Lake Barkley State Resort Park

We got to the lodge late Sunday evening. We went down to eat at 4pm. We realized the buffet was about over but roast beef had no cutter present and food was old. Tried dinner the next night fried green tomatoes were mushy. Fish was good. Next night we both had country fried steak. Mashed potatoes tasted like they were instant and it looked like gravy had soaked into the steak. We ask for extra gravy our server checked and came out and said gravy was like water. We gave up. Only thing really good was salad bar. Balcony off the room was filthy. Husband had to clean it himself to set outside. Bathtub had bugs and hair in it. Place smelled musty. Beds were very comfortable. We had workers in room next to ours that started sawing and hammering around 8am. View was beautiful and lodge workers were very nice and cheerful.

Beautiful scenic location and grounds on the shore of Lake Barkley. I believe this resort was opened in the 1960’s and was no doubt the gem in the Kentucky State Park system. The lodge itself and accommodations are in need of renovations in my opinion. Room was very clean, but the entire complex from the welcome center, restaurant and lodging room had a pervasive musty odor. Public areas of the building could have been cleaner as well. Restaurant service and food options were good. Lots of activities, fitness center, hiking, swimming, fishing…

My booked, and requested a lake view for Anniversary. When we arrived, we were given a view of trees, looking over a semi mud flat. Room was very dark, and musty smelling. When turned on the air to get some air moving. The AC sounded like an industrial fan in the room. It ran all night and the musty smell never left the room. While sitting on the balcony in the very outdated/rusty chairs, looking out over the “spectacular mud flat”, I happened to glance at the window. Asked the wife was the glass cracked? She said there is packaging tape over the glass. I looked, and there was what appeared to be a bullet hole. Went inside, pulled the drapes away, and more packaging tape on the crack. And it did appear to be a bullet hole from the inside. Went to put drinks in the fridge, and NO FRIDGE! There was a place for one, but no fridge or microwave. The pillows on the bed could have been used for writing paper they were so thin. Wife booked this as an anniversary getaway, and it will be one we remember. Main reason for booking, was saw the add for the seafood buffet. We ate there, and HIGHLY recommend you SKIP IT!!!! For the price charged, compared to the quality of the food…… would have been better off going to Long John Silvers. The State of Kentucky should be absolutely ashamed of this place. In the morning, we left. Even though we had intention of staying a second night originally. We drove to Paris Landing State Park, and stayed at the resort there. 10,000% difference. Price wise comparative.

This is a beautiful resort with a great pool, good restaurant, and very friendly staff who seem eager to help in any way they can. The potential is unlimited for this place. However, for $162 a night (in-state rate + tax), there are a few things that need vast improvement, and a couple of things that would keep me from going back if not changed. Sweeping the room balcony for spiders and webs before guests arrive should be routine. I borrowed a broom from the housekeeper and did it myself or otherwise the deck was unusable. The key card worked, then it didn't. Each time we had to go to the lobby and have it re-set, only for it to not work again. The windows in the restaurant (called Windows on the Water, ironically) were downright filthy. It was very distracting, and kind of ruined the atmosphere. It made us wonder what else was filthy that we COULDN'T see. The food was good, but the coffee was awful. My husband and I agreed it really didn't even taste like coffee. When I skip my morning coffee, that's saying something. Our waiter tried to make it right by making a fresh pot, but I think it must just be the brand they use. In the room, it is obvious that the cabinets in each room used to hold a fridge and microwave that has since been removed. That's infuriating. I have medication that has to be refrigerated, so I kept it in a small cooler in a ziploc bag to keep it from getting wet from the melting ice that I had to keep changing out. What about mothers who need to refrigerate/warm up formula or breast milk? What about the $10 worth of leftovers that you'd like keep and reheat later? Let me say again that the staff are very friendly and helpful. We definitely appreciated that. A few improvements would make a world of difference in the guest experience here.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!