LAKE BARKLEY STATE RESORT

Very Bad need of being Updated!!! There was A balcony with our lodge room, but if you opened the door at all, your room was filled with bugs, flying and crawling, etc. The front door did not close properly and you had to pull it to shut the door completely. When we entered the room, the shower area was soaking wet and so was the floor under the sink. Bathroom door did not even have the mechanism to shut the door properly. We were told to put the housekeeping request on our door before 11 AM to get housekeeping to stop by. I put the housekeeping Tag on the door about 9 AM but housekeeping never bothered to stop by and we had to ask at the front desk to get fresh towels. The breakfast buffet was good except one morning. The biscuits were so hard, you could not even cut them. A towel placed over them would’ve prevented this. We also ate at the salad bar and had a sandwich during our visit and both of those were excellent. The fresh fruit was delicious, fresh and appetizing. The staff in both the check-in and check-out area and dining area were friendly, helpful, and really seemed to want to make sure we had a good visit. I always loved going to Kentucky state parks in the past. Now it seems like all of the parks are getting rundown and are operating on a low budget. I was extremely disappointed in Lake Barkley State Park. I will not be returning unless I know the Lodge rooms have been remodeled and updated.

Was a disappointing visit This resort has so much potential but definitely needs some upkeep. Pros - nice lodge and pool; good soup and salad bar Cons - rooms are very dark; room keys continually failed to work (even when kept away from phone and car keys); balcony had dirty, worn furniture covered in spider webs; no refrigerator; no desk chair; no place to hang clothes (tiny closet with one hanger); grounds covered in poison ivy; don't look up when on the restaurant balcony as it is covered in spiders webs, bird droppings, and bugs. Restaurant has a friendly wait staff and Chef Jack does have a handle on southern cooking. Note though - the breakfast is repeated exactly every day and has no fruit, breads, pastries, or yogurt. Coffee, juice, milk, etc. are an additional cost.

Great Stay for Families We stayed three days/two nights in a 2 BR Deluxe Cottage at the Resort over the 4th of July weekend. The cottage was nicer than we expected. Plenty of space for a large family. Two bedrooms each with two beds. One has a connecting bathroom. Both bathrooms have showers and plenty big. Large living room area with TV. Nice dining area and big kitchen, too. WiFi in the room worked well. The cottage is elevated off of a rolling hill, so the deck on the back overlooks the woods and cannot be accessed from the ground. The lodge restaurant and pool are both very convenient with long hours. The restaurant serves food almost 14 hours a day and the pool was open for 13 hours. It's a drive to get around, because the park is so big. So expect to have to drive a mile from the cottage to the tennis courts or beach or marina or cottage. Wished we had a golf cart or motorized bikes to get around. But the park was beautiful. The beach had an event on Saturday from 3pm to 10pm including food trucks and fireworks.

Hot water in the shower? Maybe...maybe not. This a beautiful location. They are currently doing some major renovations. Staff in restaurant was outstanding. Food was good. Typical state park food. Good but not great. Room was clean and comfortable. When it comes to hot water in the shower it is always hit or miss when staying at a Kentucky state park. Unfortunately it was a miss for this guest. :( You would think for $149 a night they would get this right.

Absolutely wonderful visit I had read some of these reviews and almost didn’t go. Wow, it was wonderful. Room was very clean and comfortable. View was amazing. Staff was great. They have a new manager and she’s doing a great job: The balcony was very clean and had a great view. Yes it’s a rustic look, but extremely clean and comfortable. There isn’t a microwave or refrigerator, but ice is readily available. They were on off season schedule, so restaurant wasn’t open our first two days, but we enjoyed meals at The Pond and drove over to Grand Rivers for a meal: The fitness center was open and the pool was great. The west wing is under construction due to a major fire, but the east side is open and will be renovated when they finish the west side: I was extremely pleased with the room and the staff and the restaurant the day it was open. I’m so glad I didn’t let the negative reviews on here keep me from coming. I have absolutely no complaints except that we had to go home. Rates were actually very reasonable!