Like the other big resorts on the lake, they are all about 15 years over due for an update. Old, beat, musty etc. rooms seem to have taken the biggest abuse. The main lobby bar looks new as does the building across from the main lobby (newer I should say). They do have nice looking grounds and a nice lakeside marina with some pretty spectacular views of the lake. read more

My husband and I have been going to Tan Tar A for brunch on Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Easter, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas for 23 years. We have also taken our family and friends there on various other occasions. Today (Thanksgiving) we had a reservation for noon. With the new management we were required to pay before being seated. Not a problem but the problem arose when their computers went down and nobody seemed to know what to do but stand and stare at the computer screen. Apparently no plan B. Meanwhile the lobby is continuing to fill up with people trying to pay and get seated as well. When we realized that our noon reservation was going to be in the middle of the afternoon we opted to leave and go to HyVee for their brunch and enjoy basically the same food for $15.99 per person. We are very sad because we have always looked forward to our brunch there. Tan Tar A has opted to raise the price of their brunch $8.00 per person. With higher prices and poor service unfortunately we will not be going back anytime soon. read more

This place was probably spectacular when it was built however many decades ago, but it is now dated. The bowling alley and arcade show the worst signs of how times have treated this place. It is however, a decent spot. The kids loved the indoor park, which is the same as most others. The marina was fun was the outside pool got a lot of use. So yeah, it was okay, I guess. But if I am going to pay good money I want better than okay. read more

This resort is way past its prime! While they appear to be making an effort to spruce the place up a bit I don't see the whole place rehabbed anytime soon. Our room was VERY dated. Old carpet, old bedspreads, and soiled chair. The first morning I grabbed a towel after my shower and as I unfolded it there were large yellow stains - GROSS! I threw that one on the floor and picked up towel #2 which had small yellow stains. Needless to say this was not expected or appreciated! The entire property has lots and lots of stairs and my 6'4 husband whacked his head a couple of times on the beams above the stairs. My recommendation? Doze it and start from scratch! read more

Musty, old, and dirty described our room. The food was awful and i would never go back. So what, it has a water park. Go to Big Surf! Get a decent room somewhere else!!! This is just a has been place of yesteryears!!! read more

Seriously one of the worst hotel experiences you could ever have. Most of the wait staff are trying to do a good job. This place is dated, smells bad and the security staff are the absolute worst on the face of this earth. read more

The concept of this place is pretty cool. The little lake house was cozy. I had a decent time dispite my review. BUT HERE IS MY REVIEW The television was really dark we couldn't see the game. There was a large lamp right outside our room, so we had a huge bug problem. Wasp, Bees and spiders covered our deck. Inside the windows were covered in spiders webs and bug carcasses. I use the kitchenette. The electrical burners would pop out while food was cooking on the eye. I can say that I would recommend this place especially for the price. Lesson learned. #margaritavilletanterasucks read more

We stayed her for our vacation July 31st-August 3rd. Check in was smooth, customer service was very friendly. The overall atmosphere was inviting. Our room was modern and spacious! Our view from our balcony was beautiful. We swam in more than one of their pools, it was so much fun. I really was impressed with the fact that they had multiple pools and that 2 of the pools had baby/toddler swimming pools off to the side so that your little one could safely enjoy themselves. Every encounter with staff during our stay was met with smiles and warm faces. The arcade was fun, it had a few games down but the majority of the games were up and running. While out walking around to the different buildings we were asked more than once by staff driving around if we were doing ok and if we would like a ride to where we were going. I found that to be a handy service for the resort, if someone is unable to walk distances they are given the option to be driven there. We saw some areas were having renovations done which is good for them. It didn't hinder our stay. We can't say enough good things about our stay. We are talking about going back and choosing to stay here again! Highly recommend them! read more

