Home Away Ranch 334 Sisterdale Road, Boerne, TX 78006

"Part 2 of my review... Then they tried to charge us labor for the fireworks. When we secured the fireworks she said she was able to get the price down because the people were going to do it as a side job “outside the company”. Now she was trying to charge me not only for labor, but she said they would set them off in the pasture and just move the horses to the other pasture. They wanted us to pay for 8 hours of labor to move the horses and clean up the bedding area. When we refused they moved the location of everything and didn’t tell anyone. We had to try to find it in the dark. Luckily nobody was hurt while walking down the dirt road trying to find the canopy. On Sunday (wedding day) I was pulled in all kinds of directions trying to finalize the details and on top of that Vicky & Micky were hounding me about the balance due. Every time I sat down to go over the final invoice, I got asked about more details and/or had to meet with someone about details. It was 1:45 (wedding is at 3) and I was drafting the email response indicating what we refused to pay when Vicky called and wanted to have a “sit down” discussion about it. I said “No, I haven’t even showered or brushed my teeth yet.” Vicky said they deserved to get paid and that she would call the police if we didn’t get it taken care of. My daughter was 10 feet away and heard the entire thing because I had her on speaker phone. I had my son go get my fiancé so I could tell him what just happened. I was so upset I wanted to throw up. I had less than an hour to get ready for my wedding, and ended up being late. We tried to put all this drama aside and make the best of the day. The next day I sent another email stating that we weren’t refusing to pay, just wouldn’t pay for the extra hidden charges. We also notified them they are not allowed to use any audio, video or pictures of our event for any purpose. Vicky had been taking pictures of everything, even when no one was there. Vicky had sent me a text wanting to “sit down and clear the air” before we left. I didn’t want to, so I ignored her message. When they got to the cabin and we were gone, they started spam calling me (I was driving). I refused to answer. Once we were home and settled I messaged her back. She was still pushing for us to pay all the invoice (except my parent’s cabin because they paid). Vicky said they would bite the cost on the Butterfly cabin and my response was that they should charge the people staying in it instead of us. Then she tried to guilt us saying that the money was for feeding the animals in the sanctuary. We held firm and said the final amount is all we were paying and if they charged us more, we would report it to the credit card company. I would NOT recommend booking this location for anything. They are two-faced liars that feel no remorse trying to take advantage of people. And who threatens the bride an hour before she’s supposed to walk down the aisle for their failure to plan???"

"If I could give them 0 stars I would. This is going to be long, but well worth your time to read the whole thing. I reached out to potentially book this location for my wedding on New Year’s Eve. I wanted a place that would be family orientated with accommodations within walking distance so if guests chose to drink, they could walk back to their room. It’s a pretty location and very peaceful (unless you don’t like roosters or donkeys). They offered a military discount (we did not ask for it) for us and all of our guests. We had a temporary hold on all the “cabins” located at the ranch for our guests, we agreed that after 120 days they would release the temporary hold for any cabins that weren’t booked. I wanted to have fireworks and had to pay in full, non-refundable, by July 4th. Once that was paid the only time they would respond was when it immediately benefitted them. I am far from demanding and a very compassionate & understanding person. Time after time there was either an animal “emergency” or Vicky was sick or they were out of the country visiting family or they were just busy on the ranch and couldn’t talk. I would call or text and either never get a response or get an excuse why she couldn’t talk. Vicky would say she’d get back to me but never would. All of my guests experienced the same communication problem. Only 4 of the 12 cabins were booked by my guests. Since they weren’t getting a response they booked hotels that cost them at least double what the cabin would have. Vicky was also very pushy about the details. She kept trying to get me to ride down the aisle on a horse or have a parrot on my shoulder. Then she wanted me to help purchase table cloths and chair covers, but her keep them. She kept pushing for them even after I told her I had already purchased the decorations. Then it was we can build an arch and put down fake grass, etc. I kept changing the subject back to booking the cabins and she would claim that they were reaching out but nobody was getting back to them. Starting in July I kept asking for an invoice of everything that was paid and what we needed to pay. I left voicemails, emails, text messages… got no response. Three weeks before the wedding we met to decide on champagne and that’s when they hit us with their proposal for tents, chairs, tables, etc. They tried to double charge for things, such as heaters, by putting them on two different invoices. We left that day with $4600 in charges. I was floored but we didn’t have much of an option. It was too close to the wedding to shop around. A few days later I get a message that they forgot the set-up fee of $350. I get the final invoice Friday late afternoon (wedding is on Sunday afternoon) when we are getting ready to leave for the bachelor/bachelorette party. Vicky kept calling and texting about details and payment which should have already been taken care of if they had communicated with us. I open the final invoice Saturday morning and it’s another $4600 in charges. To start they had the main cabin balance (expected), my parent’s cabin (my parents couldn’t get a hold of them to pay) and another cabin that’s attached to the main cabin (Butterfly). Originally, I thought my parents would like the Butterfly cabin, but they picked a different one. Then another guest booked it. They weren’t able to make it, but cancelled their reservation Nov 18th. So there was plenty of time for them to book it. Every time I mentioned it was available, she claimed she forgot. They tried to use our original agreement to charge me for it. On top of that, the people that cooked the BBQ for Saturday night were staying in it, but they were charging me for it. They also wanted to charge us an additional $400 for the space the tents were in, we never discussed this. Continued on Part 2."

"My family and I stayed in a cute farmhouse here for several weeks. The property has adorable goats that come running down the hillside every day. There are exotic birds, horses, chickens, donkeys, and a pot belly pig. Vickey and Mickey are incredible hosts with a wide range of talents - they made us incredible meals, took us horse back riding, played with our kids, and made our visit thoroughly enjoyable. If you are looking to get away for a weekend, or need a place to stay longer term, this is relaxing, charming oasis will take you away from everyday life."

"Vicky and Micky are the most welcoming and wonderful hosts! Beautifully appointed cabins (we rented 2), stunning grounds, memorable experiences with so many animals. But the best thing about Home Away Ranch is the fact that Vicky and Micky were there to meet our every need, even the ones we didn't know we had! Be sure to enjoy the outdoors, and avail yourselves of their chef and mixology skills! They are also excellent wine stewards, guest service perfectionists, and all-around wonderful people. When you stay there and enjoy making your lifelong memories, you will likely also make new friends with Vicky and Micky. You'll most certainly make friends with a few of the members of their huge, beautiful family of rescued animals. How often can you make this kind of an impact on animals' lives...by visiting paradise? I was lucky enough to have chosen this place to stay while I closed on my house in Upstate NY. It's one of my life's best decisions. Your turn."

"So much to say about this place, Vicky & Micky truly are the sweetest and can accommodate anything your heart desires. This place is really a " build your own experience " we enjoyed the chef's services for our champagne brunch & romantic evening dinner with all our favorite spirits on hand. Vicky is a certified blue plate chef who has attended culiary school in every country she's lived in ( including Le Cordon Bleu in Paris ) The animals are lovely too, especially horseback riding at sunset with my dear husband. Amazing to meet all the tropical birds & a rare arctic fox named Conan. We played tag with the emus & Micky even showed us how the chickens dance when he calls for them. Decided on taking a dip in the swim spa, we really did a little of everything. Such a great time filled with thrills, romance, laughter, indulgence, and relaxation. It was my birthday and it really caught me off guard that they surprised me with a birthday cake, it was in my favorite flavor too! ( Strawberry ). Needless to say, a touching and unforgettable experience with truly amazing & humble people. We'd come back here again & again!!!"