One thing I’ve learned in my travels throughout the Hill Country is that there’s no such thing as a “typical” bed-and-breakfast. The same is true for their owners; many are taking a step back from a successful (but stressful) career in another field. They approach their B&Bs more as labours of love than as profit centers, and the wide variety of interests and talents makes for a selection of fascinating places to stay during your next Hill Country visit.

Even among this group of imaginative achievers, Daniel Meyer and his Baron’s Creekside Romantic Getaway stand out as extra-special. Daniel is a successful businessman in his native Switzerland, who speaks five languages fluently and always dreamed of being a Texas cowboy; his luxurious Fredericksburg mini-resort is a collection of authentic log cabins on the banks of a winding creek with more than a hint of alpine village charm.

Daniel Meyer guesses that it was “Western” stories by the German novelist Karl May that first interested him in becoming a Texas cowboy, but the idea grew during his childhood years in Switzerland, and he came to Texas at age 18, working one summer as a “Texas cowboy” on a ranch near Cleburne. After earning a master’s degree Ph.d. in food science in Switzerland, he got a job as a “foreign research associate” with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and wrote a book on the uses of mesquite pods for human consumption. (They are highly nutritious!)

Back home in Switzerland, Daniel built a very successful company, with 200 employees making Mueslis breakfast cereal. He sold that business in 2001, but still owns a chain of pet stores (called “My Friends”) with a Western motif.

Thirty years later, he and his wife, Lou, were crossing the country in an RV when they stopped in Kerrville for the night. Charmed by the Hill Country’s beauty, they stopped to explore, staying the next night in a log cabin B&B near Fredericksburg.

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