Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo

Reviews

• MA

  Migdalia Abiague

  5 days ago
  4.0
  8/10 – An Amazing Glamping Stay, But Bathroom Cleanliness Can Make or Break the Experience My husband and I had an amazing four-day glamping stay at Westgate River Ranch! We wanted to do something a little different for my 42nd birthday and our 22nd anniversary—something still somewhat local that included all the things we love: the outdoors, animals, camping, the rodeo, and great food. Westgate River Ranch checked all those boxes! We chose the glamping experience, which gave us the fun and atmosphere of camping while still having some extra comfort. We truly enjoyed the overall experience and made some wonderful memories celebrating two very special occasions. Every person we interacted with was pleasant, informative, and more than willing to help with any questions we had. Unfortunately, the one thing keeping me from giving our stay a higher rating was the bathroom cleanliness. When you're glamping and using shared bathroom facilities, the condition of those bathrooms can honestly make or break the experience. During our entire four-day stay, not once did we see the bathrooms cleaned or refreshed. We saw staff around the bathroom area daily, but instead of seeing the facilities being attended to, we often observed staff sitting and talking for 30 minutes or more while the bathrooms clearly needed attention. For a resort offering a glamping experience, I expected the shared facilities to receive much more frequent attention. This was disappointing because Westgate River Ranch has so much going for it. Clean, regularly maintained bathrooms should be a priority, particularly for guests paying for the glamping experience and relying on those facilities throughout their stay. Despite this issue, we had a wonderful birthday and anniversary getaway and genuinely enjoyed everything else Westgate River Ranch had to offer. With better attention to the cleanliness and upkeep of the bathrooms, this easily could have been a 10/10 experience for us. Overall: 8/10 ⭐️
• MM

  Marian Moreno

  Aug 14, 2026
  3.0
  ⭐⭐⭐ Mi experiencia en Westgate River Ranch El resort es bonito y las instalaciones están bien, pero hay algo muy importante que deberían considerar las familias que viajan con niños: la gran mayoría de las actividades son al aire libre y, cuando llueve, prácticamente TODO cierra. Durante nuestra estadía entre semana tuvimos varios días de lluvia y cerraron el parque acuático, el área de animales, las caballerizas, las actividades y hasta espacios infantiles que estaban bajo techo, como el área de arena donde los niños podían jugar con pequeños tractores. El problema no fue la lluvia —entendemos perfectamente que nadie puede controlar el clima—. El problema fue que no existía ninguna alternativa. El resort está bastante aislado y en los alrededores prácticamente no hay nada que hacer, así que varias familias terminamos con nuestros niños encerrados durante horas en las habitaciones o en un pequeño arcade con muy pocas máquinas. Después de dos días así, incluso pedí a la gerencia que considerara habilitar más temprano alguna actividad, como el parque acuático, el petting zoo o los caballos, aprovechando las horas antes de la lluvia. No pedíamos que hicieran magia contra la “madre naturaleza”, simplemente un poco de flexibilidad y empatía con las familias que estábamos allí. La respuesta del servicio al cliente fue bastante indiferente, y eso fue probablemente lo más decepcionante de la experiencia. Además, entre semana encontramos varios restaurantes cerrados y opciones muy limitadas para comer. Mi recomendación: si piensas visitar Westgate River Ranch, especialmente entre semana, revisa muy bien el clima y confirma previamente qué actividades y restaurantes estarán funcionando. Con buen clima seguramente la experiencia puede ser muy diferente, pero deberían tener un verdadero plan B para las familias cuando el clima no acompaña. Por eso, en mi experiencia, 3 estrellas.
• LF

  Le F.

  Aug 10, 2026
  2.0
  We stayed at the glamping resort from Friday to Sunday — my husband, my daughter, our small Yorkshire Terrier, and I — and spent around $1,000 between the nightly rate and the pet fee. Unfortunately, for that price, the experience was disappointing. The cabin itself is interesting and has a nice concept, but it is very basic. The bathroom is located outside the cabin, which becomes quite inconvenient if the weather is bad. Having to walk outside in the rain or in the middle of the night just to use the bathroom is definitely not what I would consider a comfortable “glamping” experience. The check-in time is 4:00 PM and check-out is already at 10:00 AM, which makes the stay feel even more expensive considering how little time you actually have to enjoy the accommodation. The description also mentioned morning coffee service, but in reality, it consisted of a box of coffee and some very low-quality donuts. I was expecting something much better considering the price of the stay. Another disappointing detail was the service. We placed our trash outside the cabin because we didn’t want to keep it inside and deal with the smell. The staff came by to deliver breakfast, but the trash was left there, even after it had been scattered all over the ground. What bothered me most is that the majority of the activities at the resort cost extra. You already pay a premium price to stay there, and then you have to pay separately for almost everything you want to do. It makes the overall value very difficult to justify. For comparison, resorts like Margaritaville offer a much more comfortable and complete experience at a significantly better value. The only part of the weekend that I genuinely felt was worth it was the rodeo, which we really enjoyed — but even that had to be purchased separately. Overall, I liked the idea and concept of the glamping experience, but for approximately $1,000 for a weekend, I expected a much higher level of comfort, service, and included amenities. Unfortunately, I would not consider it worth the price.
• NS

