If you go to the website www.bracktravel.com and click on the condos/villas tab, you will see on the side where you can click on top vacation rentals for under $500/wk, or something like that. I have seen nice condos on there near Lake Conroe, which would be right around a 4 hour drive. They have kitchens, washers/dryers, etc. in them, too.
Sign up as a preferred customer on that site, which is free to do, and you get a lot of extras, but one of them is 30 min. of concierge service anytime you book through them. This is great for driving directions, restaurant recommendations in the area, etc. - anything you can think of to ask over the phone, they can do for you. Have fun!