Woodlands Resort & Conference Center Stay & Play Review

Nestled under the tall southeast Texas Pines is one of the best resorts in Texas - The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center in The Woodlands about 30 minutes north of Houston. We stayed at the resort as a part of a four day ninety hole golfing vacation and we were impressed with the accommodations, amenities, and the three courses that are available for play when you stay at The Woodlands Resort. You can learn more about this fun trip by reading our South East Texas Golfing Vacation article.

Accommodations

For lodging you have a few choices. We stayed in the Fairway Pines complex that has rooms that surround the Forest Oasis and overlook the first and 18th hole of Panther Trail Golf Course. Our room was on the third floor and had a view of the first tee box of Panther Trail golf course - watching some of the other guests tee off and drive straight into the water on one side of the fairway or the woods on the other or into the natural waste area, made me want to run over to the pro shop, buy some more Callaways and spend some time on the driving range. Our room was a standard hotel type room with a king bed and all the amenities you would expect - mini refrigerator, coffee maker, hair dryer, comfy pillows and mattress, iron, internet connection, and small desk. The Woodlands Resort offered a variety of different packages (golf, enchanted romance, family of four, shopping, romance, and more) at reasonable rates. When we stayed in May 2009 prices for the packages ranged from $159 to $399 per night. For example, they had a "Family of Four Package" with deluxe accommodations, full breakfast, half day bike rental, in room movie, and full access to sauna, steam room, whirlpool, fitness center, and the pools. Or one of the Golf Packages which included deluxe accommodations, full breakfast each day, 36 holes of golf on Panther Trail and The Oaks, unlimited access to all practice facilities, range balls, club cleaning and storage, and unlimited access to the Fitness Center and Forest Oasis Waterscape.

Amenities

The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center sits on 350 acres of natural forest with over 200 different species of trees and the Resort has done a fantastic job of weaving the facilities into the natural setting. We enjoyed our stay at The Woodlands because of all the amenities and things to do, some of which include:

over 145 miles of trails through the forest for walking/running or biking (bike rentals are available if you didn't bring your bike) and bird watching 21 indoor and outdoor tennis courts, including some clay courts which are a lot of fun to play on - if you need some coaching or lessons, 4 certified tennis professionals are available to help multiple pools, including the cool Forest Oasis Waterscape which includes a great pool with a volleyball net and basketball hoop, a three story dual water slide, pop fountains, 3-D underwater mural with music, and the Coolwater Cafe a comfortable Lobby Bar with a big screen TV, baby grand player piano, fantastic outdoor deck with tables overlooking Lake Harrison, and an adjoining game room features pool tables, shuffleboard and more multiple restaurants including the full service Woodlands Dining Room with an excellent breakfast buffet and a great deck overlooking the lake, a water fountain, and the 18th hole of The Oaks Course and, of course, the Spa and 36 holes of outstanding golf

My only regret from our stay at The Woodland Resort is that there was no time to drag my sore and tired body (you try playing 90 holes in 4 days when you're my age!) over to the Spa for a refreshing and relaxing massage. The Spa offers saunas, eucalyptus steam rooms, and whirlpool hot tubs and a variety of treatments and services.

If you are planning a corporate retreat, reunion, or wedding (congratulations!), The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center is a perfect venue. You'll find full catering services, multiple wedding venue sites, banquet rooms, 60,000 square feet of meeting space, all the latest audio/video/electronic gear you'll need, and the services needed to make everything go smoothly.

Golf

But we were staying at the Woodlands Resort and Conference Center to enjoy one of their outstanding golf courses - Panther Trail. When you stay at the Resort, you can play the private Oaks Course or Panther Trail - both are adjacent to the lobby. We played the Oaks Course late last year and really enjoyed it. The Oaks is more of a traditional style golf course - generous fairways, what you see is what you get, large greens, plenty of bunkers, and challenging but fair. The course was redesigned in 1999 by Jay Morrish & Associates and named after the majestic towering oaks that line each fairway.

When we played the course, both fairways and greens, were in near perfect condition. What makes the Oaks challenging are the greens and huge green side bunkers. The large greens (averaging 4500 square feet) are rolling, undulating, and fast - some are even elevated. Most of the greens are very well protected with large bunkers with soft white sand.

At over 7000 yards from the tips, with a slope of 131, the Oaks Course is no slouch and you'll need to focus to score well. You'll find some fun and beautiful holes, including the finishing hole as it winds its way along Lake Harrison to the green and resort. Read our review of The Oaks Course to see some pictures and learn more about this fun course.

When we stayed at The Woodlands Resort in May, we played Panther Trail and loved it - fun, challenging, scenic, and in excellent condition. You'll find lots of lots of stuff on Panther Trail to make this a fun and challenging round - dog legs, split fairways, risk reward shots, sloping greens, water on 12 holes, over 47 bunkers, and even an island green. #15 is an example, a par 4 whose split, multi-level fairway presents a multitude of head-scratching club choices as it doglegs sharply to the left on the way to the green. To learn more, read our review of Panther Trail

In addition to two fantastic golf courses, The Woodlands resort has excellent practice facilities, a 2,500 square foot, full-service pro shop stocked with the latest apparel and equipment from the best-known names in golf, an outside bar and grill, plus the full bar and restaurant above the pro shop which overlooks the putting green, lake, and 18th hole of The Oaks Course. We were very impressed with the service - friendly, helpful, and attentive.

And after 18 holes of golf in the Houston humidity or a few sets of tennis, it doesn't get much better than enjoying the Forest Oasis pool, hot tub, and one (or two) of the Coolwater Cafe's signature frozen margaritas. During the summer, you can munch on s'moores, sip a cold drink, and watch movies under the stars beside the pool.

Nearby Activities

If you need to escape or have the time to explore, the Resort located close to a lot of fun things to see and do, some of which include:

check out the The Woodlands Mall which is within 5 minutes and has over 460 upscale shops, plenty of restaurants, and fun nightlife. The water taxi provides a short scenic ride around the mall and is a good way to get to some of the restaurants. go visit Old Town Spring, a historic 1900's railroad town with lots of history, quaint antique shops, restaurants, and more rent one of the bikes at the Resort and bike the over 145 miles of easy trails through the mall, pines, and around the parks and Lake Woodlands head northwest a few miles and enjoy Lake Conroe for fishing, skiing/boarding, dinner and dancing on the water, or just cruising around the lake - read our review of Lake Conroe to lean more or to find a fishing guide or boat to rent zip on down to Houston - it's got something for everyone spend an evening or afternoon enjoying one of the fabulous events that are typically playing at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Have fun.

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