As we make the gently winding, finely landscaped drive from the front gate of La Cantera Resort & Spa – with flirtatious glimpses of the nearby elevation we’ve come to call “the starting point of the Texas Hill Country” – to its port cochere and valet area, my wife sees the stylish rooftop of the resort’s posh, tranquil Loma de Vida Spa. She recalls that it’s one of her favorite and possibly the most picturesque spas she’s been to, which says a lot since she’s been to many, including some pretty breathtaking ones on Hawaiian isles.
Her reveries of tranquility make a word pop into my head. Mindfulness. It’s the thing everyone keeps telling me lately to practice and embrace to make everything better, but it also seems like one of the toughest things to actually get your arms around. To be present and intentional in every possible moment in a world characterized by distractions – some situational and many curated by marketing masterminds – sounds noble but, in most respects, far, far away.
I decided, for now, to just be intentional and mindful of changing into swim trunks and cruising down for a family night swim in the resort’s expansive, infinity-edged main pool. Even in the dark, the surrounding hill country looks rugged and majestic. It was a good call for our family of four on a mini fall break from the hamster wheel of back-to-school season. Relaxation washed over us, and laughter soon followed then lasted the entire long weekend. We forgot sunscreen, my sun forgot his swim shirts but all that matters so much less when you’re in the lap of luxury.
There are a handful of wonderful golf resorts in greater San Antonio but there is only one La Cantera and now, approaching three full decades since it first opened, one feels an obligation to describe what sets it apart. That’s when my monkey mind releases its tenuous fixation on mindfulness and realizes what La Cantera exhibits at nearly every corner is thoughtfulness. Ohana Real Estate Investors purchased the property from USAA last year, but no sweeping changes were needed, and none have ensued. The resort’s charms and uniqueness can be found completely intact.
In its design, architecture, décor, programming and service, La Cantera succeeds in blending Texas heritage and hospitality with Mexican and Mexican American inspiration. Once on these grounds, you’re living the nouveau ideal of modern San Antonio where cultures intertwine and play off of each other in the most energizing ways. The brilliantly landscaped Plaza San Saba, one of the Texas Hill Country’s leading selfie spots found just steps from the stylish hotel lobby, is where you’ll discover a soothing nature park complete with cascading water features, rock sculptures and awe-inspiring views of the geographical start of the verdant Texas Hill Country. It’s ornate but its design is, wait for it… thoughtful. To stand there ten minutes and see all the ways guests use this space – picnic area, romantic stroll venue, family portrait backdrop, first glass of wine destination, grassy toddler speedway – you appreciate the design… and the views.
La Cantera is thoughtful, too in its design flow. The location and flow of Primero Cantina (a sensational Tex Mex restaurant with a fun, tasty and authentic menu and lively bar), and its indoor an outdoor dining with Hill Country views, connects seamlessly with Plaza San Saba and the resort’s three expansive (and artfully separate) swimming pool areas for adult, families and all-page recreation. The resort is elegant but comfortable everywhere you go but the spaces are meant to be lived in and not simply admired.
After all these years, La Cantera brims with a refreshing authenticity. From the Henry’s Homemade Ice Cream in the fresh and friendly Henrietta’s Market to the walk-up gourmet charcuterie called Bocado adjacent to the posh Sire Bar (with a dazzling whiskey and bourbon selection), La Cantera dares to make unique touches that complement our active lifestyles, whimsies, and appetites.
The next morning, I’m all kinds of intentional on the main reason I like to come to this special resort: to play La Cantera Golf Club. With the late 2021 closing of the beloved Palmer Course (the land is being repurposed for future development), all the golf operations resources can be channeled into making the former site of the Valero Texas Open (from 1995 to 2009) its very best. And, when this golf course is in top form, it’s one of the best and most rewarding 18-hole experiences in the state.
Director of Golf Aaron Green is enthusiastic about the condition the course will be in as more attention and budget will allow for some cool enhancements. Due to drought and other factors, many of the course’s gently moving water features have been turned off, but they could soon be on the way back. These creeks and ravines aren’t just window dressing. They add a character, naturalism and a soothing energy to round. Like a Colorado mountain stream, these features delight the senses and complete La Cantera’s aesthetic. Thinning out tree growth and working in some of the lingering suggestions in Tom Weiskopf’s 2015 field notes (prior to a 2017 renovation) could yield extraordinary effects in the course’s not-too-distant future.