  Nancy Seltzer

  Aug 10, 2026
  2.0
  This was a 1–2 star resort experience at best. Our family had a great time because we made the most of the activities, but the actual resort experience was incredibly disappointing, especially considering what we paid. Let me start with the positives because there were some. Robin at skeet shooting was fantastic, and the airboat ride with Chris was excellent. The horseback riding was fun, the line dancing was enjoyable, and the entertainment at the water park was great. And then there was the rodeo—which was absolutely outstanding and, without question, the best rodeo I have ever seen. I have been to rodeos in Davie, Florida; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and Beaver Creek, Colorado, and the Westgate River Ranch rodeo was better than all of them. The activities are clearly the strongest part of this resort. Unfortunately, almost everything else left a lot to be desired. On our very first night, we wanted pizza, but the register wasn't working, so we went to the restaurant instead. The restaurant was out of approximately 75% of the menu. They couldn't even provide me with hot water for a cup of tea. At a resort charging these prices, that is simply unacceptable. Our room was run-down and badly in need of updating. We paid $152 per night plus a $50 resort fee, and I expected considerably more for that price. There were approximately 10 television channels, and the only news channel available was MSNBC. There were no other news options whatsoever. We were also assigned a second-floor room in a building with no elevator. We actually encountered a very elderly woman who could not get to the second floor without our assistance. For a large family resort, this is a significant accessibility issue that should not be overlooked. The hayride and dinner were another disappointment. The hayride was 40 minutes late, and when it arrived, we discovered there was no hay on the "hayride," and the dinner that followed was mediocre at best an included what was, quite honestly, the worst macaroni and cheese I have ever tasted. The golf cart situation was equally frustrating. When we arrived, we paid to rent a golf cart for the weekend. It was pouring rain, and I was told to walk to the Smokehouse to pick it up. I walked over there—and nobody was working. I went back to the concierge and discovered that there were three other guests in exactly the same situation. Eventually, someone brought the golf cart to me. I was warned that I would be charged for any damage to the cart, so I carefully documented all of the scratches that were already there. At the end of our stay, I returned the cart to the registration area, handed over the key, and left. Nobody inspected the cart. Nobody documented the return. The entire process was completely disorganized. Then there was the cabana. We paid approximately $290 for a pool cabana, only to discover that the television didn't work. We received no discount, no refund, and no other accommodation whatsoever. This is what is most frustrating about Westgate River Ranch: there is so much potential here. The activities are fun, the rodeo is exceptional, and our family genuinely enjoyed ourselves. But the resort seems to be charging resort-level prices without providing a resort-level experience. The property needs serious attention when it comes to maintenance, customer service, organization, food quality and availability, accommodations, and basic guest amenities. If you're going for the rodeo, airboat rides, skeet shooting, horseback riding, line dancing, and water park, you can absolutely have a good time. But don't expect the accommodations or service to match what you're paying. For the amount of money we spent—including the $50 nightly resort fee and the additional charges for activities and the cabana—I expected a significantly better experience. Great activities. Great rodeo. Very disappointing resort. Until Westgate addresses the basic issues, I would have a hard time recommending this property or returning to stay there.
• MC

  Marilyn Cunningham

  Aug 10, 2026
  1.0
  I can't tell you how disappointed we were.... >The first thing that happened was they couldn't find our reservation (that we had pre-paid for), they finally got it figured out but took hours. > So many times we tried to get food and the place would be closed. > We had lunch on Saturday at the Smokehouse, but had to sit outside in the heat because they were renovating or something. And then they want a 20% tip ... for what? We had to get our own drinks, come in and carry our own food out to our table. Why don't they give you a number to put on your table and bring the food to you? Especially if they expect a tip. > There are so many fences blocking everything, sometimes we would have to backtrack and go around to get to a place... so irritating. And then we would drive down a street and have to back out because there was no exit. Why not have a No Exit sign in the beginning? > We wanted to go to the petting farm and it was closed (afternoon), we had to wait till the next day. > We couldn't go on the trail ride because my husband was 20 lbs over the weight limit. I never got to touch a horse... and that's what I especially came for. I love horses and have had several of my own... and have trained two young ones to ride. Why not have one small stable of very gentle friendly horses people can pet... at least their faces? > Our room smelled moldy.... why not at least have a can of room freshener for the guests to use in those smelly rooms? (Otherwise the room was clean) > So many little irritations.... like having to wait so long to get your food (a hot dog or chicken tenders) and then there's no sauce and you have to ask and wait again till she's free to bring it (when it's right in front of her). And other little irritations I won't go into. > Then we were supposed to get an aurboat ride but there was never one available. > The Rodeo was awesome...

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