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Summary: - congested checkin parking area - lack of parking - hard beds and old/stained towels - everything closes early--some places may refuse service even before closing time - food 50/50 and expensive - pleasant but otherwise uncaring and slow wait staff Full review: (based on my first hand experience and personal opinion) In one word: Meh. Experience so far. (Typing on a mobile phone so please keep that in mind with regards to typos and some grammatical short cuts) Upon arrival the checkin parking area in front of the lobby was a mess. It is poorly designed so that incoming traffic has to make a u-turn into the check in area. On top of that the area isn't very wide so only one row of vehicles can get in single file. The rest of the space is taken up by poorly parked staff golf carts and busses. The poor design was compounded by the fact that some inconsiderate person decided to block access to the whole area and no one at the hotel seemed to care. As cars stacked up someone eventually got out of their car and asked that person to move. Check in itself went fine. Regular parking is just as bad as check in. The parking garage under the second building has maybe 20 spaces. There has to be at least 20 rooms per floor. People are parked randomly all up and down the streets. If there is space for a car there is a car jammed in it. The rooms are OK. Standard hotel. Highway hotel that is. Not a proper downtown 3+ star hotel. Clean enough. Two beds. TV. Fridge. Seen one seen them all. As others have described the beds are hard. I mean cheap hard not "hey Sealy I would like a firm mattress to support my back" hard. We also had been given stained towels the same as others have described. Probably perfectly clean, but still.... Everything closes by 10pm on the weekend except the lobby bar (which looks kind of cheesy) and pizza delivery. This is a resort right? Apparently no one thought that perhaps people at the resort might be on vacation and perhaps they may plan on being active past 10pm? Things close much earlier on weekdays. I bet there is a disproportionate amount of pizza being eaten here in comparison to just about anywhere else not on the tan tar a grounds. Anyhow. At 9 pm we went to the main restaurant down by the water. The name escapes me. Waldorf or Waldos or something like that. It's dark and the streets are not well lit and the signage is old and not particularly specific. It will get you to the area you are looking for, but not to the place you were looking for. After a bit of wandering around in the dark we managed to bump into the restaurant. It had a tiny barely lit sign. It is actually in one of the hotel buildings so you walk in to a bland white hallway and if you don't give up because you believe you obviously must be in the wrong place you will eventually see the restaurant. As I said. It is 9pm. We asked to sit outside. They said they weren't seating anyone outside and plopped us down at the first table right inside the main door, even though there were plenty of tables available, and also ones with lake views. They put is in the middle of the floor at the door. Apparently it didn't occur to them that people vacationing at a lake might like to see it? The people working there were all pleasant. None seemed particularly happy but they were all pleasant. At 9:35 pm a family came in to eat but was turned away because they weren't seating anyone anymore. I know this because our table was, as I said, right inside the door--you probably have a more accurate picture of the horrible location of the table now. We can actually and quite clearly hear conversations with patrons who are at the door. Anyhow, the family being turned away stated that the restaurant is advertised as being open until 10 and that's why they made all efforts to get there in time. That they had in fact been able to get there earlier than expected and were looking forward to a meal after a long day of resort-ing. The staff was unsympathetic and turned them away--but did so pleasantly. So I suppose the places actually close at 9:30-ish on weekends instead of 10 as advertised. Mixed reviews on the food. The baguettes were very hard--but they made us new ones which were good. Half the party liked their food--the other half not so much. Some of the food was over cooked and some under cooked. It otherwise tasted and looked fine. Our wait staff was nice and very pleasant. She addressed the bread issues and brought new food to replace those items that were improperly cooked. She did leave us some for lengthy periods however and we found ourselves without drinks or sitting there with the improperly cooked food for . In the end all was resolved and we finished and paid. It is a resort so prices are going to be high and I knew that going in, however, the prices were a bit high for the results witnessed. In the end I wouldn't recommend it. read more

The hotel and scenery is beautiful, but checking in was a BIG headache. I am handicapped and was told that I was booked in a handicapped room four months earlier, when I booked the room. When I go to check in, I'm informed that they have no notations nor any handicapped rooms available. So there I sit in my wheelchair with the opinion of not having a room and being severely out of luck, or having to be aided with normal tasks; such as getting into the bath. read more

