A Land Flowing With Milk, Honey &… Healing
WHERE IS MILK & HONEY RANCH?
The ranch is located about an hour from Houston or Austin and a few hours from Dallas. Easy day trips into Burton, Brenham or Round Top take about fifteen minutes. This area of Texas continues to be a fave road trip of mine! I found this to be a perfect getaway from the city…a peaceful yet exciting destination to reimagine what life is all about. The Milk & Honey Ranch strives to not only be an unparalleled fun adventure, but educational in showing guests that it’s not just a stay…it’s an experience!
WHAT TO EXPECT An authentic hands-on farm experience while staying in luxury resort-style accommodations and amenities. Milk & Honey Ranch has 54 explorable acres with around 400 animals! It’s a sustainable, organic lifestyle. After you book online, you’ll receive instructions for a contactless check-in. Upon arrival (watch closely for the ranch entrance…this property is very secluded) follow the signs to your accommodations and you’ll be welcomed in your room by an info booklet and a basket containing honey from the ranch and either sourdough bread or a little carton of pastel eggs that are almost too pretty to eat!
ACCOMMODATIONS This adventure introduced me to something new…staying in a white glamping dome! There are three with various decor to choose from. So fun!! Each dome has its own restroom just a few steps away on the private deck. The luxury showers have partially frosted glass as an outside wall, so the surrounding trees are your POV. Fully-equipped with air conditioning, mini fridge, coffee bar, and plush furnishings including glam lighting and mirrors, flatscreen and a cowhide rug. In the glamping area you’ll find a nice laundry room, plenty of lounging chairs, an outdoor grill, and a hot tub. It feels private and secluded as it is nestled beside a heavily wooded area for a luxe yet rustic experience. Just steps away from the beach! There are plenty of golf carts to use for your stay, so park your vehicle and explore in the cart. If you want more of a resort home experience, rent a casita or cabin. All of them have well-appointed kitchens and overlook the lake. If you need more than a couple of rooms…rent the “hotel” with four bedrooms or the lodge. Feeling adventurous? Try staying in the Treehouse! Want to throw an extraordinary event? Rent the whole farm! Whichever accommodations you choose, you’ll want to take the time to select some experiences before your arrival.
THE EXPERIENCE: MENUS FOR FUN, FOOD & GIFTS ONLINE At least 24 hours before your trip, you’ll want to take a look online at milkandhoneyranch.com to peruse the menu of fun experiences, farm-to-table meals, food items from the ranch, and branded gift items that are available! Monica and her husband, Hugo manage the ranch and are both bright lights and full of smiles. Arrange a golf cart tour with Monica! Expect one of their darling kids and possibly a dog or two to jump in with you. Help them be prepared for you in advance and curate your visit by pre-selecting things you want to make sure are available for your stay-and-play excursion. Rentals include jet skis, paddle boards, canoes, fishing gear, e-bikes, etc. The local businesses in the oh-so-quaint surrounding Texas towns have hours that vary from day-to-day and can change at a moment’s notice. I recommend that you call ahead before you make the drive into town. Make certain that you plan ahead for meals. Either book your meals, desserts, or specialty drinks online with the ranch, bring your own food and drinks and plan to prepare it yourself, or pay close attention to restaurant hours as they are at least 15-20 minutes away. Bring a cooler and order farm-raised organic food online ahead of time to take home. There are additional experiences you can add like private full-body massages, charcuterie workshops, or bath bomb/shower steamer workshops. Check their online calendar for special events, concerts, dinners and weekend themes. You are out in the country and will feel very remote, but there are plenty of activities to keep you busy or just simply relax.
ACTIVITIES INCLUDED WITH YOUR STAY There is a large resort-style pool (“Hey Alexa…turn the fire feature on”) with a hot tub, sand volleyball, trampoline, a fully-equipped gym, and a bottomless candy and snack room. Relax in a hammock and enjoy the pretty landscaping and the string lights at night. There are gorgeous flowers all around the property and lots of butterflies. After I returned from my trip, I immediately purchased a Lily of the Nile (Agapanthas) after enjoying their “atomic” blooms in the glamping area. The large blue pond has a Beach Club with cabanas, decks, tables, grills, and fire pits. This summer, the newest building on the property will be complete. The plan is to have a gathering area, cafe, spa, and conference room. Also included at Milk & Honey are plenty of sunsets, incredible views, hiking trails with many areas to explore and…of course…there’s the animals!
THE FARM ANIMALS For me…it was all about the authentic feeling of being at a peaceful faraway farm with all those animals to interact with and photograph! Pulling into the property, I loved being greeted by all the animated goats, peacocks, and the turkeys (The Three Stooges) and they all have a lot of personality. Most of the animals have fitting names and they are characters! Penny, the Highland cow, is a farm favorite and you can arrange a photo session with her. There are cows, a longhorn, donkeys, horses, pigs, guinea fowl, ducks, chickens, roosters, dogs, cats, and more. Oh yes…and bees! You will love the honey. This is a lifestyle waiting to be shared with you!
THE BACKSTORY Brent Phillips found this gem of a property in 2021. The land needed a lot of work as it was undeveloped. At first he envisioned it to be a family getaway from Houston for himself, his wife, Daniela, and their children. But God. He seemed to have other plans. After much preparation, and a year of hard work, the ranch was ready, but the Phillips family felt led to share their blessing with others. They were compelled to stir the love of nature in others and offer a relaxing place to deepen relationships and have fun adventures. I first discovered Milk & Honey Ranch on social media and was immediately taken in by the delightful reels and images of the ranch, the family, and the animals back in December and successfully reached out to them for a Wander Edit visit. Fast forward a month later to January 8th of this year — Daniela was in a tragic car accident. Along with other prayer warriors from all over, we have watched daily, for months, as Daniela has been healing and being restored physically and mentally. It’s been nothing short of a miracle! Brent documented each day’s progress and never lost hope or humor. As scary as this has been to witness, you can also enjoy how warm, sincere and entertaining he has been with Daniela by his side. I was able to meet him briefly during my recent stay and he’s just as friendly in person as he is on his reels. Onlookers in this journey have become even more interactive because when you follow them, they make you feel like family. We have all learned so much about overcoming through their shining and sometimes raw example of bold faith and by watching the love of family and friends at work. It’s a land flowing with milk, honey…and healing.
But God!
Rest. Play. Connect. Inspired by Creation.
Established for Connection.
DON’T MISS THE BACKSTORY OR THE EXCITING FUTURE
@MILKANDHONEYRANCH @BRENTAPHILLIPS @DANIELAPHILLIPS
