Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo — Hotel in Hillcrest Heights

It's pretty good, not great. The people that work hard there are really the best part of the resort, but there are kinks that really need to be ironed out. I work in business development and was a ranch hand, so I'll lay my experience out here. For those that don't know, FL is the birthplace of the American Cowboy being the first to do it in 1513 and it's something that still goes on to this day long before Texas was ever a thing and the resort is in one of the hearts of the historical cow countries of our great state and thanks to those cowboys, we have a state because after the Spanish, they are the most important figures in Florida's long history. In fact, the major road near it, SR60 follows a east-west cattle trail Florida's cowboys would take to drive cattle to the cattle stockyard docks in the Port of Tampa. What's the point of this history lesson and how does it have anything to do with this review? Well, you'd think that being a resort in the original ranching state in the US right in some of the active ranchlands within said state would give you an authentic experience of what we're talking about, right? Unfortunately, not. Let's focus on the weak points The resort does not do a good job of communicating what's available and what's not-- we had wanted a certain experience as native Floridians to drive cattle. Despite it being marketed on their website, social media, and whatnot, they don't do it even though they say they do and the people at the resort aren't consistent in knowing what offerings are available, because some say you can do it and others say you cannot. Closest thing they do is a very short 35 minute loop on a horse which is okay if you don't ride often but the trail is literally out of the stables, make a left into the woods and loop back to the stables. Not one thing about ranching, learning about Florida cowboying or experiencing what that life is like. Hunting? Same thing, no hunting. Trying to book any of these experiences is like going through an absolute obstacle course only to meet a dead end with no way to complete the objective itself. Tying into point 1, the resort itself is limited on experiences. It's basically boat/buggy, pool, eat, horse, rodeo, and check out. Offer excursions to nearby areas like the Kissimmee Prairie State Park and see the Cow Camp, take a beach excursion to Vero, Bok Tower Gardens, day trips to Orlando, Tampa, and more. Offer authentic Florida Cracker experiences and teach guests about how important this is to our state and history, after all-- people are paying for an authentic experience and frankly, it's absent! Show more of wild Florida, do a safari of some kind! Sadly, the ranch thing is more gimmick than real. Don't get me wrong, it's fun, but its underwhelming. Rodeo is a 10/10 though. Despite being marketed as a dude ranch, it's not. It's a cowboy themed campground & lodge. It's not a working ranch and that's something that I would change ASAP. People and pay great money to learn to work cattle for fun and live their dream out in Nevada, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Authentically real and true experiences always equate to a great, unforgettable memories for families and more. Millenials/Gen Z are firmly in this category of travellers. Food is mostly good but the steakhouse is the most underwhelming part of it all. Smokehouse? Fantastic. Steakhouse? Good but needs work and also, why are they sourcing beef from Nebraska or Kansas when Florida is not only the original cattle state but you're right in the middle of Central Florida's cattle heartland? FL beef, which in my opinion, is the best you can get in the world next to Wagyu & it's healthier by being 100% grass fed. Seems like an odd choice not get beef from local ranches. Accomodations-- good; don't do the glamping y'all. It's loud because you have the gun range on one side & an active airport on the other & as a ex-military service member, being awoken by both of those from dead sleep is a hairy combo. Our unit had bugs eating the wood frame and falling from the...

