Lone Star Court

Vintage Texan-style charm, gracious service, a live music venue on the premises: it’s all not unusual to find all of these among boutique hotels in Austin. But the owners of Lone Star Court committed even more wholeheartedly to a specifically Texan idiom. “Court,” in this case, refers to a motor court — the precursor to the American motel, offering family-friendly roadside accommodations to motorists during its mid-century heyday. The retro inspiration is apparent from the minute you roll up to the hotel’s entrance, an antique auto parked outside, a glowing neon sign pointing you towards reception.

The hotel, located in The Domain, is set up like an old motor court would have been, with guest rooms set around a grassy central yard with a swimming pool. There’s plenty of outdoor space, including poolside lounge space, a series of fire pits, and the al fresco tables outside the Feed Store, the hotel’s very own food truck. Equally inviting are Lone Star Court’s quirky, colorful guest rooms. The look is Hill Country with a hipster twist: knotted pine decor and cowhide desk chairs, deer horn lamps and braided rugs, metal headboards and granite countertops, a sliding barn door separating the bathroom from the sleeping area. And then there’s one of the more unique amenities we’ve seen: each room has an old-fashioned SMEG refrigerator stocked with an honor bar, the classic fixings charmingly arranged in a vintage bottle crate. Go ahead, fix yourself a drink — your private porch, furnished with a couple of rocking chairs, is the perfect place to sip it. All rooms feature custom Valencia beds with Egyptian cotton sheets, 42-inch LED TVs, and eco-friendly bath products by LATHER.

Continental breakfast is complimentary at Lone Star Court, enjoyed, naturally, at long picnic tables in a chic glass-walled space facing the pool. There’s the Feed Store for a mid-day pulled pork sandwich, as well as a second food truck option — like the Cupcaking Desire Bakery, a local favorite — that the hotel invites to roll up to Lone Star Court on a rotating basis. But what would an Austin boutique hotel be without a killer music venue? The court's got you covered: the Water Trough goes gourmet Texan cuisine and, yes, cocktails with names like “the Chill Cowboy” served in Mason jars, as well as a busy line-up of live music, from alt-country to bluegrass. The motor court might be a vestige of gentler days gone by, but a place like this conjures up some serious nostalgia for vintage Americana: and you’ll be glad that, unlike the road-trippers of yesteryear, you’re not just passing through for a quick overnight.