You’re probably here because your bestie decided she wants her bachelorette to be in Austin. Amazing, you and all your gal pals will have the best time spoiling the bride to be! In this blog post I have every detail included, from the house that was big enough to fit 12+ people, the boat we rented on lake Travis (how we shuttled to and from), restaurants, bars, party favors, and more!
It’s a one stop shop for everything you need to shower your girl with all the love, and a good time!
*At the bottom of this post, I made a check list for you to use for all your bachelorette planning needs. And wrote out the itinerary we followed, to fit it all in *
Austin Airbnb:
Finding a house in Austin that was conveniently located, had room for 12 people, decently priced, and cute.. was a bit of a task. Sure hotel rooms may have been easier, but then there was no community area for everyone to hang out.
This house had the perfect lay out to host a bachelorette, with an open kitchen, dining, and living area. It had 5 bedrooms with 9 beds, and 3 full bathrooms. It also included parking, if you happen to rent a car. Bonus, if it’s not scorching hot, there’s a little outdoor patio, and photo op in the yard.
This Airbnb wasn’t outrageous, but it wasn’t cheap. Let’s be real, accommodating 12+ people in a cute home, comfortably, isn’t going to be cheap.
We paid $4,496 for two nights. I will say over $700 of that was in service fees, and there was a $104 dollar cleaning fee (which is not bad for this size place). The house is listed for anywhere from $300-500 a night, depending when you go. However, they charge extra per person, added to the reservation. In the end it ended up being $408 a person, including covering the brides costs. Click here to check out the Airbnb we booked!
Now we’re here for honesty, so I’ll give it to you straight. While this house was perfect for what we needed, there were a few minor things we didn’t love. In my opinion, there were a few spots in the house that could have been cleaned a bit better. I did inform the host, so hopefully those little areas are improved for the next guests. Annnnnnd location. It was close to all of the areas one wants to visit while in Austin, but not close enough to walk. If you book this stay, just plan on taking a few Ubers.
Bachelorette Party Favors and Decor:
I cannot take the credit for all this magic. But the maid of honor, hit the ball outta the park with this one. She created the cutest party favor boxes, and had the house decorated to perfection! Etsy has everything you could possibly need for a bachelorette. We had it all from the heart shaped sunnies, matching tumblers, to Venmo bracelets, and hangover kits.
We even brought the groom with us ;). I found these amazing head cutouts, and tattoos, that everyone got a kick out of.
As I mentioned, the maid of honor killed it with the party favors, but she also decorated this house to the nine. Here’s some ideas to use while planning your own babes bachelorette. She had us all send her a few of our favorite photos with the bride, printed them out, and clothes pinned them on a string. It made such a sweet and sentimental statement in the room. The balloon arch, rodeo banners, and rose gold everything, made for the perfect photo wall in the living room!
It’s the little things, like matching sunnies, and memories that will make your bride feel that much more special. Be extra for your bestie!
Fun in the sun:
The bride wanted a boat, the bride got a boat! We all know Texas is HOTT, so getting out on the water for a few hours was the perfect activity for this quick bachelorette trip.
We rented from Luxury Boat Rentals. Our contact was Matt Rinella, you can reach him at Matt@harborsiderentals.com. They were amazing to work with, had a clean boat for us to enjoy, and a great captain (that was willing to take a million group photos for us).
Now when it comes to renting a boat, there’s quite a few options out there. You want a slide? A double decker? A floating bar? They have it all on lake Travis. We went simple and got the pontoon, with a lily pad. It was all we really needed for a few hours of fun in the sun.
Once you get on the boat, it was about a 15 minute ride to party cove. The captain tied us up next to another boat, and it’s pretty much a free for all. We met tons of other people celebrating all the things in life.
My best advice, along with bringing a cooler full of cold beverages… is to bring snacks!! Being in the hot sun while drinking is a slippery slope, if you feel like making it out later on. We had a meat, cheese and cracker platter, and fruit to snack on.
Shuttle to and from Lake Travis:
Getting to and from lake Travis is somewhat inconvenient. Ive heard trying to Uber there and back is an absolute nightmare. I would recommend planning ahead and booking this shuttle service. It’s quite pricey coming in at $450 for all 12 of us, but we got to and from lake Travis with no issues. Our driver was even happy to stop along the way to buy more drinks, and use the bathroom.
