Lake Delton Waterfront Villas — Attraction in Lake Delton

We also visited in August 2017 and at that time I said we would never be back and thought we give it another shot, this was definitely the worst vacation experience we’ve ever had and I’ve never been treated so rudely by multiple members of the staff. Firstly, I called ahead to pay the remaining balance and place our guests names on the reservation so that they could check in without any issue as we were a few hours behind them. When our guests arrived, the front desk told them that they would not be able to let them check in even though the reservation was paid in full and their names were on the reservation. They told them that they needed to authorize their credit card for the full amount of the stay ($2400). When we arrived our guests were obviously disappointed and even more disappointed to point out to us that there were dead mosquitoes smashed all over the walls and the ceiling’s including directly above the kitchen area where we would be eating. Further, I ordered robes, champagne and chocolates for the adults and fun boxes for the kids which I paid for the time I made the reservation which were never placed in the room. When called the front desk to speak with Stephanie she could not have been more flip and rude with me and explained how all of this was “their policy” re: the additional cc authorization. Re: the mosquitoes she told me that it was a rural area and that is something that we would need to deal with. I explain to her how dead mosquitoes smashed on the wall is not appropriate at check-in regardless of the type of area, she replied with “is there anything else we can do for you”? I then asked if I could receive a refund for the welcome amenities I purchased and was told there was no record of it (even though I spoke with central reservations earlier that week to confirm). After 5-6 phone calls and 3 stops to the front desk, Kyle the GM never called us back and we spoke with another women of the management team (name starts with an A, can’t recall) who feigned mild concern about the events that took place and said that she would make it right and would call us no later than 9:30 AM the next day. 9:30 AM came and went and my husband made yet another call and we were told at that time that they would offer us a $150 credit for each night totaling $300 and an upgrade on a future stay. She also indicated that they were never able to confirm anything further about the amenities I ordered (and paid for at the time I made the reservation). The amenities I ordered exceeded the cost of what they credited us back so the “credit” they offered us is still not even enough to cover the money they owed us, not to mention thehorrific events that took place during our stay that we were in no way compensated for. In addition, the way that everyone treated us as we very professionally and pointedly explained what had happened to us were met with flip and cold responses, lack of follow up and any geniune concern or conpassion whatsoever. I paid $2600 in total for the worst vacation I’ve ever had and to be treated like dirt. If you are reading this review cancel your reservation and save yourself the grief, there are plenty of other vacation homes and properties to visit...

The Good: The rooms are generous. Lots of space. TVs and faux fireplaces well placed. ||||The kitchen is well appointed and stocked with many of the essentials: pots, pans, strainers, BBQ tools, silverware, glasses of different shapes/sizes, cups, plates, coffee & pot, etc. ||||The views are terrific. It is a pleasant place to watch the sun set. And morning coffee was lovely. Listening/watching the fish splash was relaxing. Even saw a turtle just floating along. Geese and ducks are everywhere. Don't leave your food unattended! ||||By staying in the villas, we saved a lot of money on food. We were able to make simple meals with ease. Given the free tickets for the zoo and Tommy's show, and given the water park passes, the villa were a deal. ||||If you rent the entire villa (2 queen beds and sofa bed are in a conjoining unit) which we did, you have no neighbor noise. It is like living in a home. BUT, the beach area attracts parties. On Friday night, people were noisy far too late. It was very noticeable in the room with the balcony.||||There are 2 bathrooms in the upstairs and one bathroom in each of the lower level sections. Since we rented for 14 people, we had 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. ||||One room had 2 bunk-bed sets. One had a king bed. One had 2 queens. And one had 2 queens with a couch that could be a bed. (The living room couch could also be a bed.||||We had 4 parking spaces in front of our villa, with more across the road if needed. The villas were perfect for our group. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Everyone remarked how much they enjoyed the location.||||Issues: Watch the little ones in the lake--there really are leaches in the water. The five-year-old told us he caught a fish between his toes. Nope, not a fish! ||||And the upstairs balcony door does not have a child safety latch which is worrisome. ||||The living room needs more furniture. The place is rented for 14+ people. But, there is only seating for 5 in the living room space. You can use kitchen chairs/stools, but they are not very comfortable for visiting. We finally broke up into groups to visit. Didn't like that part.||||Bring ice--there is no ice...

The staff were accommodating and helpful, but as we had booked one of the executive suites 4 months ago for over 2000 dollars and were told a week before our weekend stay that there "was a glitch in the system" and we didn't actually reserve a cabin, though we got a receipt, a confirmation number, and the couple thousand dollars were accepted and taken. The staff were kind, and and did their best to be helpful, it was a nice visit, really. It just seemed frustrating and very unusual that we were suddenly moved at the last minute. Kind of put a damper on the weekend. EDIT: About 3 YEARS(Yes, this is correct and not a typo. 3 whole years.) after this took place, we received a follow-up call to discuss the situation. It seems we were moved to accommodate a "high profile" person who needed the more private cabin we had booked. I am changing this from a 3 star review to a 1 star review. This is absolutely absurd and I actively try to encourage everyone to choose somewhere other than the Kalahari and their properties for any event. I should also mention we were not refunded any money, but they did provide the 14 of us who were there for a bachelor party with 24 bottles of Sprecher beer, so... At least each of us got 1.7 bottles of beer on average as compensation.(This is sarcasm, their attempt to "make up" for the situation was honestly just insulting.) We spent the weekend in their family cabins, trying to have a bachelor party. Less than 20 minutes after we arrived security was called for a noise complaint(roughly 8pm, we hadn't even finished unpacking nor has we started drinking). It was exactly for this reason we had tried to book an executive cabin. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt in my original review and be kind, but looking back on the situation and knowing what I know now I sincerely and truly hope this place goes out...