This resort is beautiful on the surface, but it simply cannot handle being full of ~3,000 leisure guests. The infrastructure, staffing, and dining options are nowhere near what’s required for the rates being charged or the amount of rooms (~1,000) on property. We absolutely wanted to love this place, but it just didn’t happen which is unfortunate given it’s not a terrible drive from Dallas/Fort Worth.
Front Desk & Service: Check-in was cold and unwelcoming, with no activities schedule or welcome coupons provided (welcome drink coupons and some other discounts are included as part of the high daily resort fee). Staff across the board seemed overwhelmed and disengaged.
Overpriced & Few Food Options: A $9 Uncrustable was delivered soggy since it was packaged with hot French fries which my son certainly didn’t like. At the sports bar, both the burger and Cobb salad were awful. The main restaurant, Cibolo Moon, had a 1-hour wait just to be seated—with lines forming simply to get on the waitlist. For a resort of this size, three full-service restaurants aren’t nearly enough. By comparison, the Gaylord Texan (also a Marriott property) offers considerably more dining venues to handle its convention/leisure mix. Here, the result is many lines, long waits, and disappointing food.
Pools & Crowds: By 9:30 a.m. every pool chair was already “saved.” Staff make no attempt to enforce the resort’s own no-saving policy. There are ways to fix this. For example, on many major cruise lines, seats get time-stamped or stickered; if left empty too long, belongings are removed and taken to guest services. Why can’t this property do the same? Instead, chairs sit empty for hours while paying guests wander around with no place to sit. The lazy river and slides are just as frustrating—guests hoard tubes despite clear signage, and staff look the other way. Over Labor Day, the pool was wall-to-wall people—chaotic and anything but relaxing.
Bright Spots: The kids’ buffet was thoughtful and well done. Alexis at the sports bar was genuinely fantastic—warm and friendly. Christian at Cibolo Moon also stood out with excellent, attentive service in an otherwise overwhelming dining setup. The kids camp (I think only offered on busier weekends) was also great for our two littles — we enjoyed a quieter evening and they had a great time with the activities offered and their new friends.
Bottom Line: This property cannot support a full leisure crowd. It might work if you’re here for a convention and only half the resort is occupied by families, but as a destination resort it collapses under its own weight. A gorgeous setting is ruined by long lines, overcrowding, and underwhelming food. Despite being longtime Marriott loyalist, I’ll be trying the Hyatt Regency Hill Country or Hyatt Lost Pines next time—everything I’ve heard suggests they do what this JW is trying to do, only much better.