We have stayed at River Ranch Resort several times and are owners. On this visit, we stayed in Ranch Cabin 5A/B, the only handicapped-accessible unit. While it does have a ramp for easy entry, the sinks are far too high for someone in a wheelchair to use comfortably. The primary unit (5A) has a properly elevated toilet and a roll-in shower, but the toilet and tub/shower in unit 5B are not ADA-compliant. It’s unclear why all the other units—except for 5A—have toilets that seem designed for children. In unit 5B, the toilet is so low that it feels like sitting on the floor, an issue we also experienced during a previous stay in units 11A & B. That said, the bathroom décor is well done. However, the oversized jacuzzi tubs in both bathrooms are practically unusable, as the water heater doesn’t provide enough hot water to fill them even halfway. For the price, I would expect the resort to replace the indoor-outdoor carpeting at least every other year if needed. This unit had multiple large stains throughout, which was disappointing, especially since it's not a large area to maintain. With our grandchild traveling with us, we were hesitant to let her play on the floor, as we weren’t sure how clean it was. On a positive note, we loved the bench-style seating at the dining table—perfect for family meals and gatherings. The kitchen was well-equipped with high-quality dishes, pots, and pans, along with clean kitchen towels. They even provided both liquid and dishwasher soap. The unit featured a spacious fridge with an ice maker, a microwave, a dishwasher, and a full-size washer and dryer—great for families on the go. Even laundry detergent was provided, which was a nice touch. However, the oven was another major issue. The door was so damaged that it didn’t close properly, making it impossible to maintain the correct temperature. You could literally stand three feet away and see inside. This was especially frustrating since we had planned to bake bread with our grandchildren. Beyond the unit itself, many of the resort’s advertised activities were unavailable during the week, which was disappointing. The heated pool, which the website indicated would be open, was closed for no apparent reason. The chairs were set up, and the water looked inviting, yet access was restricted. The newly introduced Cowboy Adventure for kids was open, but several of the rides were not operational. Last year, we were told that a safari adventure park and a water park were in development. While the water park is currently under construction, the safari park seems like an empty promise. Based on conversations with employees and other guests, it’s starting to feel like a marketing ploy rather than a real project. The general store on-site was open, but be prepared for steep prices—double or more compared to a standard grocery store. Meanwhile, the Cowboy Outfitters store remained closed throughout our stay. Another disappointment was the fine dining steakhouse, which closed on Sunday at noon—despite it being Valentine’s weekend when we had planned a special dinner there. Despite these setbacks, the location of our unit was stunning. Nestled along the grasslands where buffalo roam, it offered breathtaking sunset views and plenty of wildlife watching. The resort offers free catch-and-release fishing for kids, and our little one had a fantastic time catching several catfish. One area that needs attention is pest control. The landscaping team should address the fire ant mounds near the picnic tables, as they pose a hazard to children. Additionally, large ants on the wooden porch delivered painful bites—another concern that should be addressed. That said, the staff at River Ranch Resort is exceptional. They are always eager to assist with anything you need and do so with a smile. Their outstanding service truly...

We booked a Sunday and Monday night, with Tuesday checkout, several months in advance as we also reserved astronomy pads at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, and those sell out fast. The Resort is the closest accommodation to the State Park that has the option for your own private bathroom (compared to glamping at the park which requires a walk to the public restroom). As a family trip, different members of our group reserved different types of rooms. Our room (pictured), was fantastic and in many ways exceeded our expectations. One cool thing is that you can text message the Resort with any questions or issues as well as to check out, rather than having to go back to the main lobby in person.

A few less than ideal aspects: the cabin could’ve been cleaned better and had dirt, dust, and hair in corners and drawers; when we asked about any filtered water available, we were told, “well, I was raised drinking water from a hose,” and that the sink was probably okay to drink from; my mother and grandmother stayed in an adjoining cabin that didn’t have hangers, so when they asked for some, they were told, “someone will bring them over if we have any;” and the A/C unit in our cabin was set to 70 degrees but never got any cooler than 74. Also, we got a leak in our tire driving to the Resort, which is located pretty far away from any major cities or urban areas. While that’s part of the appeal of the Resort, customer service had zero suggestions and offered zero help in finding someone who could patch the tire. The front desk said they’d ask someone from security for a recommendation and get back to us, but they never did. For being in the middle of nowhere, it really seems like they should at least have a list of vendors for these types of things.

The biggest issue we had was that it seems the Resort is really only interested in being open on Fridays and Saturdays. There are several restaurants, shops, and amenities advertised that we were excited about. However, many of them were closed during our stay! In particular, only one of the 5 or so dining options was open on Monday. As a result, some in our group felt a bit cooped up, like there wasn’t much for us to do. We considered staying an extra night but decided against it since everything would be closed. It would’ve been nice to have been given a heads up about this ahead of time or at least at check-in.

We stayed in a cabin that had a beautiful view of a pasture with its own herd of bison, which was lots of fun to watch! You can see lots of wildlife just from the Resort, and we got to see alligators, frogs, loggerhead shrikes, kestrels, woodpeckers, wood storks, an eastern meadowlark, eastern phoebes, roseate spoonbills, and a crested caracara! It was nice to be able to rent a golf cart to drive around the Resort and experience the peacefulness of wild Florida.

The Resort restaurants we tried were really good, which was a good thing since the only other option would’ve been to drive to Walmart 30 minutes away to get food to cook at the cabin. We ate at the BBQ restaurant and the Chophouse, which had some overlapping menu items. Both places were nicely decorated and had good service.

There are so many things to love about Westgate River Ranch Resort, and I would gladly recommend it to anyone considering a stay there. I would stay at the same cabin with our view of the bison in...