We have been coming to Tan Tar A and now Margaritaville for the last few years. The new management has made some improvements, but they cut down all the shade trees and didn't put up enough umbrellas. I guess we are not their target family anymore because the resort was full of unmarrieds consuming alcohol. We probably will look elsewhere or consider less busy times of year. read more

this is a review of the Timber Falls Waterpark only. We went with 3 adults and 5 teenagers on 2/18/12. We did not stay at the resort since we have condos @ the lake. We have been to Great Wolf Lodge in KS before and it is similar just smaller. It was Presidents Day Weekend and fairly busy but the lines were not bad. Definitely a must do at the lake. read more

Our room was very cute and cozy! Many places to swim and have fun. Highly recommend! They have employees driving around from place to place.The photos are not updated it looks a lot nicer then the photos! The pizzas great and over all a fun time! read more

Staff at front desk were not friendly nor welcoming. Food was way over priced and way below average. I could make a better jacks pizza then the Lola's pizza place could and for a third of the price. The fish and hamburgers at land shark was obviously frozen and not fresh. The only positive part of our trip to Margaritaville was the house cleaning staff and the nice kids who offered us rides to and from the pool and lake. I would not recommend this place to anyone. I've been told and now believe that there are plenty of resorts at the ozarks with better quality AND priced food and a staff that treat you like they want you there. Horrible experience overall, couldn't wait to leave and come home. read more

The buildings/hallways here seem to look a bit dated, but inside the rooms it is newer. The beds are nice and comfy and the room has a dresser, table, and fridge. Also, the bed area in the rooms seem to be more spacious than the average hotel. Unfortunately there is no microwave which sucks if you bring back food. My main problem was the layout of the room. The front door has a little entrance area which is really cramped. The closet and bathroom and fridge are here, but they really need your change it. The bathroom is so tiny that only one person can be in it, and if you're on the toilet, you can't even shut the door. Overall this place is just meh. Everywhere else when walking around seems nice. Just wish they had more sidewalks with all the cars. read more

Although we have stayed there several times when it was "Tan Tar A", we will never return. The people working there are extremely nice and very helpful, but the constant loud music will drive you crazy, even during breakfast when you would like it quiet. Its everywhere except in the room hallways. Its in the bars, eating places, shops, etc. The public areas have been upgraded and are nice and modern, but the rooms are still old and have not been renovated. The old "Black Bear Restaurant" is now a 'plain Jane' nothing. I could see them removing the bear, but they could have left the waterfall and, especially the fireplace, now all gone. The prices at the JB Boathouse are a bit pricy for zero atmosphere, $38 for a filet and $28 for salmon with 2 sides. The place was pretty empty for breakfast and supper, only one other table was occupied during breakfast. A loud and lonely place. read more

The rooms are outrageously overpriced and you would think at that price point there would be things included such as a continental breakfast a $32 check shocked my husband and I when we got done eating!!... The parking is terrible to say the least and there is nothing included with your room other than one small guest pool!! All of the other activities including the waterpark, the mini golf, are not included!!! ( you don't even get a discount for staying at the resort)!! Half of the channels did not work on the television. The land shark restaurant got the name right if you want to pay $8 for a beer and wait an hour to be seated at any time of day!! Needless to say we will not be back! The only positive thing were there a few employees that were trying like crazy to make up for the managements In adequate state of affair!! read more

My husband and I have stayed at this resort twice now. The first time we had no complaints at all - nice room, nice view, good food, friendly/helpful staff. Don't hestitate to ask the concierge about activities in the area - they'll even call places for you to find out open/closing times and check on prices. We didn't even have to request that they do that! The second time we stayed there was a wedding reception being held by the lake, with blaring music that went on for hours. My husband and I waited it out, but some of the guests at the wedding must have been staying in the room next to ours, because a large group of drunken 20-something men showed up and started carrying on loudly. There was no way we could sleep through that! We went down to the front desk to complain and the wonderful staff member we spoke with apologized and discreetly moved us to one of the more expensive cabins, with no extra charge. She told us that once we had moved to our new room to call the front desk and they would then send security to handle the drunks. While we were upset about the rude guests, we felt the hotel handled the situation perfectly. We were able to have a peaceful night's sleep in a much larger room. Yes, this hotel could be updated. Yes, parts of it are rather old. But I would definitely say the pros outweigh the cons. read more

