Margaritaville Lake Resort Lake of the Ozarks

That it was right on the lake

The location was fine. I liked the wristband keys to the rooms. That was very convenient.

The resort was a great location located right on the water with many restaurants and places right on site. Our stay was cut short because the power was knocked out on July 4. We had no power for 18 hours, no water. We were forced to check out and cut our family vacation short the next day. What was shocking to me was there was no emergency lighting in the hallways (had to use cell phone light) and no back up generators. How can a place like this not have a generator back up? Or emergency lighting? My 5 year old liked the property, but was really disappointed that we had to leave. The staff was good. I also did not like the property has public access. Swimming in an outdoor pool with my child while a group of teens or 20’s blew 1 hitters and were using vulgar language in the hotel pool with families around was not ideal. For a chain of group of hotels to be this big and expensive I expect more. The room was clean but for the price the basic room was overpriced.

Overall, we enjoyed out Stay at the resort. There are a few things that need addressed.The exhaust fan in the bathroom was very dirty. The shower head is barely over 5 1/2 feet above the tub floor. My husband had a very hard time using it. The deck and railings were in desperate need of renovation. The TV was constantly losing it's signal.I appreciate the fact they don't waste resources on daily housekeeping, however they could offer garbage service since the trash cans are so small. We also noticed that the stairs and hallways were never vacuumed during our stay. We saw the same trash on the stairs every day.
The building we were in had NO elevator. We were not warned of this nor were we offered assistance. If we were mobility challenged there is no way we could have stayed there. We couldn't get to our room without stairs.
On a positive note, the decor in the room was nice and the beds were comfortable. The pool area was great.The Tiki Hut Pool bar was fun. We ate atLandshark Bar & Grill and the food was wonderful. The License to chill bar was a nice break from the heat.

Be WARNED, the resort is VERY hilly. Parking can be a pain. They do offer golf cart transportation but it was hard to get.

Overall the stay was ok, I'm not sure I would stay again. I don't think it is up to the standards of the Margaritaville/Jimmy Buffett branding.

This place had it all… There was so much to see and do for all ages here. This place is gigantic and seems never ending with new things around every corner. They did a great job of catering to all ages here. There is a bowling alley, arcade and waterpark for the kids. There are swim up bars at the Lake for adults. You can rent boats and Jet skis on site. Our room had a great view of the lake. There was a teacher convention going on while we were here but the property is so large, you barely noticed.

This property can be a little confusing when you first get here and it is built on a hill. They have golf carts that will take you down to the water and back to the rooms. This hill is also what gives such great views of the lake.

There’s a lot to do without leaving the property. It’s pretty at first impressions.

The services provided for our set up and tear down was perfect! Tiffany, Audrey, David, and others provided a seamless and delicious Sat evening dinner/dancing event! The food was DEKICIOUS! ALL the front desk staff (shout out to Bonnie!) were kind and helpful.

1) Upon check in, we had requested the Windrose Bldg which we requested in the fall of 2025. It appears that making a request was futile as it was something that would not be honored. We also requested top floor with the same negative result. Once we parked in the garage and made our way onto the elevator, we found ourselves unsure of where the Beacon Bldg was located. We ask 5 different employees for assistance and none were able to tell us where we could locate our building, Once we found the way, there were several stairways we had to drag our heavy luggage up and down, including coolers. There should be concierge service at least offered to help. The A/C was subpar, if nonexistent with the exception of our guest rooms.
2) The first night we ate at the Landshark Bar and Grill with an unpleasant experience. You would think a resort would have relief from the heat in restaurants and in the buildings but this is not the case. In addition, the restaurant was so loud we could not even converse with those at our table. The food was subpar. I had to send my shrimp back as it was not deveined and off putting. Three in our party ordered a salad that came out warm and not pleasant to eat.
3) Our guest room bathroom tile desperately needed a grout overhaul. There was a fake eyelash behind our toilet that was missed by the cleaning staff. The light switch in the bathroom had to be wiggled to get the light to turn on. The deck had coffee stains on the rail and multiple spider webs. It is apparent that the deck does not get cleaned.
4) We went to the pizza restaurant to get ice cream which is in a self-serve freezer and when I got to the cash register to pay, I was given a choice of a percentage of tip but no option for no tip.
This is unacceptable for a self-serve items.
5) We also requested a cart to help bring our items, including coolers up the hill from the marina and they never showed. So, we had to carry these up the hill to our rooms and then contended with all the stairs in the Beacon Bldg. Not a pleasant experience.
6) One positive experience was the staff at the marina were very helpful and knowledgeable about the pontoons. The only A/C in any building that we found was in the marina.

