The Village of Encinal at Esperanza

Pros

• The reviews describe the community as the best in Boerne.
• It is a great neighborhood with impressive amenities including a private pool, lazy river, gym, park, and walking trails.
• The neighborhood is beautifully maintained and offers unbeatable amenities.
• New residents describe it as a fantastic subdivision with great amenities and friendly people.
• Catrina Lindow is highlighted as doing an outstanding job and keeping residents informed.
• The area is described as immensely beautiful with breathtaking scenery and unique limestone artwork.
• It is a great development with anticipated Toll Brothers construction and quality builders.
• The community is large with great amenities and a focus on quality construction.
• It is a beautiful neighborhood in northwest Bexar County, outside COSA.
• The development features a grand entrance, a lazy river pool, trails, a fantastic school system, easy commute, and attentive sales agents like Mandy.

Cons

• Between the drunk parents and their delinquent children this place is awful.
• Esperanza's "water themed amenities" are only open and accessible about 25% of the year, with gates typically opening Memorial Day weekend and closing Labor Day.
• It's too expensive to staff pool monitors.
• There aren't enough residents using the pool, even when it was open last year for a few weekends after Labor Day.
• Residents are told Esperanza's dues are much lower than they should be for the amenities, while premiums on homes, crazy lot premiums, and the MUD tax are out of their control and dues can be raised if questioned.

Review

Boerne's upscale community scene, as described by local residents, blends striking beauty with a complex mix of perks and pitfalls. Many reviewers paint a picture of a grand, well-maintained neighborhood in northwest Bexar County just outside San Antonio. The area is praised for its impressive entrance, ambitious development plans, and the sense that it's a carefully crafted, aspirational place to live. For some, the location itself - near good schools, easy freeway access, and a growing, family-friendly vibe - adds to the appeal, making it feel like a modern, refined version of a small-town feel with big-city conveniences nearby.

A common thread across several accounts is the breadth and richness of the amenities. People repeatedly point to a private community pool, a lazy river, a gym, a park, and extensive walking trails as standout features. There's a strong sense that the overall lifestyle package is designed to deliver resort-like benefits on a neighborhood scale. The aesthetic touches - scenic views, carefully kept common spaces, and limestone artwork - are frequently highlighted as showing a level of detail and quality that appeals to buyers seeking "amenity-rich" living. Reviewers also nod to the new-home energy of the area, with mentions of Toll Brothers' involvement and the promise of well-built homes with appealing options, paired with attentive sales agents to guide buyers through the process.

People who have settled in or are considering moving to the area often describe the community as beautiful and well-maintained, with a perception of friendly, involved neighbors. Several reviewers specifically single out the sales experience, praising agents like Mandy and others for being on top of things and helping prospective residents feel well-informed and supported. The sense of a thriving, livable neighborhood is reinforced by mentions of a strong school system, an upcoming new school being built nearby, and the potential for an easy, practical commute to San Antonio. In short, for many, the location and the developmental momentum combine to make this an appealing long-term home.

Yet beneath the praise there is a substantial critique centered on access to amenities and the costs that come with them. A recurring complaint is that Esperanza's water-themed amenities are not accessible year-round. Reviewers allege that the gates are typically opened only from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, leaving residents to wonder why, in a climate where the average temperatures are comfortably above 70 degrees for a large portion of the year, the main aquatic features are kept closed for much of the year. The reasons offered by management - staffing costs for pool monitors and low participation in the pool in recent seasons - are cited as justification, but the sentiment among residents is that they pay for more than they're able to use.

Linked to the limited access are concerns about HOA dues and overall value. Some reviewers suggest that the dues are not aligned with the benefits received, noting that longer-season use would feel fairer in light of the premiums paid for upscale homes, significant lot premiums for building, and a MUD tax that feels outside homeowners' direct control. The implicit worry is that if residents push back, the automatic response might be to raise dues, which many would like to avoid. In essence, there is a sense that governance and cost management should better reflect the high-end promise of the community.

