Don & Debbie Davis (830) 562-3650 3361 County Rd. 211 • Hondo, TX 78861 Email
We made the decision to discontinue offering AirBnB vacation rental of the
Longhorn Guest Cabin due to insurance headaches. We are more remote
than most Bandera/Tarpley/Utopia guest houses and our property does not
have live water or a swimming pool. That combination reduced the number
of bookings to the point the additional insurance premium exceeded the
advantge of rental income. The cabin remains our personal guest house for
friends and family.
The Seco Valley Ranch consists of 1883 low-fenced acres in the Hill Country
of Medina County, located 13 miles southwest of Tarpley, Texas. The terrain
varies from rough and brushy limestone hills to open pasture broken by live
oak motts with plenty of underbrush. The ranch is located on the Balcones
Escarpment where the Edwards Plateau oak and juniper savanna, meets the
South Texas Brush Country. Vegetation and wildlife are a mix of species
common to the two areas. Several wet-weather creeks run through the
property, and we provide wildlife watering sites spaced through eight
pastures.
dishes and stemware, and assorted cooking pans, casseroles, blender, mixer, toaster, etc. Bed and bath linens are provided, and a washer/drier are available for guest use. For your comfort, there is central air and heating, two ceiling fans in the great-room and one in each bedroom. The cabin is equipped with Wifi. There is not a reliable cell signal on the ranch, so we recommend you enable your smartphone to receive Wifi calling.
Birdwatching in this area, particularly in the late spring, is quite rewarding. We identified
over 75 species during the May 2020 Cornell Lab Global Birding Day, and we are amateurs.
Expect to see Painted Buntings, Vermillion Flycatchers, Lesser Goldfinches, Golden-Fronted
Woodpeckers and many more. This property and our beef production practices are
Audubon Certified Bird Friendly.
Tarpley:
Mac & Ernie's Roadside Eatery, a popular local gathering place in Tarpley, offers the finest in casual dining preparing lunch from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday and supper on Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m., Sunday lunch from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Visit their website for menu details and dates they are closed. Watch the episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (recorded before they moved to the larger location across the creek at 11804 FM 470). Episode of Goodtaste with Tanji in the new location.
Utopia:
The Laurel Tree in Utopia (13 miles), serves lunch and supper on Saturdays. This is a five-course destination fine dining experience. Reservations are required a minimum of two weeks in advance. The restaurant books up even farther out on Holiday weekends. Bring your own wine.
Lost Maples Café in Utopia is open 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., seven days per week.
Rosie's Taqueria Utopia is open 6:00 am - 3:00 pm M-F and sometimes on Saturdays.
The Lunchbox inside Utopia General Store serves sandwiches and burgers 11:00-3:00 Tuesday-Sunday
The new kid in town, The Deli Post, a coffee house, serves lunch Monday through Friday, 10:30-2:30.
Bandera, 25 miles to the northeast has multiple dining options, bars and dancehalls. However, we caution the 45-minute drive back to the cabin can be hazardous after dark due to high deer and other wildlife movement on the highways. Hondo, 27 miles to the southeast has multiple dining options as well. Quihi Gun Club and Dance Hall offers an authentic Texas nightlife experience, located 37 miles southeast near Hondo.
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Distance to the following sites:
Hill Country State Natural Area: 11.7 miles
Sabinal River in Utopia Park: 14.5 miles
Medina River in Bandera City Park: 25.8 miles
Garner State Park: 29 miles
Lost Maples State Natural Area: 41 miles
Distances in miles from thes
famous Texas communities:
Alberta 462
Athens 339
Atlanta 513
Berlin 212
Boston 497
Brunswick 350
China 336
Delhi 148
Ding Dong 177
Dublin 221
Edinburg 277
Egypt 269
Florence 169
Geneva 434
Germany 323
Havana 288
Iraan 248
Ireland 209
Italy 298
Las Vegas 109
London 112
Los Angeles 106
Miami 505
Moscow 349
Naples 475
New Sweden 165
New York 352
Odessa 329
Paris 443
Petersburg 392
Quebec 326
San Diego 175
Sidney 209
Siena 179
Stockholm 283
Sudan 429
Tokio 264
Toronto 328
Turkey 404
Venezuela 298
Verona 387
Washington 234
West Columbia 264
The Cabin
1 Queen bed & 1 Full-size futon couch in one bedroom, and 1 King bed in the other
2 Baths with showers, but they do not adjoin bedrooms. (Guest soaps, towels, hair-driers, and first-aid supplies included.)
2 Fireplaces (free firewood)
Fully equipped kitchen (cookware, spices & seasonings, coffee, basics; flour, sugar, baking powder & soda, vinegars, olive oil, and fresh eggs from resident chickens). Bring your own perishable condiments.
Coffee maker
Central air & heat
Ceiling fans in Bedrooms and Great Room
Front Deck, Back Porch, Outdoor Seating
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Amenities
Charcoal grill
HD Satellite TV
High Speed Wifi
Reverse Osmosis Tap
Plentiful birds and wildlife
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Details
Maximum of five guests allowed
NO FIREWORKS, FIREARMS or ATV's
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This area is quiet and condusive for a writers retreat, Plein air painting, birdwatching, wildlife photography, equestrians (BYOH), off-trail hiking, and moutain biking. 2023 Bird Count
This cabin is appropriate for adults. The yard is fenced. Well-behaved, supervised dogs are welcome. Please review our Hold Harmless agreement. Livestock (including free-roaming chickens), barn-cats and wildlife frequent the area around the cabin, so dog guests must be confined to the fenced yard and on-leash hikes only. This is a non-smoking facility.
The great room features two opposing stone fireplaces, a living area with
DirecTV and a dining area. The kitchen is equipped with a restored 1950's
Frigidaire electric range and modern conveniences of retro refrigerator,
microwave, dishwasher, two coffeemakers (drip with burr grinder and French
press), which we ask you only fill both with water from the filtered reverse
osmosis tap at the kitchen sink, full sets of indoor and non-breakable outdoor
Ranch roads and cattle trails provide ample space to explore on horseback, mountain bike or hiking. We ask guests leave gates the way they found them (open or closed). Thi is critical to the wellbeing of our livestock. Leaving a closed gate open may cause cattle to roam into the wrong pasture. Inadvertently closing an open gate could prove deadly to livestock if they are closed off from access to water. Tours of the longhorn herd are available upon request. Our side-by-side ATV can accommodate 4 adults.
