My wife and I had already booked our stay at River Ranch when we found the reviews on TripAdvisor. We almost canceled. Thank goodness we didn't! Although we only stayed two days this will be a vacation we will remember for the rest of our lives. It's been raining heavily in Florida for the past couple of weeks, and Friday when we arrived was no exception. To that extent the entire weekend was a bit dampish. We stayed in a Courtyard Suite and the accomodations were 1st rate. We had one dinner and 2 breakfasts at the Smokehouse Grill. All was exteptional. The staff was unfailingly polite and helpful. Don't miss the Rodeo no matter what! It may not be as big or fancy as a big city rodeo, but it'll do, it will do!. The biggest thing I'd like to pass on, if you're going expecting top notch, 5 star, Club Med ameities, don't bother. But, if you don't mind just a little laid back relaxation, take off your wristwatch and let the Carillon bells of the chaple set your time for you, there's no better place I can reccomend

We purchased this weekend as a time share promotion at the Broward County Fair. Being city slickers and all, we wanted a weekend get away at a dude ranch not far from Miami. We've heard of this place so we thought, "What the heck?"

There was a little problem getting our weekend booked since it's based on availability but three times was a charm for us and we got a date scheduled.

Check in went smooth and we signed up for the various activities promised in our promotion. We opted to do the time share pitch on our last day (Sunday).

The hotel room was clean. Nothing spectacular here. There was a fridge that kept our BEvERages cold. A quick trip to the General Store fulfilled all our other needs. The pizza there wasn't too bad!

While at the resort, we took a horseback ride, played 9 holes of golf, hiked the state trails, and rode around on our golf cart. The horse back ride was good but if you're experienced and looking for something more entergetic...you better skip it. The golf course isn't anything special but up to "par" with a typical city owned course in a mid-size town. It wasn't crowded so we never had people crawling up our backs. Several golfers just skipped to the next hole if someone was in front of them. Very casual and great for beginner golfers.

The restaurant on premises is very good. We ate 3 meals there and they were all good. We took advantage of a fun hay ride Saturday night and that was worthwhile to see the land around the ranch. On Saturday nights, the property has a rodeo that shouldn't be missed. Okay, so it's not Vegas but the production is great for familes. Can't say I ever saw a group of kids allowed to go in a ring and chase a baby bull around with a ribbon on it's tail. But hey, I guess that's what they call entertainment down on the farm.

The only night life after the rodeo is the Saloon. The local band does a good job as far as local bands go. Take a free line dance class....it's worth a shot. The instructor is good.

And as far as time share pitches go....it's a pitch. I left a bit confused regarding the whole Ranch. It's a property in transistion....lots of privately owned RV spots, the hotel has rooms that are privately owned. The hotel is NOT owned by Westgate......just a handful of homes that's part of the timeshare property.

My girlfriend and I would definitely go back. It's a bit like being on a cruise ship. There are scheduled events like on a cruise ship. One place to eat and one store you can get pizza and snacks at (oh, try the biscuits and gravy for breakfast....they're awesome!) The property is in the middle of nowhere, just like a cruise ship at sea.

I see some bad reviews here. I didn't see bad service but we did have problems booking the promotion. If you're laid back and looking for a redneck weekend...this is the place for you!

I booked the reservation through Orbitz. . The reservation was confirmed but when we got to the hotel . We try to check in and they told us that they were sold out. The manger Bob was saying I'm sorry but we are sold out so it;syour problem to find something also. We drove for 3 hours to get to these ranch and the only things that we heard I 'm sorry we are sold out.The staff was very unprofessional i would not recommend it to anyone.
Terrible.

I paid $309 up front (by credit card), and have tried to book the vacation package. My contract reads dates are available until August 2009. Upon trying to make a reservation, I was told the only available date was May 2009.

What a scam!

The staff I spoke with were rude, and the sales people that took my money of course would not return my calls.