BY MIKE PUCKETT

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La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa, the ultimate Texas retreat, is located on beautiful Lake Conroe about an hour north of downtown Houston.  This fabulous retreat has all the amenities including golf, tennis courts, a spa and various restaurants catering to all tastes.  Kids will enjoy the awesome on-site water park, miniature golf and arcade. Whether you’re in town on business, on a romantic getaway or enjoying a relaxing, fun-filled vacation with the kids; La Torretta Lake Resort and Spa is the perfect place to stay!

La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa has all types of accommodations – from standard suites to cottages and villas. Everything you need is right on-site.  You can literally check in and never touch your keys again! The resort has some great restaurants and is just a 10-minute drive from Conroe where you’ll find many more. There’s a Wal-Mart just minutes from the resort – handy if you happen to forget something or just need a snack for the mini-fridge in your room.

We stayed in the Lake View Suites on the 20^th floor. It’s hard to find words to describe the view; morning, day or night – the view from the balcony was absolutely breathtaking. Though it hardly does it justice, the photography will give you an idea. This spacious, 600-square-foot suite was very comfortable and the bathroom was enormous. Our suite had two nice-sized flat screens, one in the living area and another in the bedroom. Large, sliding glass doors were a feature in both the living area and the bedroom, making our suite the perfect place to watch the sunset.

Although the room was so beautiful and comfortable that I could have relaxed there all day, we went out each day to explore and take in all the amenities the resort had to offer. The first day we played 18 holes of golf. Our stay was in August, which is probably not the best time to be out swinging clubs in the Texas heat! But this beautiful golf course is surrounded by stately shade trees so we found ourselves in the shade most of the time. Take a look at my review of the La Torretta Golf Club HERE. The club house has a small restaurant, a bar and a pro section where you can get any equipment you might need. The staff is very friendly and eager to help. We thoroughly enjoyed our day of golf.

That evening, we went to check out the Lakeside Restaurant & Bar which, oddly enough, is by the lake, ha! The restaurant is beautiful, the wine list is awesome and the dining experience is just amazing! This establishment comes highly recommended.  I suggest you dine at the Chef’s table in the kitchen, as we did. This service comes at no extra cost, but you need to reserve in advance. You can see my full review of the Lakeside Restaurant & Bar HERE. After our meal, we settled down on the sandy beaches which run up to the lake and enjoyed watching a spectacular fireworks show. This wasn’t your average run-of-the-park show, it must have lasted at least 15 minutes! What a beautiful cap to a great day here at the La Torretta Resort. We spent the next day at the Aqua Park, a fabulous summer playground featuring multiple pools: a Lazy River, a Breeze Buster pool, a 6,400 sq. ft Mediterranean Pool, and a big pool for adults. Kids will love the Splash Scape pool equipped with an in-water playground as well as the Polywags pool which is perfectly suited for the little ones. We enjoyed soaking in the Upper Pool, an adult pool with infinity edges where we could sit back, relax and sip a cocktail. The Aqua Park is definitely THE place to hang to escape the Texas summer heat!

After a long, stressful day at the pool (did you catch my sarcasm?) we headed over to the Spa for a massage. The large windows at the front of this beautiful spa provide a wonderful view of the lake and hotel, as you can see by the photography. The Spa provides Massages, Facial Treatments, Wraps, Manicures, Pedicures, Salon Services, Men’s Haircuts and a Barber Service.

You can read my Full Review of the Spa HERE. That evening, we got to try the wonderful sushi that other guests were raving about. Yoi Sushi at the La Torretta Resort has wonderful views from every section and the food is unbelievably good! The sushi was extremely fresh, the specialty cocktails were over the top, and so were the desserts. You’ll find my Full Review of the Yoi Sushi HERE.   Our stay at La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa was just what I needed. Sometimes, we Houstonians forget just how close Lake Conroe is to home. This beautiful area and, more importantly, relaxing resort, is the perfect weekend getaway – without all the travel time. A stay at this wonderful lake resort was exactly what the doctor ordered!

PHOTOGRAPHY: MIKE PUCKETT