Have stayed here five or six times (always for conferences). It's ok, nothing great. The rooms are kind of hit or miss. This time we were in one of the rooms at the estate (small houses with three hotel rooms inside). "Lake view" was really just a window overlooking the roofs of the boat docks on a small inlet of the lake. Phone in room didn't work, the screen door was completely off the door and just leaning against the sliding door. Had to take a shuttle to get anywhere. HORRIBLE internet connection. It just seems like a chore to stay there, everything is hard to get to and kind of old and dated. Staff is super nice and the place is clean, I will give them that. read more

This place gets 1 star, and they earned it with the lobby. Beautiful and comfortable! Clearly that is the ONLY place on this property that has been updated. The room smelled musty when I arrived, and stains on the decorative pillow. It might be clean, but it doesn't feel that way because the place is so dated. Waiting to check in took a while, we were here in the off season and only 1 person working so maybe that's par. It was missing a closet door, and cobwebs in the corner of the ceiling. This place was probably the 'it' place in 1970s but no updates since then. read more

Horrible horrible horrible. 4/10 stars because the fireworks were cool along with the location and beds were comfortable. Hallways were uneven and seemed like easy injury. Staff in restaurants were horrible... took forever to get one thing from them. Bad ass kids everywhere and parents didn't even try to control them which fortunately doesn't have to do with anything the hotel can control but got damn. Food was aight.... rented a boat, which was super cool and convenient... but it was slow asl. I was able to put all arms and legs in the air while riding the "waves" we created. Keys to the rooms worked but after 5-10 trys of inserting them, then when you try to go get them fixed they blame you saying you "demagnetized" them instead of a quick fix. Bugs everywhere, spiders along the railings leading into the restaurant. Pools were nice but busy and had 10-15 kids at a time that took over the hot tub. Usually places have no kids allowed or a time limit but not this place! Overall was nice to be with family at somewhere that got the job done by giving us a place to see but not a nice place if you're looking for a relaxing "resort." read more

Best staff and friendliest resort at lake of the Ozarks. Remodel has brightened it up. Very fun atmosphere

The food at Black Bear Lodge was great, Brittany (bartender in main bar) was super nice, the room was very outdated and gross! It smelled like smoke when we first came in the room. One of the blankets had stains all over it and looked like it hadn't been washed in forever. The entire resort is up and down hills so be prepared to walk every bit of it. They display the golf carts by the main lobby and said if we need a ride to dial 55, but when we called they were conveniently always "in use" or was quick to tell us their rental rates. read more

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Our room was super musty and smelled like mold. Our blankets were damp and stayed that way the whole time. And our clothes became damp just from being in the room. Our toilet overflowed twice without actually being clogged. Everything we wanted to do cost extra, even though we had extra fees tacked on our reservations just for being in a resort. The only reason they even get one star is because the staff were very nice. read more

My parents raved about this place and even came here on their honeymoon in 1979. We were recently in town for a wedding an the reception was held at this resort. The staff at the front desk were nice, but we got placed in building C and as soon as we entered the building, we smelled mildew. Our room was even worse, so we talked to the front desk staff and they switched us to a newly renovated room in the main building. Our 2nd room was more what I had expected from my parents' description and it had great views of the lake. We didn't have time to try any of the restaurants on-site or even use the pool or gym. The reception hall was very nice and the food was good, especially the shrimp! read more

Beautiful place but took a hot sec to get our rooms, BUT nice people haha. this place is def cute and has a cute little coffee shop i'm gonna try it LOL... i'll let you know how that is;) read more

