Lake Godstone — Hotel in Jacksboro

We recently visited Lake Godstone and had a mixed experience. While the setting had its charms, several issues affected our stay. We choose this location because of the great reviews.

Positives:

The shared RV site was great, and we were thrilled to have our cousins join us in their camper. It was fun showing them the ropes of camping.

The treehouse was a highlight, offering a fantastic spot for morning coffee and a lovely place to enjoy a charcuterie board and a glass of wine in the evening. It also provided the perfect place to set up our hammocks and string lights.

My seven-year-old caught his first fish, thanks to his uncle bringing along fishing poles and gear. We also enjoyed a swim in the lake (or pond?) with our inflatable float devices.

We loved that our dogs could run free.

While I didn't use the bathrooms and showers myself, my family members mentioned that they were amazing.

Negatives:

Upon arrival, the electricity was not working, which was an inconvenience and left an uncomfortable first impression.

Dominic, who was overseeing the site, made us feel uncomfortable at times. While we appreciated his help in guiding us to our site and eventually getting the electricity turned on, there was a delay. On our first morning, we explored the area on our bikes and approached what we now know as The Lodge. Dominic seemed uneasy with our presence and made comments suggesting we were being an inconvenience and shouldn't be there or venture beyond our designated area. As first-time visitors, it's understandable to want to familiarize ourselves with the layout and facilities. We initially thought The Lodge might be a main office or a park store. Dominic told us that guests were arriving and he had a lot to do to prepare, indicating that we shouldn't be there. However, he seemed to realize how he was coming across and became more cordial, inviting us to tour the lodge instead of running us off. We declined… as he tried to upsell us on renting boats and fishing gear for the third time.

We were being watched. There was a Blink camera hidden in a tree, which made us uneasy. We even put a towel over it, wondering, "Why are we being watched?"

We decided to use the observatory for some stargazing, but when I entered, I broke the web of a black widow spider, which was inches from my leg. Fortunately, my cousin noticed and alerted me before the kids entered. The observatory seemed abandoned and neglected, adding to our odd experience.

One of the reasons we enjoy the Hipcamp experience is the freedom from strict rules and constant oversight that you often get at more regulated campsites. However, the atmosphere at Lake Godstone felt even more controlled, which detracted from the relaxed vibe we were hoping for.

Overall, while we appreciated some aspects of the site, our experience was marred by the feeling of being monitored and not being entirely welcome. We hope future visitors have a more positive experience, but we're fairly certain we...

We rented the tent, along with a paddle boat this past Mother's Day weekend at Lake Godstone. I will say, it's a BEAUTIFUL place. Its a hidden gem. However, I was sincerely disappointed with the staff. I called the day before our arrival to ensure booking. Spoke with management in regards to arrival and departure times, and our rentals. Once we arrive, around 4/5 PM that Saturday we found that the staff had not prepared for our stay. The tent we rented had holes in it and there was standing water in the tent from previous rain that week, that they said they could vacuum out. That's not exactly what I wanted to be doing upon arrival. The paddle boat wasn't at our area, my husband had to go get it, but only after they had cleaned it out. There were fire ant beds EVERYWHERE around our campsite, especially surrounding our fire pit. So, we got stung several times just trying to light the fire. It started to rain and management came with spray foam to patch the tent. Unfortunately it was raining so hard that it wasn't going to work. Patches should have been done prior to our arrival. So we rented a cabin. They agreed to rent it for just one day, but ended up charging us for two days. Management literally only showed my husband one cabin, the closest one, because the gentlemen in charge didn't want to be out in the weather. I felt that was an awful way to treat my family. Considering he was in a covered golf cart. The cabin they showed us also happened to be the most expensive one. I will say, the cabin was amazing. Be prepared for no phone service. And their wifi did not work so there was no entertainment as far as electronics go. It wouldn't have mattered, but it was pouring outside and we couldnt do anything outdoors. The next morning management came to ensure the cabin was in good condition upon us leaving and the gentlemen told my husband that he needed to take the trash out to the dumpster. My husband was taken back by the comment because we were charged the $50 cleaning service, and no one had mentioned that our trash needed to be taken out to the garbage by us, but, management stated it was listed on the website. If staff had been prepared for my families arrival, the tent had been patched and standing water had been vacuumed out, I would give Lake Godstone a 3 out of 5 stars. Only because my family was not impressed with the gentleman in charge of guests. He was not friendly, he didn't even want to help get us out of the rain! I couldn't believe he told my husband that we could see only one cabin because he didn't want to be in the weather. We were literally an inconvenience to him. Beautiful place, but terrible management. I sincerely hope Lake Godstone can find some friendly help that has guests as their first priority, and doesn't mind doing a little maintenance because this place...

This place is choice! As soon as reservation was made, received a text from the owner with specific instructions and a welcoming. Love that! Decided to go on a Sunday. Great decision! Place was nearly empty. Couple nice families but mostly had the place to ourselves. It was September mind you but still. Bathrooms were clean, stocked and accessible from our site. Each site is multi tiered. Upper and lower camp site. Lower has the amenities w/ on site grill, electric and water plus they all have amazing (large stone) fire pits. Perfect for campfire stories and s’mores. They pulled the gulf cart right up upon arrival. The couple that manage the place are warm and friendly and eager to assist. WiFi is free and available. Management is a simple text message away. You can rent equipment (kayak, peddlers, row boats and gulf carts on the website. Life jackets are available for free use. Docks to jump off of. Cool rock formations to climb. Huge cross overloooks the entire place from the hill at the center and biblical scripture’s are engraved in rocks around the site. Obviously ran by Christian values and owners. Soccer goal, basketball rim and sand volleyball courts for amusement and entertainment. Fire pits throughout the place. They also have bird watching cabins and areas perfect for quick retreats and relaxation time. We had a blast! Love to look into membership to the lodge and get access to the gun range (members only). Great spot (not too far out) for a quick outing. Not much around store wise but certain amenities are available at the office like firewood and ice and basics. Decided to drone a bit and wanted to drop a raving review. Plan on forming relationships with owners and making it a go to spot for the...