Hancock Guest Cottages

Despite a few minute flaws, our stay at the Hancock Guest Cottages (we stayed in the Guest Nest) could not have been more perfect.
Despite sharing one address, the Guest Cottages sport several different bungalows. The Guest Nest is the smallest, a studio with a fine kitchen, a small sitting/​eat-​in area, and a washer-​dryer/​closet space. The location is pretty perfect, as it’s in a relatively quiet suburb (though the interstate is within hearing distance) but right next to a shopping plaza with a liquor store, grocery store, a pharmacy, and a few other things like sports bar, a gym and a sandwich shop.
It’s also right on 4 major bus lines — definitely get yourself a week-​long «basic» pass, the app on your smartphone is your non-​stop ticket to all the local buses — and we were able to figure out the schedules well enough to take them to most places.
For the price, you can’t have a better time in Austin. Your own apartment, with a laundry, a furnished kitchen and all the amenities stocked up!
The only minor flaws — the bed is quite lumpy, and very low — older folks might have a hard time getting out of it. The shower was broken — only the hottest of hot water would come out of it, making showers a bit painful.
But it has a lovely porch, with a charcoal grill ready to cook on, a little garden with a fountain, and all in all was a perfect place to spend a week in Austin.

I just this morning finished a 7-​night stay in the Hancock Loft Hideaway, which is the 1BR cottage on top of the bigger cottage located at 1009 E 43^rd Street. The process of leasing the unit with Rachel couldn’t have been easier. And for what I paid ($ 535 after a $ 200 discount coupon was applied that Rachel told me about), I feel I got good value.
The unit was spacious and comfortable. There was a kitchen with every utensil/​appliance you could need. The bathroom had a good shower, and they provided plenty of towels, washcloths and soap/​shampoo. There is a little laundry room with washer/​dryer. This was, for me, an unbelievable luxury since I’m from NYC and have never had laundry in the apartments where I’ve lived. The bed was clean and comfortable.
The ONE little thing I feel I need to point out is that, since the unit is essentially the roof of the bigger cottage below, the bedroom is a gabled space. I am 6′ tall and I did bang my head against the angled portion of the room a few times. If you are 6′ or taller, you need to be very aware of the surroundings of that room and move very slowly and carefully. I hope I’m describing that well enough.
Definitely recommended.

No matter what your doing in Austin, you need to stay in one of the Hancock Cottages properties. The owner has thought of, and accounted for every detail. It truly feels like home away from home. Everything is fresh, clean, modern, and comfortable. The properties are nestled among great neighborhoods on the north-​central Austin with ease of access to the whole city. I am so glad this stay was my first impression of Austin. The owner was great! She was so respectful and accommodating. I would never stay in a hotel in Austin if one of the Hancock properties are available.

Beautiful oasis in the heart of Austin! Safe, quiet street, immaculately landscaped, very clean, good condition. The backyard is fenced, very lush, with a grill on the deck. The house is very modern in design though of older construction. Recently renovated it is cutting edge. Fully furnished and supplied, there are four bedrooms! Do yourself a favor and skip the full service hotel and book this house!

We visit Austin fairly frequently and have found it difficult to find decent short-​term furnished apartments for rent.
Hoorah for Hancock Guest Nest! This style of accommodation is perfect for short-​term visitors, especially if visiting UT. The red river shuttle is practically on your door.
We rented the Nest (a fully furnished and equipped studio) for one month. It has everything you need in a small space. Full kitchen, full laundry, outdoor area, comfy bed, clean linens, internet, cable etc … They also provided us with a baby cot.
The apartment is super clean. Perhaps the oven too much so as I was a little scared to use it :-) But that is how all accommodation should be!
Nick and Rachel are always accomodating and on call.
We also liked the fact we backed onto a shopping centre. Arriving late and being able to easily buy supplies at H.E.B is too easy. It is a really short walk to restaurants on Duval street.

I stayed at the Hancock Guest Nest for 2 nights when I was in Austin. This was a fantastic alternative to staying at a hotel, as you have a full kitchen, laundry, private outdoor seating, free Wifi, and conveniences like an iPod dock, platform bed, and overhead rain shower. The washer/​dryer and laundry room was totally worth it, as I was able to catch up on laundry before the next leg of my trip.
The Nest looks exactly like it does on the website, and the location is great as well. It is literally adjacent to a shopping center (the back parking lot of Sears is like 20 feet away) but surprisingly this isn’t a negative because it’s still very quiet. Convenient to restaurants, grocery stores, and a golf course where you can go for a run around the perimeter.
Highly recommended. When I visit Austin again, I’ll be back!