My husband and I recently spent two nights at the Tin Star Ranch. It was a random choice from suggestions made at a booking agency. It turned out to be a good choice.

We arrived at sunset, after crossing a couple of cattle guards off the main road about ten miles north of town. Two wild hogs and a few head of cattle greeted us at a low water crossing. The hogs headed off into the sunset but the cows remained, setting the mood for the Tin Star.

We were delighted with the outside appearance of the cabin and not disappointed when we stepped inside. The living/kitchen area was an adequate size and its crowning glory was the limestone fireplace for which cut logs were stacked on the front porch. Two comfortable reclining chairs and a coffee table, along with a TV/VCR/DVD on a corner table completed the furnishings. No movies were provided so bring your own if you think you can stay awake to finish it. The kitchen area had a refrigerator, a microwave, a two burner stove and a metal sink with a faucet meant to resemble an old style pump which was a nice touch. The dining table was antique wood and the chairs were said to be replicas of some Teddy Roosevelt had in his lodge in Montana. The chairs were a bit low for the table, or maybe the table was too high for the chairs, but let’s just say it was easy to rake in the food we cooked on the provided gas grill.

The bedroom had what turned out to be a very comfortable queen size bed with nice linens. In the same room was a round Jacuzzi set into a limestone frame. It also had a “waterfall” feature through which the water flowed into the tub. The bathroom had an oversized shower and both were furnished with thick towels.

The Settler's cabin has an upstairs area which I never saw. It is up a set of outside stairs and my husband, who went up just to see what it sported, said it had a comfortable area with a bathroom, sleeping arrangements for 3 more people, a closet, a small kitchen area.

The grounds were well kept with stone walks to each cabin lined with lamps to light the way. Oak trees were abundant and an Eclipse windmill completed the ambience.

Everything seemed really great until we turned the Jacuzzi on and discovered that there was only lukewarm water. We heated water on the burners in the pots in the kitchen which turned out to be dirty, with dried food inside and out, to finally get the water in the tub hot enough to bathe because the shower water was cold. That’s when we discovered the rather disgusting ring around the tub. That behind us we climbed into the bed for a really restful night’s sleep in the country air and quiet.

In the morning we called in the problem about the water and within FIVE minutes of the call the owners were knocking on the door. We also mentioned the dirty dishes and they were apologetic about the problems we’d had and the first thing we knew the owner himself was crawling into the Jacuzzi with bleach and scrubbed it to a shine! Then he tackled the hot water heater and fixed it. The next thing was a brand new set of cookware to replace the dirty, unmatched pots.

The rest of the weekend was wonderful. The soak in the Jacuzzi the second night was heavenly, with candles in the sconces on the wall.

When visiting here, it’s best to remember that it is not a bed and breakfast and breakfast is not provided. We knew that in advance and took our own food which we rather enjoyed cooking at our leisure. There is no soap or shampoo provided which I have come to expect in first class accommodations.

There is a banquet room of which we were given a tour. It is an excellent facility, with oak furnishings and a beautiful oak bar. It is perfect for a wedding or a reunion or any other gathering of up to 350 people. There are even sixteen rooms on the second floor with bunk beds and separate bathrooms with showers which can be rented along with the banquet room. A huge commercial kitchen is available for your own use or for a caterer’s.

Also on the grounds are false front buildings of Old West vintage, complete with the Alamo. These shells have a shooting range behind them which is used by SASS—Single Action Shooters Society—who hold regular competitions on the ranch.

The Tin Star Ranch is a nice place. Really nice. The setting itself, in an oak and cedar covered valley, with a year round spring fed creek running through it is worth the price. There were some problems in our cabin, which were remedied as soon as they were brought to the owners’ attention, but I’m wondering why they existed in the first place. Hopefully the owners recognize that a very close eye is required to keep an accommodation such as this up to par with others in the same price range and in the future there will not be the inconveniences we experienced.

We will return to the Tin Star. I think anyone would enjoy a visit here as long as they recognize that there might be some inconveniences, nothing major, and that the owners are willing to remedy those.