I have played this course every two or three years since the mid 1980's Used to be a really good course to play, but it has gone downhill over the years. Greens are in decent shape, but fairways and second cuts are in bad shape. Fairways have poor grass and have a lot of hard pack. Doesn't look like they are aerated at all and haven't been over seeded in years. It's really a shame this used to be a great course to play. Shame on management. read more

I take my son every year for the 4th of July. Super family friendly, but also a party life if you're looking for that. It's conveniently located near Bagnell Dam, caves, and State Parks. read more

After coming to Lake of the ozarks to research dogs, we decided to stay at Tan-Tar-a. Since we came early, we needed to wait a bit until our room was ready. The waterpark was really nice. It had the basics, Bucket falls, slides, etc. When we came to our room, I was pleasantly surprised to see a clean bed, tv, among others after reading some bad reviews. Only problem was the AC was really loud. read more

Back to the future? Heard great things about this hotel. Walked in and realized it was from the 70's and it hasn't changed since then. Wood everywhere. Green carpets. Burger king as the main draw for food???! Need I say more? read more

More variety would be welcomed. Also the prices are such that eating the buffet seams like a good idea until after you eat it.

Some friends and I came here last Memorial Day to see fireworks while we were at the lake for the weekend. We didn't eat, but enjoyed a few bottles of wine and the great fireworks. Get here early and you'll have a table - it's well worth it to not be sitting on a hill somewhere with a million other people! read more

I have stayed at Tan-Tar-A twice so far, both were from bidding on a 3 star hotel in Osage Beach. I really don't think that either Lodge of the Four Seasons or Camden on the Lake, hardly ever accept low bids so if you plan on using the Name your Price on Priceline just expect on getting Tan-Tar-A. Now as far as the resort I have to admit that its been 50/50, the first stay last year I was in the same building as the pool which needs to be updated. The most recent stay was in the main building, I think it was building E (whatever the building is above the parking garage across from the lobby) this room was more modern and much nicer than my last stay, however with this place selling itself as a resort I expected a little bit more. No quality shower or body products and the pillows and mattress were not as I have expected. The room was nice and roomy, and even had a balcony overlooking the check in area. If you were to lean over the balcony a little you could see the lake. The one thing that I really give them credit for is their customer service. Overall this is a good place to sleep after a busy day at the lake, while the rooms do not scream 3 star resort, however the customer service does go above and beyond. read more

Tan Tar A is a great weekend getaway spot. I stayed for a long weekend and enjoyed the different amenities such as the pool, spa, and bowling. It was peaceful but still plenty to do. I recommend staying here if you are looking for a vacation spot with everything you need right in one spot! read more

I am currently staying here. The room is decent, a few gnats, low water pressure, ceiling tile open above my shower. Overall, decent place. The parking garage is so low the antenna on mu truck hit ever beam and it's just a standard f150. What's not great? The service in the lobby. I am here for a law enforcement conference. I was expecting a package. When I went to check on it at the front desk, the guy had to put down his piece of pizza, dial a number and hand me the phone. I didn't even know what was going on. I arranged with the person on the phone to have the package delivered to the front desk and I would then pick it up. When I came back later to get it- surprise- the package is lost. The front desk guy said, "just hang out" until they find it. He disappeared into some room. I have witnessed numerous staff ask each other simple questions such as directions. After spending hundreds of dollars jus to stay here and being dismissed by staff, I will never be back. No to mention the maintenance truck block my exit just to leave the parking garage this morning. Disappointed . read more

See lots of nitpicking on these reviews. Boo hoo you had to wait to check in. That would be a good time to loosen up your ponytail a little and enjoy the lake view...People! Don't let silly problems deter you from giving this hotel a shot. Easy check in. Great big pool right on the water, plenty of other stuff to do, plus they drive you around the property in a Golf Cart! How cool is that? Come on man! I'm not sure if prices are ok to post, but for a smidge over a hundred u ain't gonna get the 4 Seasons! Child please!! I've stayed in Holiday Inns with nothing but a breakfast bar for more than I'm paying here, and I'm getting ready to watch Fireworks over the lake. My wife, kids and I think it's a cool place. Good price nice facilities. Pro Tip- you can't bring your cooler to the pool, so if you drink, put a strong drink in something else and bring it along. Then get the Golf Cart dude to drive you back to your place if u want another one. Again people- relax and enjoy yourself. Don't magnify little stuff. Happy 4th everybody. Now where's my Golf Cart? read more