Not all feedback is celebratory, and some voices are more pointed in their critique. One reviewer bluntly mentions negative behavior in the neighborhood - describing a perception of "drunk parents and delinquent children" and labeling the experience as awful. While it's a single, harsh sentiment, it's presented as part of the lived reality for at least some residents or visitors, signaling that the social climate and behavior concerns are an element of the overall impression many people form about the place. Other remarks range from personal preferences - some people prefer a country or more rural feel - to practical notes about the density and pace of development, including anticipation around Toll Brothers' ongoing construction and the eventual footprint of the community.

Amidst the varied opinions, a strong current remains: this is a large, ambitious, and visually striking community with a compelling blend of luxury amenities and natural beauty. Reviewers repeatedly celebrate the grand entrance, the scale of the development, and the sense of a self-contained, well-equipped living environment. They emphasize the neighborhood's beauty, the quality of its design elements, and the promise of a vibrant social and recreational life. At the same time, there is a persistent pushback on governance decisions, amenity access, and the alignment between dues and benefits, suggesting that the best version of the community would harmonize high-end amenities with consistent accessibility and transparent, value-driven cost management.

In sum, the Boerne community described here stands out for its aspirational design, expansive amenities, and scenic appeal. It's portrayed as an upscale, well-kept enclave with a strong sense of place, where residents appreciate the scenic landscaping, the private pool and lazy river, and the overall lifestyle package. Yet it's also a place where residents openly wrestle with how often those amenities are truly accessible, how dues reflect the benefits, and how governance and staffing decisions shape the day-to-day living experience. The narrative includes praise for the people and property - neighbors who care, sales agents who help, builders who deliver - while also acknowledging that, for some, the reality of access and cost can temper the enthusiasm a bit.

Cafes

• Longhorn Cafe (1.5 miles)
• Boerne Nutrition (2.3 miles)
• Starbucks (3 miles)
• Panera Bread (13.9 miles)
• Starbucks (13.9 miles)
• Kaffeinated Crepes and Coffee (14.2 miles)
• Starbucks (14.5 miles)

Pharmacies

• Majors, Adam Len (1.7 miles)
• Annie's Apothecary (2.2 miles)
• Walgreens (2.4 miles)
• Walmart Pharmacy (2.5 miles)
• Boerne Drug Company (2.5 miles)
• Annie's Apothecary (3.5 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (5.6 miles)

Physicians

• My Urgent Care Clinic (1.7 miles)
• Vision Source Boerne (2.2 miles)
• Ambulatory Strategies Physician Group (2.4 miles)
• Urgent Care & Occupational Health Centers of Texas, PA (2.4 miles)
• Atkins, James H, Md - Texas Sinus Center (2.4 miles)
• Boerne Acute Care Center (2.4 miles)
• US Oncology (2.5 miles)

Restaurants

• The Dodging Duck Brewhaus & Restaurant (2.1 miles)
• Mary's Tacos (2.1 miles)
• La Mansion Mexican Restaurant (2.3 miles)
• Skinny Cat (2.3 miles)
• Cibolo Creek Brewing Co. (2.3 miles)
• The Creek Restaurant (2.3 miles)
• Dog and Pony Grill (2.4 miles)

Places of Worship

• Cross Community Fellowship (2.3 miles)
• St Peter's Catholic Church (2.4 miles)
• Community Bible Church (2.5 miles)
• First Baptist Church (2.9 miles)
• Bulverde Baptist Church (14.2 miles)

Hospitals

• Hill Country Memorial (2.6 miles)
• Methodist Hospital (2.9 miles)
• Celebrity Care Medical Clinic (3.7 miles)

Theaters

• AMC CLASSIC Boerne 11 (2.8 miles)
• Santikos Palladium IMAX (14.3 miles)

Transportation

• Otten Brothers Taxidermy (7 miles)

Parks

• Kendall Co Parks & Rec (9.4 miles)
• Friedrich Wilderness Park (11.6 miles)
• Guadalupe River State Park (13.3 miles)
• Eisenhower Park (14.1 miles)
• Bulverde Community Park (14.8 miles)