We spent a couple of days here for spring break. It was a wonderful, relaxing experience. This place is a combination of cabins, bed-and-breakfast, and animal sanctuary. The grounds have lots of friendly animals to interact with. The location feels like it's in the middle of nowhere, yet you're only a few minutes away from Boerne. We enjoyed feeding the goats, donkeys, and pigs. We also participated in a giant tortoise interaction and got to feed and pet him. We were even welcomed by a dancing cockatoo! The bed was super comfortable, and the cabin had everything we needed. The hosts responded quickly whenever we needed anything. We're looking forward to returning to the spot again the next time we need a getaway that feels far away yet is still fairly close to San Antonio. read more

I'll start this by advising everyone to read the reviews thoroughly and believe them. I read the good and bad and decided to ignore the bad and hope for the best. Lesson learned. A few days prior to our arrival, Vicky calls and says that VRBO overbooked the "Lodge" where we had booked our reservation. Hmm, never heard of vrbo overbooking before. She offered our choice of two of the smaller cottages plus a bottle of wine as bonus. I said that we were not interested in the smaller ones and wanted the lodge that we booked because it was bigger. She then offers the Main House, which was much bigger than our original rental, and I thanked her and accepted. The day before we leave, I haven't heard anything on the address or access information. I texted them and finally received a response at 10PM. Great. Now at least we know where we are going and that we can get in. Upon arrival, you drive into the gate and up a gravel drive. Then you are left to find the cottage that is yours. We couldn't so we called and Micky told us where to find the house. It was attached to two smaller cabins (or anexed as Micky explained). Our "neighbors" were a group of 21 year old boys + their girl friends. That's fine and we greeted them and they were polite enough. They mentioned they had been "partying" on the deck of the main house for the last few days.... The main house is REALLY nice!! Beautifully decorated inside with Texas memorabilia and has everything you need for a super comfortable stay. Except grilling utensils, but not a huge deal. We made due. If it was just the house for this rental, we would have been thrilled. BUT the deck of the house is huge and there was no indication that anyone had cleaned the deck or furniture in months. Covered in dust, beer bottle tops (see above partying), and dirt. We cleaned the table off ourselves and I used the broom to make it somewhat acceptable. But even that's okay. The major turn off was from the moment we arrive, Micky learns that we are having our brother out for dinner that night. He immediately texts back that our reservation was for 2 people only. Never have I rented a place that had a per person surcharge or where the owners literally harass you about having a guest. Finally, I was like, Fine - send the invoice, I don't care what the charge is if it makes you happy and you will leave us alone. Our family has a 400 acre ranch in Fredericksburg and we know Texas ranches. If Micky and Vicky don't like to deal with people, don't have it set up as rentals. We won't be back again which is a shame because we rent in the area 4-5 times per year to be close to family. Also, fyi - We saw no indication of the "gourmet" restaurant or "cowboy" bar. As I mentioned at the open, there are good and bad reviews here. You could have either experience, I guess. Just be informed. read more

We booked the cutest little tiny & perfect "Butterfly" cabin with a loft that brought squeals of excitement from our two sets of twins (ages 6 & 8). We did all the activities on the ranch during our long weekend & left with fresh eggs that we plan to hatch!!! The amount of surprises & animals was completely unexpected. It's truly a special place that takes amazing care of their animals & it shows. Right before we left we were able to see something completely amazing: 1 hour old twin Nigerian Dwarf goats still getting birth goop licked up by momma goat! This place is truly a great experience for kids! The first night we did the night adventure hike & walked through splendid & quiet darkness, we were amazed at the tranquility & abundance of stars filling the sky. We found deer poop & learned about venomous spiders, & cacti while finding a live vulture looking down at us! We met super friendly donkeys & horses that didn't want to leave us, they were so super friendly! Our kiddos were allowed to chase a couple of Emus (yeah, that's not a sentence I ever expected to ever write in my life!), those things are so magestic it was amazing to see them running with such easy while our kiddos were so chaotic running behind them lol All this happened in the dark, really cool & such a unique experience! Then we met an arctic fox named Conan. He was just recently rescued so his habitat is getting built while he is in this temp enclosure & the final one will be huge and air conditioned. The mornings were exciting because of the fresh eggs & lively chickens. There is a wonderful array of feathered friends that roam free with the goats through the day, greeting us randomly. We loved how all the animals were given so much free range & were so happy & super friendly! All these rescues truly found the best sanctuary, they are so well cared for! The exotic bird adventure was so much fun for the kids & parents. We got to hold so many parrots & we met the two fun emus again. We got to interact with all the birds as they talked & walked all over us, all so very exciting! Our labradoodle was able to make friends with the local dogs & was able to run off-leash safely behind a huge fenced open space while our kiddos explored the grounds, finding bugs, bones & delighting their imaginations while mommy & daddy relaxed on our lawn chairs so happy for the down time! This place felt so safe for my kids to roam and explore. The petting adventure was so much fun for the kids & parents, we got to meet everyone on the ranch & every adventure is a good length long & we learned so much about every animal thanks to the very professional guide & owner, Micky. We even did the horse riding - all 6 of us got to ride together & enjoyed the peaceful ride with an exciting ending of riding a galloping horse. We all loved it! We left with amazing memories & would recommend this ranch to anyone, especially to those with kids! Vicky & Micky were super accommodating to our constantly changing plans & worked on rearranging our schedules depending on kids' needs. We kept constant communications via text & made sure we had everything we needed down to the pepper, salt & vegetable oil. We absolutely had the most magical experience throughout our 3 night stay, especially with our random goat visits, that was so unique & special! Thank you Vicky & Micky & Amanda & MJ!! read more

