Chalets On Table Rock Lake

First… the Villas are very nice. New, well constructed, nicely appointed and nothing in them is particularly cheap. The things to do onsite are good for children and families, putt-​putt golf, boat dock with tubes, paddle boats, life jackets provided, etc. There is a Zip-​line for use as well. The beds are very comfortable. These are the positives.
The negatives are: If you bring a boat, you will need to use a ramp which is 20 miles away in Lampe proper. Baxter’s Marina does NOT have a ramp, but the state park campground does. The «ramp» advertised is a dirt road leading to the water that locals use to put in Jon boats, etc. I checked it out on Google Earth in advance and am sure glad I did. You can see where a number of people have been stuck using that mud ramp. Not suitable for normal size boats. The weekend we were there, the internet went out. I called the maintenance man but it was not fixed until Monday. All of the units were out… not just ours. It was fixed when the regular crew came on Monday so it could have been fixed on Saturday if they had tried. This would normally not be a big issue, but one thing they will tell you is that reception is not good for any cellular phone or hot spot. We own several redundant devices and none of them would work from this location. So… if the internet they provide is out… you are without communications.
The instructions for use and clearance are annoyingly «direct». I like direct, but I don’t like to be threatened. It was made vividly clear that if you took an inside towel to the pool and it became clorine-​stained, you would be paying $ 15. There were other «directions» that detracted from the welcoming atmosphere which could have been put forth. Nothing major and we are compliance type of people, but it was annoying. A few more «pleases» would have gone a long way. They seem to want to provide nice things for you to use, but were obsessing about the use… sort of a contradiction.
Lastly, if you want seclusion… this is the place for you. There is virtually nothing relatively close. Branson is 45 minutes away. Stores in Kimberling City are north of Lampe about 30 minutes away. One or two good restaurants in Lampe exist, but they have odd operating days. So, be prepared to come and take care of yourselves; i.e., cooking, entertainment, etc., or be prepared to drive. The hills and roads are narrow and steep, so driving is tedious.
I gave this 3 stars because the negatives I elaborated on can be fixed and it will be up to the management if they choose to make these great villa’s better or dismiss my comments. One will notice I did not mention money. The four nights came to $ 1600, but that is not an issue… or my issue. I am glad to pay for nice things… and they can do better with some relatively simple fixes… that do not cost money.
Lastly, the ladies who man the rental desk are very nice and responsive. Unfortunately, I do not think they have visited the property. I was telling them things about the ramp, etc., and one of them indicated they had not been there. A one day visit to the property would certainly enhance their operating abilities. I was glad to give them updated information on the boat ramp, etc., but I know they would have rather been able to provide accurate information upfront. However, these ladies did a fine job and clearly are the lynch-​pins of this operation.

Our extended family of 9 has rented homes for group vacations numerous times. This is by far the best location we have experienced.
We rented Timber Wolf Lodge and it is lovely. The main floor has an open floor plan that encouraged the family to hang out together. The kitchen is large and was well enough stocked that my foodie brother only needed a select few of his own tools to prepare Thanksgiving dinner.
There is a play ground, swimming pool, kids zip line, and ice machine on the grounds. There were 2 main TV’s and a great division of bedrooms on the three floors which gave us plenty of space when together time became a little much.
We drove into Branson twice for a shows and felt that the trade off for the seclusion vs the drive was well worth it.
If you are looking for a rental in the area, check it out.

My family and I just got back from our long weekend at the Chalets and there are some things that impressed me and others that really did not. First, my reservation process was not the most smooth. The individual, Valerie, that I spoke with on the phone was likely new because she didn’t seem to know the answers to my questions. I did get the reservation booked but it was for $ 47 more than the quoted price on the internet. I followed up via email and was told there was a minimum 4 night stay so an extra fee was added. I understood that, but it certainly should have been explained on the phone.
The «check-​in» process is easy because they send you an email with the code to your place. That of course doesn’t make me feel too safe because I’m sure these codes do not get changed often. Nothing went wrong but I didn’t like that too much.
We stayed in Cottage #4 for the price of $ 335 for two nights and $ 277 for one night plus the extra $ 48 for the 4 night minimum rule and a cleaning fee of $ 150. For what the cottage was, this is too much. The cottage is decent, but right when I walked in, there was a giant dark stain on the carpet. Not inviting whatsoever. There are big cracks in the drywall, there was food stuck in the carpet right in front of the couch, and one of the grills was so dirty I wouldn’t let my worst enemy use it (luckily there was another one in better shape but I still used foil to cook on). I washed all the dishes we needed to use because they looked dirty when I pulled them out. The outside was also neglected with cans of chewing tobacco, beer cans, water bottles, old flip flops and cigarette butts everywhere. The outside mess was dealt with by a caretaker named Roger who was nice as can be. The place was clean where it counted with fresh linens, clean bathrooms and a clean kitchen. The beds were comfortable and there was plenty of space for all of us plus the dog. There were plenty of extras available like trash bags, plastic wrap, plenty of utensils, etc. My main issue is that when I’m paying so much for a place, it better be well maintained!
Another reason I’m so up and down about this place are the grounds. There’s a beautiful pool, two fire pits with plenty of seating, a sand volleyball court, playground, and a dock with slips to rent, a large swimming area, two picnic tables, kayaks, canoes, and a water trampoline. Loved all of those extras. They were a major plus. On Friday, my family had the dock to ourselves the entire day so we just got to hang out and let the dog run around and have a blast.
The icing on the expensive cake was when one of the tenants of the nicer chalets (they have chalets on the water and cottages a little further back on the property) told me they were only paying $ 183 a night. My head almost exploded. Maybe they had a deal but when I’m getting nickel and dimed on a minimum rental and they have a much nicer place for $ 340 less dollars, I was annoyed.
So overall it’s hard to know how to feel about the place. The grounds were gorgeous and my family had a great time. At the same time, I feel like I was gypped and the cottage needed some help. The pluses outweighed the minuses so three stars it is.