Deals in Lakeway

The Gambini and Mensik families shared a vision—to create an olive orchard based on a public tree-adoption system similar to the sharecropping systems in Italy, where families could harvest olives and olive oils whenever their trees bore fruit. Breaking ground on 18 acres in the Texas Hill Country—home to numerous vineyards and organic farms—the clans' USDA-compliant organic farming methods soon produced yields that would claim multiple awards, including a gold medal from The Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition.

Today, the growers at Texas Hill Country Olive Company tend five kinds of olive trees, which bear harvests that are handpicked, cold-processed, and bottled within 24 hours as artisanal extra virgin olive oils. The farmers also produce traditional and fruit-infused balsamic vinegars on the territory. The grounds encompass a 6,000-square-foot tasting room and an indoor demo kitchen that hosts events such as cooking classes amid eco-friendly touches such as nontoxic paints and teak furniture. An outdoor demo kitchen and an indoor café are also on their way, where small-plate fare made from ingredients sourced from other Hill Country farms will take center stage. Texas Hill Country’s adopt an olive tree program continues to thrive, as each bottle of oil produced by an adopted tree comes with a personalized label and regular reports about the tree's accomplishments at tree school.

In her hands-on cooking classes, Chef Myrna Kallergis imbues students with some of the culinary expertise that has landed her gigs at the Austin Wine & Music Festival and working with Food Network's Ted Allen. At weekly customized sessions, she and occasional guests chefs–such as 2007 James Beard Award nominee Monica Pope–teach pupils how to make burgers, gourmet pizzas, and tarts from scratch. She also instructs youngsters on cooking fundamentals at summer camps, where kids enjoy light, nutritious lunches in between lessons built around themes such as food from around the world. Along with teaching, Chef Myrna helps guests improve their eating habits with calorie-counted, portioned, and packaged meal plans designed around specific wellness goals. Her venue is also designed to host small private events.

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After rolling out the green carpet as a 9-hole facility in 1971, Lago Vista has expanded into an 18-hole, par 72 championship course that stretches across a peninsula on the north shore of Lake Travis. Undulating fairways and vibrant flora guide players through the course's 6,500 yards of challenges, and a practice facility helps hone swings with three tiers of natural, Botox-free hitting surfaces.

As the younger of the two courses, Highland Lakes flaunts a collection of sloping tifdwarf greens, complete with regular elevation changes that require golfers to make deft club selections throughout. On hole five, a tight dogleg lures balls toward a downhill fairway sheathed in the shadows of towering oaks as outcrops flanking both sides invite shots into their rocky heaps.

Lago Vista Course at a Glance

• 18-hole, par 72 course
• Length of 6,579 yards from farthest tees
• Course rating of 72.6 from farthest tees
• Designed by Leon Howard
• Four tee options available
• Click here to see the scorecard

  Highland Lakes Course at a Glance

  • 18-hole, par 72 course
  • Length of 6,529 yards from farthest tees
  • Course rating of 72.2 from farthest tees
  • Designed by Leon and Charles Howard
  • Three tee options available
  • Click here to see the scorecard

Designed by three-time Masters champion Jimmy Demaret, Point Venture Golf Club's nine-hole course cleaves through thickets of cedar trees along the north shore of Lake Travis. Although narrow fairways and small greens offer a challenge to advanced golfers, novice players can swing freely as the course is free of water hazards, bunkers, and wormholes disguised as divots. A relatively short course, Point Venture’s display of sharp doglegs frequently forces players to take shorter clubs to the tee box, effectively lengthening the course. Conversely, the winding fairways may tempt golfers to go for the high-risk, high-reward play of unsheathing their drivers at the tee, flying the corner, and setting up a short approach to the green.

Golfers can warm up their swings with a stint at the club's driving range or plan their attack by taking a digital course tour. Point Venture Golf Club also features a golf store and a floating restaurant for after-hole meals and experimenting with golf tees as toothpicks.

Walls are important, functionally speaking, but the team at Trio Life Fitness finds the decorative potential in its four—with humans—during wall Pilates and fitness training. The studio's certified instructors attach students to adjustable harnesses and straps, then guide them through exercises that can be vigorous workouts of the back, chest, and hips without placing stress on the joints.

The Trio Life staff also teaches Trio Fit sessions, a fusion of flexibility exercises, Pilates-based strength training, and spin, for which guests should bring their own laundry machine. During spin classes, a certified instructor leads up to 15 students in pedaling toward cardio health—behind them, a vibrant mural shows a blue sky with white flowers. Pilates and spin are their specialties, and the schedule features an abundance of each Monday–Friday, as well as at least one class Saturday and Sunday. These classes are the pillars of the curriculum because they hit the three aspects of the studio’s "trifecta of fitness"—cardio, strength, and flexibility.

Eyes are like taxes: if someone's working on yours, you want them to be certified. Keri Burt, the aesthetician behind Big Sexy Lashes and a certified lash trainer with more than five years of experience, focuses almost exclusively on improving ocular aesthetics. Burt and her team apply several types of extensions: synthetic fiber extensions, which hold their curl for a uniform look; silk extensions with manicured tips; and soft, curly mink extensions that create a bold, natural look—like a skinny-dipper in a beluga tank. Lashes come in varying lengths and thicknesses, allowing staffers to customize applications and flatter each client's eye shape and personal aesthetic. The team uses fume-free medical-grade adhesives to hold extensions in place, even on windy days.

Burt's shop enables lash care beyond the salon by purveying beauty products such as Lash Bath, which removes eye makeup without damaging extensions. In case clients have other follicular concerns, the staff administers haircuts, above-the-neck waxes, and feather extensions.