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Nice place staff excellent always clean lots of jump spaces I love this place always recommend

We were looking for a 2-night, 3-day getaway with our teen daughters, and this experience blew us away! You are staying on a working farm/animal rescue, and the couple who run the facility are working *extremely* hard taking care of their animals and clients, and it shows! They bent over backwards to make sure that our cabin was well appointed and meeting our needs. We stayed in the Butterfly House--perfect for a family traveling with kids! There is a queen mattress in a loft, a daybed couch in the living room with comfortable mattress, and roll-away bed under the couch with another comfortable mattress. The house is quite small, but it was exactly what we were looking for, and delivered an amazing stay. IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY to take advantage of the chef-prepared meal--TAKE IT! Holy crap! NEVER have we been fed like this. After asking our "likes", we were served an amazing MULTIPLE-course meal; we felt like we were on a reality show! We had menudo, Swedish meatballs, tomatillo guac with homemade corn tortillas, veal scallopini with a cream/cheese sauce, garlic bread, corn, green beans, a cheesy cauliflower dish (we love cauliflower!), and to finish, a fresh-baked cherry AND apple pie with two types of ice cream! HOLY COW!! We took advantage of horseback riding, fox experience, and farm animal encounter. Just the right amount of time, arriving one evening, most activities the next day, and finishing with one activity last day. HIGHLY recommend! read more

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I have visited Home Away Ranch many times, both alone and with my family. It is one of my favorite places to be! The atmosphere is peaceful, the hosts, guests, and animals are friendly, and the cabins (I have stayed in 5 of their 10 rentals) are cozy. I highly recommend this place for a quiet retreat, a family gathering, a romantic getaway...you name it - they have something for you and yours! Plenty to do on the ranch (farm animals tour, exotic bird sanctuary tour, horseback riding, night hike, campfires, hike/explore, hang a hammock and take a nap...), 5 minutes away in Boerne, or nearby - Just 20 minutes to Fiesta Texas/La Cantera/San Antonio, or a short drive the other direction into the Hill Country to visit Fredericksburg, the bat caves, or Enchanted Rock. read more

My sons and I came down from Dallas this weekend to spend time with my sister and my nephews. We booked The Old Farm House. The host never communicated in the days prior to arrival. I reached out the day of departure to verify check in procedures. Several hours later, while in transit, they contacted me to tell me there was construction being done on the home I had rented for the weekend.They said not to worry as, "there was a free upgrade" from the $600.59 original rental. Upon arrival we were given 2 adjoining rooms with a shared kitchenette in what could be best described as a mobile home . It was connected to a larger home with guest. Just a really awful setup. Very much like a 2 star hotel. The property was very unkept, as well. The "wildlife sanctuary" consisted of a few chicken and goats running around. There were broken tree limbs all over the grounds making it difficult to walk. All of the outdoor furniture was very worn and tethered. The screens on the windows were missing or torn apart. After reaching out to the host regarding the "upgrade" being anything but, We were then offered.a small mobile home. At this time my sister and her sons arrived to take us to dinner. Mickey, is driving along side as they pull in. As I'm hugging the children Mickey stops me to announce, "There are more people and that will cost more!" I explained that they were picking us up for dinner since we didn't know the area and I tuned back to greet my nephews. He then screams that he wants $15 per person because it's a "wildlife sanctuary", I again said they were only there for the moment and if they were to stay longer or for the evening I would most certainly let them know and take care of any payment. Now he begins screaming he wants $75 per person that arrived to stay the night. Again, I haven't even greeted my nephews at this point. Then, before I could respond he then says "$50 per person!". It was beyond shocking. He was so hostile and aggressive. I then calmly told him, I will address this with you later because I would like to greet my family first and this was a very inappropriate manner of speaking in front of children. Then, he demanded we leave the property immediately. This was without a doubt one the most unnecessary, hateful, money hungry displays of Mexican macho arrogance I have ever seen. I can not help but think had my husband or another man been there this would not have happened. So, at 7pm, after a long day of driving with kids in tow I was forced to scramble for another place. Certainly, not the relaxing weekend I had hoped to have with my family after experiencing tremendous loss. Don't support this business. These people are awful. This guys bio on their website states, "ex special forces" when the reality is a - angry man that rides around with a parakeet on his shoulder playing cowboy and stroking his ego by intimidating women read more

The ranch is in the middle of nowhere about one hour to San Antonio. We stayed here for ten days over Thanksgiving. I wanted to leave after the first shower we had. That water stinks like rotten eggs and although brought to their attention, nothing was fixed. We brushed our teeth or cooked with bottled water we bought. I was stomach sick for three days. Friendly farm animals, sure... be warned of the Billy goat who attacked our son who was recovering his fractured leg. The excuse... its normal since there are baby goats around. Oh good... thanks for telling us afterwards. We booked a bird tour, ponyride and smores ... 300 Dollars... it was only 2 kids and it kept being delayed so a lot of our time was wasted. We had to leave a day early due to a family emergency and in the rush i forgot a gift my husband had just gotten me. I asked them to send it, offering to pay the postage but even months later and Lots of excuses later... i will never see it again. read more

This is the best destination vacation we have been on in Texas. Amazing activities, grounds and cabins are clean and perfect for a getaway! We are coming back for sure!!!! read more