As some of you know, I am slightly obsessed with horses. When I lived in Ireland, I would horse ride once or twice per week and love it so much. Living in San Francisco, horses are a rare sighting and I miss horse riding a lot. Last weekend, I was lucky enough to spend an entire weekend on Mayan Dude Ranch in Bandera, Texas. For those of you who followed my stories on Instagram, it was INSANE! I had the best weekend and loved every minute of my weekend on the dude ranch. It was a dream come true to stay on such an amazing ranch.
Mayan Dude Ranch is the ultimate place to park up the car, relax, unwind & become a country pumpkin. The ranch offers so much more than accommodation for the night. Included in your nightly rate is your breakfast, lunch, dinner, complimentary wine & beer and most importantly 2 horse rides per day. There are morning rides and afternoon rides available which are easy walks through the acres of grounds at the Mayan Dude Ranch.
Breakfast, lunch & dinner were feasts with a wide variety of foods for all. Food was plentiful & there were lots of choices from Tex Mex to BBQ to salads & lots of vegetables. My favorite has got to be the horse ride I took to cowboy breakfast where we met at 8am, strolled on the horses to a picnic area nearby, parked up the horses and loaded up on amazing breakfast foods. The spread was delicious including scrambled eggs, biscuits, bacon, sausage, home fries, grits and much more. There was tea and coffee along with a sweet treat for after. This experience was enhanced by live country music from a local. An experience that I will never forget on St. Patrick’s day morning! Breakfast is also served each morning in the dining room and it is a hearty spread with delicious food also.
The Ranch doesn’t just stop at amazing horse ride trails & food, the ranch also keeps you busy with lots of activities going on throughout the day. There are traditional cowboy games taught, two-step dance lessons, a swimming pool, shooting competitions, fishing, tennis, basketball, guided walks, musicals, comedies, live music and much more. There are also lots of nooks & relaxing areas both inside and outside the ranch where you can relax with family, friends or a good book. In the evenings, there are hayrides around the property with live country music. This was hilarious and so enjoyable – a must do while on the ranch!
My cabin was a large cabin with three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a bar & the cutest sitting room with a fire. The cabin was rustic & traditional ranch style with Texas colors splashed across the rooms. My cabin and many more had swings outside where you can sit and admire the beautiful deer, wild turkey and birds as the lazily wander by. I sat outside in the sunshine one afternoon reading and had the most heavenly time.
Mayan Dude Ranch is a family run ranch and there are multiple aunts, uncles, cousins, wives, husbands, brothers and sisters who work on the ranch. It is truly a home away from home. All of the family are incredibly friendly and it feels as though you are an extension of their family. Pictures of weddings, a family tree & baby photos are splattered across the ranch increasing the homely feel of this rustic working dude ranch. Every single employee there was so welcoming & had interesting stories to tell. I met so many Texans and families on my stay. Everybody was so friendly and added to my stay and memories.
The ranch is by a river which is so picturesque. Some of the trail rides take you right by the gushing river and it is the perfect calming sound as you ride on by. In the summer months, you can tube on the river in the sunshine. There are lots of beautiful walks around the ranch that you can explore.
I’ve received so many questions about my ranch experience so far so think I answered most questions! I can’t recommend a ranch experience enough and Mayan Ranch is an unbelievable experience which I will remember forever. Thank you Mayan Ranch for the most incredible weekend of memories and happiness.
For more information, visit www.mayanranch.com
For another review of a ranch nearby Dallas see THIS BLOGPOST. Thank you to Mayan Ranch for a memorable & relaxing stay.
