BEE CAVE ROAD BOUTIQUE HOTEL SET TO OPEN IN NOVEMBER
Vicki Bly said she was taking her youngest daughter to middle school when she spied a for-sale sign on about 3 acres off Bee Cave Road, near West Ridge Middle School. The timing was perfect as the mother of four children and former owner of the Bremond House Bed and Breakfast in downtown Austin was looking for her next project.
That was three years ago. Now, teamed up with daughter Sydney Sue, Bly is slated to open the Wayback Cafe and Cottages on the wooded, hilly setting at 9601 Bee Cave Road by Nov. 1.
The project will feature eight cottages ranging from 350 to 450 square feet and will house various bed configurations, including a queen bed with two twin beds, two twin beds for mother-daughter weekends and a queen bed cottage with a fireplace sporting a romantic ambiance, Sue said. The units are available for nightly rental as well as collectively for weddings and large events, she said.
“We designed (the cottages) around our family trips growing up,” Sue said.
The linens used in the cottages are organic and the furnishings lean toward vintage, Bly said. Named to evoke a feeling of a more relaxed time, she said the site is created with the mindset of “a small retreat,” boasting a saltwater pool, cabana and fire pit.
“We really tried to focus on making it really special, comfortable, natural and classic,” Sue said.
The front of the property will offer busy motorists a drive-through coffee hut; a café serving breakfast, lunch and dinner; and an outdoor patio — both open to the public, an aspect Bly said was the main focus of the venture.
An annual membership — the Cabana Club — is available to neighborhood residents will entitle signees to use of the facilities.
“It’s right in the middle of everything,” Bly said of the project. “We’re going to keep it casual and have small plates, appetizers and a little bit of wine and beer in the evening. And we think it will be a gathering place.”
Other businesses new to Westlake
■ The Tree House opened last week in the Village of Westlake shopping center, 701 S. Capital of Texas Highway, Suite D480, West Lake Hills. The shop, which also maintains a booth at Wimberley Market Days, sells antiques, furniture, chalk paint, clothing and gift items.
■ Colombia, South America-based Vink Boutique opened July 15 in Westlake Square, 3636 Bee Cave Road, Suite 102, West Lake Hills. Owned by Vivian Celedon, the store offers work and casual designer clothing, jewelry, gifts and handmade bags from Colombia, Italy and the United States. Vink also has a complimentary personal shopper service.
■ Waterloo Capital Management will relocate its headquarters Sept. 22 from 301 Congress Ave., Suite 120, Austin, to the Terrace, 2700 Via Fortuna Drive, Building 2, Suite 100. With Westlake resident John Chatmas serving as the company’s majority shareholder, the organization provides financial services, including traditional wealth management, asset management, financial planning and support for outside financial advisers.