Kimberling Oaks Resort — Hotel in Kimberling City

Oof.||This was our second time staying at Kimberling Oaks-- we stayed here ten years ago, and had such happy memories. Our photos showed happy bushes lining the long boat ramp down to the lake, happy children eating ice cream from the snack shack, and happy family smiling on a nice pontoon boat. Oh, the halcyon days of 2013!||Since then, I think it's changed ownership a couple of times, including again about a month before we arrived. And it feels like people aren't really into running this resort for the long-run. ||These days, the grounds are in poor shape, the snack shack has a sign on the windows saying it would be closed over Memorial Day (that was two months ago, and I don't think it'll ever reopen), and the pontoon boat hasn't aged well since 2013, with broken doors and a tired engine. We also rented the "ski boat", but found it so underpowered that it couldn't get either skier out of the water. ||The pool was great. Water was clear, pool deck was clean, and all the pool furniture worked well. They rely too much on the cheap plastic Adirondack chairs that always feel like they're going to collapse, but I'm sure they're fine if you're ~100 pounds. But really, the pool was great. ||Our whole party took up three cabins-- the cute little Cabin 7, the functional Cabin 8, and the copious Cabin 10. We rented both the ski boat and the pontoon boat. ||I'll report mostly on Cabin 8. Our beds were good. The mattresses were comfortable (especially by lake-cabin standards), though the pillows made us consider driving to Walmart and new ones for the trip. The dresser furniture was clean and acceptable. ||Then there was the plumbing. Buckle up, gentle reader. ||There were two bathrooms that were clean and showed some signs of updating, though the shower plumbing fixtures hadn't been updated since the 1970s or so. The water in Cabins 7 and 8 was cloudy-- which is usually just a sign of air in the water and isn't a big deal. But the weird part was that it got cloudier the longer the tap ran. Usually it clears up when it runs. That's hard to explain.||On the first night, we noticed that the drains weren't running well-- they made strange glurgs as they emptied. I figured it was just a clogged vent and decided to not worry about it. But by the end of the second night, we smelled a really bad sewer smell between Cabins 7 and 8-- when we called it in to the office on Sunday morning, we were told not to use the plumbing until the plumber could get there on Monday. We were supposed to all go poo in Cabin 10. Oh? No toilets or showers or sinks or kitchen? I understand that sometimes plumbing breaks, but a day and a half of walking across the resort to use someone else's cabin (yes, they're family, but come on) just doesn't seem like a plan. There was no offer to discount the rent. We were paying full price to poo in my brother's cabin. ||Cabins 7 and 8 had some really worn out futon couches. Oh, the futon! The worst of both worlds-- an uncomfortable couch that turns into an uncomfortable bed! Remember college? I think these might be the actual same futons that we had back in the 1990s. Futons don't improve with age-- these mattresses were shot and the frames have seen better days. My children (ages 10 and 12) didn't mind them, but they're not good judges of furniture. My elderly parents found their totally unusable; surgically repaired knees won't get up from those futon contraptions. ||The decks of all three cabins were good. They were the right size, in good condition, and the deck chairs/tables were all nice. I really enjoyed sitting on the deck, and thought that the views of the lake were nice. The sewer smell didn't really go away, so if the wind wasn't just right, that wasn't cool. But sewer scent aside, that was pretty great. ||Cabin 10 had a good kitchen with a dishwasher and actual pans and cooking utensils. Cabin 7 and 8 had some pretty beat up pots and pans, and the cooking utensils were hilarious. I had to stir our dinner with a ladle and cut vegetables with a paring knife. The stove was vintage 1980s, even with the little foil pie tins under the electric burners, just like your grandmother used to do. I'm just saying, if you plan on cooking meals, pack a chef's knife and your favorite pan. ||None of the televisions in any of the cabins worked. I'm told that there was some kind of electrical storm that took out the DirectTV. I'm going to assume this is true and not that the owners didn't pay the bill. We didn't see any evidence of anyone working to restore the service. ||The WiFi works better outside the cabin than inside it. And there was about a day and a half where there was no internet at all-- the network was up, but it didn't connect to the outside world. ||The doors on the pontoon boat were all broken-- latches missing and hinges busted. Not so much that it was dangerous, but definitely so much that it was pretty ghetto. The pontoon was also dragging a severed tube-tow rope tied to a latch spot on one of the pontoon floats from some long-gone renter. While swimming, I was able to get back there and get it untied, but it looked like it had been back there for a while. The engine was so underpowered that, although we pulled a tube behind it, it had all the thrill of puttering around a nursing home. Still, it ripped through the waves nicely and had a good, steady ride. Very smooth, and a nice way to spend an afternoon swimming and motoring around.||The ski boat was in better shape than the pontoon, though the engine is tired and underpowered. EVERY COMPARTMENT IS CRAMMED WITH LIFE JACKETS. We were pretty sure that every time a family forgot to take a life jacket home, someone stuffed it into a ski boat compartment. I'm telling you, this boat is unsinkable. We rented a set of skis from Williams Bros next to What's Up Doc and were excited to get our kids out on the lake. We opened the ski compartment on the floor and, after fishing out 5 life jackets, found that there was a pair of skis in there already. But it didn't matter; the boat was so underpowered that we couldn't actually pull a 12-year-old out of the water. Still, the boat is fun to drive, and we enjoyed pulling the tube behind this boat far more than pulling it behind the pontoon boat. Just don't call it a ski boat.||When we checked out on Saturday morning, no one was in the office to take our payment. There was a phone number on the door, but when I called it, I only got an answering machine. There was no one to talk to about taking our payment, no one to talk to about getting a price adjustment for the broken plumbing (or television and wifi, though those were less important) or the sad boat rentals. There wasn't anyone to leave a check with (they charge a fee to use a credit card), or actually anyone to even get a final total from. I just left a message and drove home without paying for anything since the deposit.||When they called me back, John explained that he wasn't in the office during check-out time when he knew that three cabins were leaving on the same day because he was out spraying weeds. Collecting money is a lesser priority than lawn care? Of course it is. I was able to pay over the phone, though I'm pretty sure that John overcharged me. I'll never be able to prove it though, because there was no invoice, no bill, no explanation of charges, no nothing. I should have refused to pay until they could provide that, but honestly, I was so JUST OVER IT that I just wanted to wash my hands and be done with it.||Everything at Kimberling Oaks in July 2023 is broken. This resort-- once one of the venerable cabin resorts of Table Rock Lake-- is just really sad. Maybe the new owners will spruce it up, but I was pretty unimpressed with their responsiveness or amenities at offer. Regardless, I'll never know. ||I've been going to TRL every few years in five different decades now, and will be back soon. But there's no way in heck I'll be back to...

