Definitely worth a stop while in San Antonio! Since Covid you need a ticket to enter the church at a specific time. The entry is free, while the audio tour add on is $7 per person. Worth it! Beautiful grounds. So much history and so much to learn.
Schedule your tickets in advance as the church tickets will fill up quickly during heavier travel times. You can still visit the grounds if you don’t have a ticket to get into the actual church.
Let me start by saying the view is spectacular. The deluxe tent is beautifully decorated, bed incredibly comfortable, the bathroom is spacious enough with a door for privacy, shower is heated by a propane tank and warm water at sink as well. We stayed 3 nights.
Now for the unpleasant and hazardous. Mother Nature dealt us horrible weather. We completely understand Under Canvas “can’t control the weather” which is their scripted response. We had 3 nights of rain, snow, hail, sleet and high winds to the point we actually asked what the tents can withstand as we were expecting gusts up to 40mph with temps each night hovering around 30-32degreesF. The people (including us) who stay at Under Canvas tend to be outdoorsy people and understand weather happens. What we couldn’t live with was the SMOKE from the wood burning stove that permeated the tent once the wind kicked up. It was horrible!
Our biggest complaint is Under Canvas is very, very, very, aware of the issue for many years and all employees respond with the same scripted response, “we can’t control the weather”. They are so aware they will provide you with extra blankets. The smoke is a heath hazard! We ended up having to let the fire burn itself out, sleep with vents to the tent open to let the smoke out, and no fire (i.e. no heat) the 2nd or 3rd night.
The tent does have propane (for shower and sink)..... isn’t there a way to provide a safe heating alternative to the tents with the use of propane as you are paying for a “glamping” experience?
Which brings me to money. This deluxe tent comes with a price tag of $1453.71 for 3 nights. That’s $484.57 per night!!!! To sleep with no heat, due to a problem they are aware of!!!! There is a $40.01 camp fee nightly. Upon check out I asked 2 employees, both were unable to tell me what the fee was for.
We so wanted to love every second of this experience. It was underwhelming for sure. The view deserves its praises. The young staff is nice enough. “Glamping” at that price we shouldn’t have to ask for towels (none come in room), clean out our own wood burning stove, and most importantly worry about the health hazard of smoke filling the tent due to known issues with wood burning stove. Travel and Leisure magazine I hate to say it but you got this one wrong ........
Such an impressive park! The view is stunning even in the snow! There was almost no one there since the weather was not optimal. But it didn’t stop us from having a great view and appreciating the magnificent park.
****CLOSED RIGHT NOW DUE TO COVID***
PLEASE CHECK BEFORE ADDING TO YOUR TRIP 😭😭😭😭
Definitely worth a stop! Can take you 20 minutes in the wind and snow, like us, or can take you an hour if you want to look around. Easy walking path leads to a nice boardwalk. Signs with descriptions by each imprint. Such a fun place to stop and it’s free!