Overall we were disappointed in this resort. The prices of the rooms indicated that it was a high-end resort and this is not the case. It is disappointing that all of the employees know little to nothing about the resort and could use some serious training to be able to help guests and with questions and directions. The resort did not make us feel like we had a good vacation or any relaxation.

We are extremely disappointed with our stay. For the premium price we paid, this resort did not deliver the quality, service, or experience as expected.

Our room request, submitted nearly a year in advance, was not honored at check-in with little explanation or effort to accommodate it.

Guests should be aware that reaching many of the rooms requires carrying luggage through multiple buildings and up and down several flights of stairs. This is a significant concern for anyone with mobility limitations or heavy luggage. Making matters worse, several employees could not tell us where our building was located, and the property has very little signage to help guests navigate. The hallways were also hot and humid, making the trek to and from our room even more uncomfortable.

The room itself showed several maintenance issues. The entry door did not close properly and had to be slammed (apologies to our neighbors), the balcony had peeling paint, our grout was crumbling, and we learned that guests paying the same room rate received vastly different accommodations—some with private balconies while others, like ours, were assigned shared balconies. The shared community decks also had far too little seating to accommodate the number of guests.

The overall property design requires excessive walking and constant stair climbing. The parking garage was poorly lit, and carpet remnants and construction debris were stored throughout the area, giving the resort an unfinished and poorly maintained appearance.

Dining was equally disappointing. Restaurants were consistently overcrowded, extremely noisy, and lacked air conditioning, making meals uncomfortable. To make matters worse, salads were served warm to hot, and the shrimp at one restaurant had not been properly deveined—an unacceptable oversight at a resort charging premium prices. We were also frustrated that tips were required with no option to select “no tip,” even in situations where staff only rang us up. For example, at the ice cream shop, we were charged an exorbitant price, forced to add a tip, and then had to retrieve our own items from the freezer.

Instead of the relaxing getaway we expected, the atmosphere often felt more like a loud fraternity party than an upscale resort.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the constant upselling. After paying premium room rates plus a resort fee, we found that every activity and amenity required yet another additional charge. It quickly became apparent that the resort’s business model is built around extracting more money from guests rather than providing value.

Further adding to the frustration, we requested golf cart transportation back up the steep hills after activities. Although staff acknowledged our requests, transportation either never arrived or was not provided, leaving us to make the climb on foot. For a sprawling resort with significant elevation changes, this level of service was disappointing.

The waterfront experience was equally underwhelming. Access was extremely limited, with only one obvious area available to guests, located at the bottom of the hill. Given the resort’s lakeside setting, we expected multiple inviting spaces to enjoy the water. Instead, waterfront access felt restricted and failed to live up to the property’s marketing.

The one bright side is the staff at the boat rental was exceptional.

In the end, the combination of poor customer service, maintenance problems, inconsistent accommodations, difficult navigation, excessive walking, overcrowded facilities, and continual extra charges made this one of the most disappointing resort experiences we’ve had. The property simply does not justify its price point.

This place is incompetent. We arrived at 2pm on Sunday july 5th.the place was totally closed and nobody notified us. We were told to get another hotel which we did. Called back at 6pm,they were open and we were told we could return,rooms were ready. We got back to margaritaville and were promptly told the room was not ready. Margaritaville left us sitting in their parking lot till 10:30 pm that night when they finally had our room ready. Mind you we had reservations and were never notified 18 hours earlier when the power went out. We finally got a room(which we had reserved a two bedroom cottage) we stayed the night and then the next day we had to transfer again to our original cottage so that burned up our morning. When we finally did get in, nothing was open so we had to go get food offsite.needless to say we spent two days of our four day vacation looking for a place to stay or transferring between rooms or sarching for food. They recommended another resort which was resort al lake of the ozarks..it was a total dump.so we wasted money on a two hotel rooms we didnt need plus we never recieved any kind of apology or comp for the mishap. They did however give us 60 dollars toward the snack bar and didnt charge us a third time for our stay Sunday night. I felt they should have made it right by taking the two days of hotel rental and not charging us for it. I was told by the manager too bad. Needless to say I will not be returning to this resort as I am the 3nd generation of family that has come here. We had been going there for 17 years and to be treated this was was an embarrassment and shameful for margaritaville to have treated us this way.

Loved the pools and recreational areas that are on the property. All the extra daily activities for guests were fun

It was very relaxing,the local was nice

I liked that it was lake view with a lot of amenities. There were lots of things that the kids could do. Food options were good.