Shangri La Resort — Hotel in Hot Springs

Everything didn’t work. This place absolutely sucked. I decided to visit this resort for the first time for my birthday weekend as a get away. Almost everything that could go wrong did. I had plans to get a couples massage, use the hot tube, and my boyfriend ordered me a special cake from the resorts catering. The hot tube was out of commission our entire stay. One of the employees of the spa called in sick, so we weren’t able to do the couples massage. They were unable to reschedule our massage for the entire stay, so we couldn’t do that either. ||||The catering is EXTREMELY expensive. We got a small vanilla cake (because it was only 2 of us) that came with macaroons and chocolate covered strawberry ($100). It was pretty, but the cake was dry and flavor-wise not up to par for the price. WE RECEIVED THE CAKE LATE. It was suppose to be there the first day we arrived but wasn’t there until the second day. And no, of course they didn’t give us any discount on the cake for THEIR MISTAKE. ||||After these mistakes, they did give us one night of our stay free. The manager mentioned that he would ask someone about getting us a discount on the cake. He also said that he would take to someone about getting us vouchers to return again and have some nights free or next trip. Of course, WE NEVER HEARD BACK FROM HIM. My boyfriend called and nothing. No responses. ||||In general, the rooms were nice and clean, but could have been designed better. In the bathroom, they didn’t leave enough space between the door and floor. The door couldn’t shut all the way due to the floor coming up to high. ||||I wouldn’t...

Shangri-La Café

I’ve heard about the delicious pies, but I’ll get back to that.

We had family in town and needed to meet near Mt. Ida for lunch. In all my years around, Shangri-La has not made the cut. Well, it’s a destination spot on our list now. The menu is full of treats and quite affordable.

I called ahead to let them know that there would be 14 coming and the friendly voice assured me they would be ready. The dining room is comfy, but not too large. It has an old-time diner vibe with Lake Ouachita as a backdrop view. Our server was friendly and attentive; the drinks stayed full, and we had great service.

Thursday’s Lunch Special was chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, buttered carrots, spinach casserole, and cornbread for $9.50. It was tasty and I’m not sure what the spinach was seasoned with, but it was great. Others had the Club sandwich, cheeseburger, and an assortment of sides. The homemade onion rings were a hit too.

But you want to know about the pies, right? We had to choose from coconut, chocolate, lemon, banana, peanut butter, blueberry, and others. Homemade and not stingy! Flaky crust, well-balanced sweetness, and delicious. My daughter had the apple pecan crumble with ice cream, which should be illegal.

An item of note is that they will cook your catch for you. Bring the cleaned and fileted fish fresh from Lake Ouachita and make a meal for...

My husband and I decided to stay here one night because we were not sure what to expect. The office area is small and reminded me of an old motel office. Wasn’t impressed. Went to our cabin and within an hour went to ask if we could stay an extra night! The cabin was nothing fancy, but it had a separate living room/dining room/ kitchen. And it was one of the cleanest/homiest places we have ever stayed. The front door had the lake and the back door had the parking area. |The grounds and lakeside were exceptionally clean. It was very quiet even though many people. |The cafe did not have a lot of choices, but service was great and food was great. It was a big convenience to have it right there. The pool was very inviting, but did not have opportunity to get in. |Yes the place is a bit outdated, but the cleanliness is second to none. We will stay again when...