Blank Canvas

Nearly 40 miles outside of the city limits, at the end of meandering country roads and past stretches of rolling hills and fields dotted with grazing cattle lies Wimberley’s Collective Retreats. Overlooking Monestino Ranch, a 225-acre working farm, and the Blanco River, this secluded spot may just be one of our favorite Hill Country gems. Collective Retreats, which has locations in Wolcott, Colo., Governors Island, N.Y., Ghent, N.Y., and Big Sky, Mont., has capitalized on America’s relatively newfound love of “glamping” and offers campers luxurious accommodations in picturesque locations.

General Manager Eddy Young, a Montana-native, has been with Collective Retreats for just over two years now and believes that it’s the company’s ability to provide unique experiences in nature that keep people coming back for more.

“In Vail you’re in this wide, open field looking at 14,000-foot peaks and in Montana you’re in the middle of a forest. At Governors Island you are staring at the Statue of Liberty,” he says.

Collective Hill Country is no exception. Each of the twelve tents on the property are tucked within a rambling tree line facing miles and miles of green hills. And like the other four Collective Retreats locations, luxury is a top priority. Summit Tents, the largest tents on the approximately 10-acre property stand at 16-by-20, have California king beds, 1,500-thread-count sheets, chandeliers, in-tent wood-burning stoves, jersey-style bathrobes and even rain showers for guests to warm up after a long day of hiking, zip lining or horseback riding. There’s a family tent as well, plus a honeymoon suite with an oversized deck ideal for couple’s massages, yoga and private dinners.

For adventurous guests, “the ranch offers electric bike and scooter tours,” Young says. “We have fishing partnerships as well and Wimberley has a ton of parks for hiking and swimming when the weather gets nice enough. We are also planning on offering wine tours.”

When it comes to dining, the retreat’s two chefs source produce from Montesino Ranch’s organic fields.

“For dinner, we will provide meat, potatoes and veggies and guests can do the finishing touches themselves on the grills,” he says. “We also do a special s’more nightly with grapefruit-infused marshmallows, butterscotch cookies and homemade fudge.”

Since opening in April of 2018, Austinites and out-of-towners alike have fallen in love with Collective Hill Country, and the staff hopes to see more and more sold-out weeks in the future.

“We just came off a yoga weekend,” Young says. “We are going to start doing more programming like that since it was so successful.”

But with upcoming weekends filling up fast, the staff is focusing on smaller events and making holidays in Wimberley even more special.

“During Christmas, we had a little girl out here who was worried Santa wouldn’t find her tent,” he recalls. “We did a stocking during turndown and she absolutely loved it. For Valentine’s Day, we’ll have a guitarist out here and we are planning on having more musicians and campfire events.”

For more information on Collective Hill Country and to book your stay, visit collectiveretreats.com.