The Mt. Gainor Inn is located in Dripping Springs, Texas, between Austin and San Antonio. It is in the “hill country,” as the owners call it, and is on 23 acres of land. The bed and breakfast has 5 different rooms and 1 suite. Two of the rooms are separate from the main house and are in independent cottages. With a deck that has umbrellas and tables, a pavilion with hammocks, lounge chairs, and a jacuzzi, and walking trails, there is a variety of things for guests to do on the property. There is breakfast provided for guests who request it. The breakfast is delivered directly to the guests’ rooms. The owners hope that guests can feel relaxed and decompressed during their stay. In an attempt to produce this environment, they try to make their property quiet and clean.
On 23 acres of land, 1300 ft above sea level, the Mt. Gainor Inn is located in the small town of Dripping Springs, Texas. The establishment is located just over 30 miles west of Austin and about 70 miles northeast of San Antonio, Texas. As part of the hill country it also overlooks, the bed and breakfast can be considered a rural property, which can provide guests with a relatively quiet getaway from the urban areas. It has a two-story main house with three rooms and a suite, and two extra cottages, that provide two additional rooms on the property. Outside the buildings, there are two main areas for the inn's visitors to spend time. These two areas are the outdoor deck with umbrellas and tables, and the pavilion, which has hammocks, lounge chairs, and an outdoor jacuzzi.
The Mt. Gainor Inn has a total of 5 different rooms and 1 suite. In the main house, there are two rooms on the first floor and another room and suite on the second floor. The rooms in the main house are the Veranda, the Hideaway, the Garden Room, and the La Posada Suite. Each of the two cottages has another separate room. These two rooms are the Side Oats Cottage and the Mt. Laurel Cottage. The Mt. Laurel Cottage has no steps and has a larger shower, making it more accessible than the others rooms for guests with limited mobility. The bed and breakfast offers the chance for guests to reserve one room or the whole property. Amenities for the patrons include luxury linens, private baths, hairdryers, soft robes, soaps and shampoos, freshly ground coffee, private porches, and a mini-fridge and microwave.
The inn provides breakfast for those who request it. Breakfast is served by being brought to the room and comes at an additional cost. Options for breakfast include orange tarragon French toast with a side of sausage, yogurt, scrambled eggs, fruit, and fresh-squeezed orange juice, or Argentine breakfast empanadas for lighter breakfasts. If the patrons have any dietary restrictions, they will need to inform the owner beforehand, and the bed and breakfast will try to accommodate it in ways such as substituting ingredients or preparing different dishes. The inn also tries to offer homemade picnic lunches for the visitors to buy during their stay. Additionally, they can purchase homemade Argentine empanadas and roasted coffee. All of the vegetables are grown by the inn, and in general, they strive to use mostly organic ingredients in the food they prepare.
Near the Mt. Gainor Inn are numerous attractions and restaurants. These attractions include Driftwood Vineyards, Hawk’s Shadow Winery, and Solaro Estate Winery. The Desert Door Texas Sotol distillery, Dripping Springs distillery, Pedernales State Park, Reimer’s Ranch, Texas Trail Riders for horseback riding, and various road bike trails are also available for guests to visit. Additionally, nearby restaurants include the Salt Lick Barbecue, Tillie’s, Time and Dough, and Trattoria Lisina.
The owners of the property, Laurie and Jerry, made the motto for the property, “Life is good at Mt. Gainor Inn.” They aim to help visitors feel "relaxed and decompressed" during their stay. Laurie and Jerry try to give their guests plenty of privacy and don’t interact much with them unless the patrons want to. They also attempt to be available to any guests who may need help. A fair amount of people who have stayed at the inn have commented that the property is “quiet and clean.”
Important policies for the Mt. Gainor Inn include the prohibition of children, pets, and smoking, though the latter of the three is possible in designated areas. There is no specific quiet time for the bed and breakfast because the expectation for patrons is that they will be quiet and respectful during their stay. The establishment is open year-round and puts on various events. They have events for the Austin Cycling Association, and they also do rehearsal dinners and birthday parties, though parties have an extra charge.
The guests who stay at the inn vary in age from 20 to 80 years old and are mainly couples. Visitors come and stay for reasons that include honeymoons, anniversaries, birthdays, and engagements. The owners say that the property is “more quiet and romantic,” meaning that big frat parties are not typical for the inn. Most guests find out about the Mt. Gainor Inn from word of mouth or they are repeat guests. One guest said about the bed and breakfast, “We had a lovely stay here. We were late arriving, but Jerry greeted us with a smile. He's very knowledgeable about the area and gave us suggestions on where to visit and dine.” Another guest said the inn was “comfortable and quiet.”
After Jerry and Laurie had bought the property, a friend of theirs gave them a family home in 2000 and they then moved onto the property. That home was 110 years old, and Jerry and Laurie quickly renovated it. After this, in 2001, kids from a friend of theirs came and stayed on the property to do studies. After their studies, they told their friends about the property, word quickly spread, and Jerry and Laurie made the property into a bed and breakfast.
Laurie and Jerry currently don’t have any plans to change the Mt. Gainor Inn in the future. They hope to start a bed and breakfast in Costa Rica while still running the inn in Texas as well. Laurie and Jerry have traveled to various places of the world and they use their experiences from their travels to improve their inn.
2390 Prochnow Rd
Dripping Springs, Texas 78620
United States
Bed and Breakfast
Laurie and Jerry