Waterpark only: expensive rates @22 dollars for non-hotel guests make this an expensive proposition, but it was a scorcher outside so indoor fun was a must. Having said that, there was much to do with our 4 year old. He loved the waterslides though may be scary for some (it's 100% dark) and they are fast when done right. Our 4 year old did fine with me going first then he would follow so I could assist at the bottom. Staff was courteous in this matter. They provide towels, if needed, and showers and lockers are available. The one downside was the accessibility. I could not find an elevator or ramp to get in the building though one was present once inside. Cheeseburger at the concession was better than expected, meat was moist instead of rubbery. read more

It's way past time for an update. This resort is great fun with our group but if the money was coming out of my pocket....NO WAY! Rooms~smell like mold, water stained damaged ceilings,stuffing coming out of the couch, not even a queen bed but a double that was barely larger than a twin. Not very clean upon check in. Pool~Non-smoking which I appreciate, although there are always those people who like to bend the rules. Service at the pool is hit or miss at best. Can't bring your own beverages in, once you open a tab with the waitstaff you are with that server and that server only. Check in~What a joke if you haven't arrived at the hotel and "pre-checked" in by 11 you are not going to have a room before 5-6 pm period, in 3 years of coming here it's always been a problem. Bars~There are 2 bars here besides the pool. Black Bear lounge and Mr. D's lounge. At the Black Bear Lounge I think they look for the crabbiest people in the building and ask them to work there. It's become part of out groups pleasure to go there just because of this. We make it into a game. Never fails that no matter how much money were spending last call comes at TEN pm every time. Once we unceromoniously get the boot from Black Bear we trek across the resort to the lobby bar Mr. D's. What a difference Mr D's has great service and a fun Dj plays all our requests to last call and usually they let us prolong last call a bit. I recommend you try the Lake Water cocktail it's delicious! All in all I think the resort is over priced and past it's prime. Since it's a group thing I'll be back but I'm wheedling the planners to consider a change of venue. read more

We stayed the weekend at this resort and had a great time. Lots of amenities on the huge resort and the landscaping was beautiful. As most people said it does need renovation, the carpets are worn and nothing seems up to date or modern. The room had the basics and that was it, nothing fancy. The food court consists of a Sabarro, which was really good, and a Burger King, which we never tried. The main lounge, Mr. D's, had good drinks and a personable bartender, the music was OK. We ate at the Black Bear Lodge and while being out dated and the service was just OK the food was good. The main pool was cool with waterfalls, a big slide and the Jetty Bar having good alcoholic drinks, food and non- alcoholic drinks at reasonable prices. We did not go to the indoor water park but friends said it was freezing in there, both the water and with the AC being on full blast. Boat rental prices are on par with other marinas on the lake. I cannot comment on the golf course as we are not golfers, I just wanted to share my opinions on the parts of the resort we did get to experience. read more

Don't bother staying in "The Estates". The room quality is on par with a La Quinta, which is to say that it's not great but not bad, either. The worst thing about our room was the air conditioner - it was the loudest hotel air conditioning unit I've heard in a long time, and that's saying something as I stay in, on average, three or four hotels per week for work. The noise of that unit would have been noticed in a bowling alley or a truck stop - definitely not what you want to hear while trying to sleep. On another note, if this is your first time staying at this resort and you're worn out from a long day of driving, TRY not to arrive after dark. It can be difficult to find your accommodation and when you get there you'll find no designated parking areas. We had to call to confirm that the accepted practice is simply to park as close as possible to your room in the middle of the dark and narrow road that lead to your unit. read more