Utopia River Retreat

We spent Wednesday through Monday at URR for our wedding and welcome dinner, with our close friends and family there Thursday through Sunday. The cabins were comfortable and cool, with clean rooms, everything we needed, and plenty of room for our three dogs to join in. The beds were really comfortable, too. Nancy was wonderful to work with. She kept in touch, was thorough, and got as involved as we wanted. She treated everyone kindly and respectfully, and honestly, she feels like part of our family now. The setting was just what we hoped for. The barn worked perfectly for the ceremony and reception, the river was pretty high, and all the trees gave the place an ethereal, foresty feel. We had the best weekend of our lives and would choose URR again in a heartbeat.

We were able to have our whole immediate family stay onsite, which made our wedding feel even more special. Nancy was a pleasure to work with and helped make the day perfect in every way. The value was unmatched. My wife and I would highly recommend this place, whether you're planning a quick getaway or a week-long wedding.

I used to have wonderful stays here, so this visit really upset me. We had to leave after two days, and I'm glad our money was refunded so we could get a hotel room in Uvalde. I had been looking forward to staying here, but my grandkids and the rest of the family were very upset too. I won't be back. The river was dry, which isn't their fault, but the Lookout cabin was uncomfortable. It wouldn't stay cool, and we were up all night trying to cool down while the manager insisted it was working fine. One dining chair had bent legs and nearly sent my mom to the floor. Grass was knee-high in places, making the grounds look sad and neglected. The porches were rotten, and under the kitchen sink in the Lookout cabin, the wood was rotted and moldy.

The beds were so uncomfortable that we kept rolling toward the middle, whichever side we slept on. There was a mildew smell, and the floor under the kitchen sink was rotted. A charcoal odor absorber was hanging there, so it seemed the owners knew about the problem. The Sabinal River behind the cabin had dried up, which is a natural issue, but the view wasn't beautiful. We couldn't use the pool because the gate stayed locked. We booked the Lookout cabin while visiting Garner State Park for a family event with my son and his family. Since we're not from the area, I relied on the retreat's Wi-Fi, but it was patchy and unusable. Without AT&T service, calls only worked when connected to Wi-Fi. The single window AC unit couldn't cool the whole cabin, and the bathroom door had to stay shut. There were two standing fans, but one didn't work. With no cell service and unreliable Wi-Fi, we couldn't reach the after-hours emergency number about any of these issues. This could be a really nice place if the owners put some money into the cabin we stayed in. It wasn't a comfortable or relaxing stay.