Eli was super friendly, and helpful. You can reach him at 512-269-8972 or here!
Party Places:
Another thing you must consider when roaming Austin with 12 babes by your side is, who will seat a party of this size. Do we need reservations, or not? What restaurants and bars should you spend your time at?
Well Austin has a few different areas to consider..
South Congress-
A great area to grab brunch, walk, and shop around.
- Cafe No Sé – Super cute, friendly staff, indoor and outdoor seating. We did not have reservations.
- Perlas – Great outdoor patio for drinks and appetizers.
- Sips and Sweets Café – The BEST coffee I’ve ever had. Cold brew with almond milk, and coconut cream foam. It’s a cafe in Kendra Scott, with the cutest patio & macaroons. You need!
- Soco Vintage Pop up – Amazing array of everything from vintage Levis, honey and jam, to jewelry. Only on Fridays and Saturdays on South Congress Ave.
- Stich and Stone – My favorite pop up! Sweetest gals with the most beautiful dainty jewelry.
- Limbo – A store with cute little knick knacks, jewelry, sunnies, and souvenirs.
Rainey Street-
This may be a spot you’ve heard of, and will most likely be wandering here if you’re heading to Austin. Especially if you’re going for a bachelorette!
- Unbarlievable – This seems to be the place to be! & they have a slide!
- Lucille – Big patio and bar area. Cute photo wall outside, as you walk in!
- Day and Night Food Truck Park – Get the pulled pork taco with a side of smoked gouda Mac and cheese at Gebby’s BBQ. OMG I still dream of that taco. There are so many options here, perfect for a group so everyone can get what they want!
Downtown Austin-
- Rustic Tavern – Big outdoor bar with live music.
- Wax Myrtle’s – Upscale dining in a beautiful hotel restaurant. We had reservations, and they gave us our own room!
This may be silly, but it may also save you. Especially if you are hungover at the airport, and need something to eat before you hop on a flight. Stop by Peached Tortilla in Hippie and Hops at the airport for tacos! They had the best Asian inspired tacos. And I see they have multiple locations all over Austin!
I posted a question box on Instagram, a few days before the trip and had some really great recommendations. These are the spots we never made it too, but came highly recommended.
- Vera Cruz Tacos – Authentic Mexican food, smoothies, and juice.
- Kitty Cohen’s – Cocktail lounge and patio bar
- Matts El Rancho – Tex-Mex
- Uchi– Sushi
- Terry Blacks – BBQ
- Salt Lick – BBQ
- Barton Greenbelt Creek – Swim, hike, outdoor fun.
- Barton Springs pool
- Lastly, I was told to go watch the bats fly at night on Congress Ave Bridge. I actually really want to see this, so I will make sure it happens on my next trip!
Your man said…
So this game was one the bride absolutely loved, it included the groom, and it was just the sweetest thing to watch. The maid of honor video chatted the groom and recorded it. She asked him about 20 questions, then we asked the bride those same questions.
We had a dry erase board for the bride to write her answers on, before we would play the grooms response. Our girl did so good! Answering most questions the same way the groom did.
Some of the questions asked were…
- Where was your first kiss?
- What is the brides ideal date?
- Where is the craziest place you did the dirty?
- Boob or butt guy?
- Celeb crush?
- How many kids?
- Name the last movie that made the bride cry?
(Our Airbnb was the perfect spot to gather for this. Big comfy couch fitting all the babes, and large TV screen to stream the grooms responses.)
The Itinerary:
Thursday: Some babes flew in to decorate, food shop, and prepare.
Friday:
- Bride and crew arrive early
- Brunch at Cafe No Sé
- Shop around South Congress
- Drinks and bites at Perlas
- Back to the Airbnb to get ready
- 8:45 Dinner at Wax Myrtle’s
- Rustic Tavern & bars
- Uber home and play “Your man said…”
Saturday:
- Breakfast at the Airbnb
- Shuttle pickup at 10:30am
- Lake Travis Boat rental 12-4pm
- Back to the Airbnb to get ready
- Denim night on Rainey Street
- Unbarlivable, Lucille’s & food trucks.
Sunday: Depart
Your turn!
I know it’s overwhelming to plan a bachelorette. Making sure you woo the bride, keeping all the gals happy, and trying not to completely break the bank. With this guide you can check all the boxes, and really spoil your bestie! I hope this eases a bit of the stress, and gets you excited for your trip to Austin.
