Last year, I saw an ad for a new glamping/cabin experience near Austin and recently after a couple of friends went, I had to check it out for myself! It was coming up to my birthday and with the looming pandemic, traveling was out of the question.

Even though I love camping, having a birthday in the middle of June it can be difficult to plan something like that because of the heat – in comes Getaway. After a quick availability search, my boyfriend and I booked a last minute trip to a tiny house nestled in the Hill Country of Central Texas for the night.  Personally, I think Getaway offers an idiot-proof way of becoming one with nature and disconnecting. It’s more like glamping, honestly, but you’re surrounded by nature nonetheless. Also, you can bring your dog!!!! That’s my favorite part LOL.

(Disclaimer – this blog post is in no way sponsored by Getaway and uses no affiliate links, but I did reach out for a discount code to get y’all $$ off your next stay! I do not make any commission off of this discount code.)

What is Getaway House?

The company was founded in 2015 at the Harvard Innovation Lab by two Harvard students, Jon Staff and Pete Davis, looking to find a solution to the constant stress of city life – fun fact: they also took their idea to Shark Tank and walked away from a 500k offer to go at it alone! Super cool idea if you ask me and it’s quickly become my favorite ‘getaway’ from the world, pun intended!

Situated in a woodsy stretch less than two hours from select major cities, Getaway describes themselves as ‘a tiny cabin infused with cozy vibes’ and is marketed as an outdoor escape that encourages you to disconnect in order to reconnect. Other cities that have nearby Getaway houses are Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte/Raleigh, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh/Cleveland, Portland, OR, and Washington D.C., with more on the way!

I wanted to stay at Getaway for a while but until I looked into it, I assumed it would be expensive or I wouldn’t be able to get booked in (I do recommend booking in advance for weekends but it’s still new here and not a lot of people know about it). Each ‘outpost’ is comprised of a series of cabins and are set up in nooks so that you feel like you’re isolated but there are other guests close enough that you don’t feel in the middle of nowhere, which was nice. You can’t really see or hear them, which made for a peaceful evening. For extra security, there is a pin code that you receive via text about 20 minutes before check in, so that you are the only one with access to your cabin!

Amenities

Some of the following information is direct from Getaway’s website:

All cabins are equipped with AC (for the Texas heat, thank goodness), heat for the cozy months, an AM/FM radio, wireless speakers and cozy vibes. One thing I thought was super fun is that each cabin is uniquely named after grandparents of their staff and guests. Each cabin features a queen bed outfitted with fresh white linens, pillows, and cozy throw blanket. Their 4-person cabins have two queen beds that are lofted (so you can fight over the top bunk LOL). Their beds are always in view of a window, so you can wake up in the trees.

Each of their kitchens has a sink (with drinkable water), mini-refrigerator, stove, salt, pepper, and olive oil. I recommend bringing your ingredients to make dinner, but they also have some simple provisions to cook in the cabin or over the campfire if you forget – the nearest grocery store is about 11 miles away! We lit the campfire and slow-cooked steak and veggies and got the S’mores kit from Getaway to have for dessert (also available for purchase). It was sooooooo good. Their tiny cabins feature a toilet and hot shower that is stocked with organic and biodegradable shampoo, conditioner, and body wash by Pharmacopia. Bath towels are also provided. See below for a list of recommended items to bring, based on our stay!

No need to pack these:

• Bottle opener and corkscrew
• Can opener
• Knives and scissors
• Cutting board
• Grilling utensils for the campfire
• Pan, pot, mixing bowl, and kettle
• Lighters
• Mugs, plates, bowls, cups, silverware
• Paper towels and dish soap
• Salt, pepper, olive oil, coffee creamer, sugar
• Pour-over coffee, tea, and hot chocolate for purchase
• Snacks and simple meals for purchase
• Toilet paper
• Towels
• Paper towels

My recommendations:

• Duraflame fire starter/log to easily start the campfire. Also let Getaway know you want firewood and they’ll have it ready for you on arrival.
• Lighter (just in case the ones there don’t work)
• Ingredients for cooking dinner – we enjoyed making steak on the campfire! Season, wrap in foil & slow cook on firewood for 3.5 hours and you’re GOLDEN!
• Bluetooth Speaker – great for listening to music by the campfire at night
• Pillow/Blankets – a great tip from a friend who stayed previously. The ones there are soft and down-filled so if you like something firmer to sleep on bring your own. I thought the duvet there is great but again, personal preference.
• Snacks
• Entertainment – there are a few games and books that will come with the cabin (and differ per cabin) but I recommend bringing something like UNO! As a group, Monopoly could be fun too!
• OFF Bug Spray or a citronella candle – to be completely honest bugs weren’t really an issue for us but just in case, you can thank me later. You are in nature after all.
• Bottle water – there is drinking water there, but I prefer to bring my own
• Toiletries (obviously) – there is a shower that comes with soap, hair shampoo + conditioner but of course remember your daily stuff

TIPS:

Another great tip from a friend – there is no WIFI and hardly any signal, so make sure to download music and/or movies you want to entertain yourself before you come!

Each tiny house comes with a USB lamp that you can take outside, but keeping your campfire going into the evening should give you sufficient lighting.

Is Getaway Worth It?

Yes, 1,000,000,000%! Absolutely. Getaway House was the escape I didn’t know I wanted, or needed, and I’m already booked to go back in a couple of weeks. Even though we were only 50 minutes outside of Austin, it was a beautiful getaway and gave us a chance to explore the Hill Country a little more.

One of the things I love about Getaway’s commitment to helping you disconnect is they run a blog-style journal on their site where they chat all things Getaway, from tips for disconnecting to watering holes and trails near your outpost ready to explore.

If you want to book your own Getaway, use code SIMPLYHANNAH to get $25 off your booking! If you visit during the week its definitely less expensive, but depending on when and where you stay, my code could make it under $140 for 2 people!