The issues began night one. The fridge would not cool. Upon investigating the bottom was coated with dirt, pet hair, lint, etc. After vacuuming the coils the fridge kept our food somewhat cool. The AC filter and bathroom vents were just as filthy. In cabin 11 there is a shelf on the stairs in the worst place! The poor kids smacked their heads constantly!

The new owners do not live close and do not care about their guests. After booking the trip and paying our downpayment they decided to raise the price or we would forfeit our deposit. We paid the increase, but felt this was very unprofessional. They stated renovations were the cause of the increase. Some bad painting on the kitchen cabinets and vinyl flooring were the only things noticeably different. Even the TV’s are still outdated along with the other appliances and decor.

We used to stay at this resort years ago when it had owners that cared about people and their resort. We requested a quote for the next year after leaving just to see what the prices were like. They have at least TRIPLED the price for a stay!! AND stated they CANNOT promise there will not be increases in price even AFTER you have booked / paid your deposit. NO. THANK. YOU!

Save yourself the disappointment and time on the phone and book elsewhere, you’ll thank me later.

Response to owner's reply below: They did NOT come fix the fridge or AC vents, we never reported it and fixed the fridge ourselves as we called the owners multiple times with no response.

They did come work on the downstairs toilet when it would not flush the first night. It continued not to flush after they worked on it.

We had deposited close to $900 when they notified us in MARCH without prior notice that we would NOT receive a refund and HAD to pay the additional amounts in order to keep our reservation. When we called to check prices for the next year, they again stated that price increases would be coming and guests would be notified when they decide to increase the price even if a deposit and agreement had already been made.

The renovations are minimal and do not accurately represent the increase in prices. The stairs leading up to the cabin 11 and off the back deck have nails sticking out of them, a major hazard for adults and children. I could go on and on, but...

The issues began night one. The fridge would not cool. Upon investigating the bottom was coated with dirt, pet hair, lint, etc. After vacuuming the coils the fridge kept our food somewhat cool. The AC filter and bathroom vents were just as filthy. In cabin 11 there is a shelf on the stairs in the worst place! The poor kids smacked their heads constantly! ||The new owners do not live close and do not care about their guests. After booking the trip and paying our downpayment they decided to raise the price or we would forfeit our deposit. We paid the increase, but felt this was very unprofessional. They stated renovations were the cause of the increase. Some bad painting on the kitchen cabinets and vinyl flooring were the only things noticeably different. Even the TV’s are still outdated along with the other appliances and decor. ||We used to stay at this resort years ago when it had owners that cared about people and their resort. We requested a quote for the next year after leaving just to see what the prices were like. They have at least TRIPLED the price for a stay!! AND stated they CANNOT promise there will not be increases in price even AFTER you have booked / paid your deposit. NO. THANK. YOU!| |Save yourself the disappointment and time on the phone and book elsewhere, you’ll...