The par-72, 6,954-yard layout, which was tabbed as one of the country’s Best New Courses in 1995 is poised for a renaissance. Built on a wildly rugged captivating expanse of prime Hill Country acreage, La Cantera Golf Club is a feast for the senses but still more than meets the eye. The course’s best attributes sort of come at you in waves, so here’s a list of things to love about this iconic design.
Seven Reasons Why I Really, Really Like La Cantera Golf Club
- Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish’s daring yet sensible Texas Hill Country design. Every time you play this course – and it’s one many would say they could play every day – the wonder of the routing and collection of terrifically solid golf holes still wow you. Hiring Weiskopf is another wat La Cantera shows thoughtfulness. His designs are cerebral, but always fair and, if you look at his seriously underrated design portfolio, it’s clear he was chosen time and again by developers who wanted something special, a unique and high-quality vintage, chose Weiskopf. Loch Lomond in Scotland, Forest Dunes in Michigan, everything he touched in Arizona – including Silverleaf and the Meadow and Canyons courses at Forest Highlands plus Spanish Peaks Mountain Club in Montana all demonstrate how Weiskopf recorded his masterpieces in a slightly different key.
- The fantastic short par fours. Never dismiss a course with good, short two-shotters as just a short golf course. Not only does La Cantera’s routing show off the best of the area’s climbing-and-plunging topography, it presents a thrilling pacing of holes for challenge and scoring. The potentially drivable seventh is known for the outlines of Six Flags Fiesta Texas rollercoasters that fill its backdrop, but it’s a perfect risk-reward hole with a hazard down the right side and fairway bunkers everywhere else you’d like to aim. The eighth is scorable but an unforgiving cliff on the right means you have to pass a shot-making test to thrive. The 16th and its landmine collection of fairway bunkers presents temptation and a call to arms at a pivotal moment in the round.
- If you choose the proper set of tees, you’ll find most of this course’s landing areas are ample and the real test is playing shots in from the correct angle and not leaving errant approaches short sided. It’s the same sensibility that prevails at St. Andrews. You’ll just find a lot more hilly fairways, limestone outcroppings and rushing creeks here.
- Even after all these years, it something to walk around the resort and marvel how this routing winds from one part of the property and sneaks all the way up into beginnings of the Texas Hill Country. It’s such a fun ride and the tough holes balance exceptionally with the gettable ones.
- The par threes aren’t burdened with an inferiority complex. From the middle tees, we played two mid-iron shots and two full-wedge shots. It was fun and I can say unequivocally I did not miss the one or two rip-three-wood-and-hope par threes so many modern courses seem to fixate on.
- The views from the 10th green and 11th To see downtown San Antonio and all the development between there and the resort is outstanding. Then, to turn around and see the Hill Country climb higher and higher so you feel like you could smash a driver and reach Kerrville.
- Risk reward scenarios payoff big. Number two rewards a shot that cuts off the left to right dogleg. The fifth hole offers a heroic opportunity cut across the dogleg-right shape of the hole. Seven dares you to drive it close to the hazard for a chance to run up to the green. The 14th is a potentially reachable par 5 that could yield a needed late-round birdie.
Another area where La Cantera shines is in its passion and commitment to memorable culinary experiences. From extraordinary steaks to succulent seafood to wood-fired pizzas and an ever-popular breakfast buffet, SweetFire Kitchen and its clever new chef, serves up pleasing favorites with a distinguished panache.
Signature, La Cantera’s award-winning fine-dining establishment, sits in the stone building that formerly housed the golf academy. Diners relish a delectable array of steaks, Gulf seafood, wild game and unique offerings seasonal offerings.
Primero Cantina is a pleasant surprise for even the most discerning Tex-Mex lover with its lovingly prepared fajitas, tacos of all kinds (including Puffy) and even seafood are presented with creativity and style.
If privacy matters, La Cantera delivers. The 36-unit Villa enclave– located below the spa in alongside the Resort driving range– has been completely revitalized with new design features, landscaping and wall-to-wall restyling of the interiors of the spacious villas. This section is ideal for guests who prefer a more secluded vacation getaway with all the comforts of home. Similarly, SEVEN is La Cantera’s luxury adults-only guest experience. The seventh floor of the hotel is designated as 21-and-up and offers guests complimentary valet, a private check-in, and a dedicated SEVEN concierge. Access to Loma de Vida Spa and complimentary nightly hors d’oeuvres and champagne are also perks guests at SEVEN receive.
So if you ask me what I think of La Cantera Resort & Spa, the word you’ll hear most commonly will be that the touches and experiences at the resort are thoughtful. Around every little corner is your new favorite place to relax, recline, recreate or just take in all the views. To learn more, visit https://www.lacanteraresort.com.
By Marc Hall