The Tin Star, about 12 miles north of Fredericksburg, TX, is really a bunch of different Possibilities. There are rooms in the "Lodge", there is the "Ranch House" that sleeps nine, and there are 5 nice rustic cabins that sleep two to 6 (depending on the cabin). We stayed in the "Settlers' Cabin". The Settlers is suitable for a couple, downstairs and it also has a queen sized bed and a twin sized bed upstairs. The upstairs is completely "separated from the downstairs. Access is via an outside stairway. In addition to the two beds, the upstairs has a small fridge, and a three quarter bath (shower, sink and toilet)

The downstairs has a full bath, with a pedestal sink and a walk in shower. In the bedroom is a nice, comfortable queen sized bed and a big Jacuzzi! The sconces on the walls around the Jacuzzi and the limestone surround are both nice touches. The water enters the Jacuzzi by way of a foot wide "Waterfall".
In the "Living Room" there is a coffee table, a TV table, two recliners and a wonderful limestone fireplace. It is comfortable and rustic. (Rustic in a GOOD way!) The dining room/kitchen is really just the other half of the livingroom space, but it is functional. There is a table, four whimsical cowhide and horn chairs (I understand they are replicas of the ones Teddy Roosevelt had made for his hunting lodge in Montana.) and a kitchen cabinet. The cabinet has a two burner ceramic cooktop, a microwave and the sink. There is an antique cabinet next to it with a good supply of dishes flatware and glasses. There are pots and pans under the sink. On top of the dish cabinet is a coffee maker and toaster. The requisite utensils, spatula, can opener, cork screw etc are all available. There is a good sized refrigerator which is nearly new.
The table might have been just a little tall for the chairs, but it was not an issue.

There is a small TV set with a satellite receiver and a DVD/VHS player.

Outside, on the capacious wrap around porch, there are two wooden rocking chairs and a gas grill.

It was a little too cold to sit out the two nights we were there, but I can imagine how nice it might be in the spring and early summer.

It was quiet and restful and we really enjoyed our stay. There were as many as a dozen deer on the property, in plain sight at one time. The deer are fed corn to attract them. There is a resident horse and a long horn bull, both of which come to visitors to beg for goodies.

The stay was not perfect. There were a couple of houskeeping and maintenance issues. As soon as the owners were notified, they came in MINUTES and completely resolved these issues to our total satisfaction. It was spectacular. You can really tell - They care about their property, about their guests and about their reputation. Absolutley first class. I will stay here again, given the chance.

We stayed at the Ranch house for 3 nights. Our group consisted of 2 families, both with 2 adults and young children. The location was absolutely amazing - a little bit of a drive from Fredericksburg but very quiet and peaceful. The set up of the house worked out very well for us - and the great yard and patio area were used a lot by the kids to play and we all enjoyed sitting out there. We were amazed by how cool the evenings got and there was always a nice breeze blowing - hard to believe that this was the middle of summer in Texas!

The kids enjoyed looking at all the wildlife - the deer, cows, bunnies. And we had some nice walks in the hills.

The only negatives we experienced were the pests - we understand that it is a "natural" surrounding and certain things go with that but we were not prepared for wasps and rodents in the house. In spite of that our trip was not ruined and we actually did enjoy staying at the house. It was a minor inconvenience to have to put all the food in the fridge and to kill a couple bugs.

I just spent a wonderful weekend in the Poineer House at the Tin Star Ranch. The cabin is very rustic but wonderful.
There is a den with large fireplace, a 2 burner cooktop, microwave, small refrigerator (Bigger than dorm size - smaller than apt size), coffee pot and some pots, pans and dishes. (There is a nice outdoor grill provided also.)
The separate bedroom with king-size bed and amoire is really quaint and comfortable. The bathroom has a nice whirlpool for 2 and a walk-in doorless shower.
The cabin is made from austin limestone and logs with wood plank and stone floors. The wrap around porch with rockers is a great place for morning coffee and to wind down in the evening. Great views.
I highly recommend this for a great weekend get-away.