at an inn right out of a storybook.
Since we drove into town from Dallas on a Friday night, we didn't arrive until well after dark when everyone was asleep. The innkeeper had sent us detailed instructions, so getting into the cottage suite and our room was easy, and there was even a little snack waiting for us in the fridge!
On a spring morning the grounds are just wondrous. All colors of flowers blossom from every corner and the whole place seems to be bursting open with wildlife. I kept giggling at the strange sounds of bird songs I'd never heard before. As for bugs, my only encounters with insects involved ladybugs and pretty green garden beetles.
If you can only spend one night in Austin, you should at least stay here for the breakfast. The innkeeper is a culinary magician who obviously takes great pride in her creativity. My fiancé and I are vegan, and where many chefs might sigh in annoyance, ours responded with delighted enthusiasm and cornmeal waffles, sausage, grits, homemade bread...all painstakingly customized to our very picky tastes and all supremely delicious. The first morning we sat in the dining room, a couple seated next to us had received their own personalized breakfast as well, a high-carb meal prepared for the energetic day they had planned. Not only does the inkeeper create all her own recipes from scratch, but she is more than happy to discuss her techniques and ingredients in detail. Foodies, you've found a new friend.
I think the reason this place really struck a chord with me is its ability to fall into a seemingly effortless balance. The grounds are tidy but not too manicured, the atmosphere is folksy but not kitschy and the inn manages an elegant sophistication without being cold. I plan on recommending the Carriage House to everyone I know and can't wait to come back at the first opportunity.
