We had to plan our trip on very short notice. Because of our budget and the size and composition of our group (two parents and three sons, ages 18, 14, 6), I focused on finding a cabin instead of a suite.
I've always enjoyed staying at Kimberling City and avoiding traffic on the strip, so I went with
Green Valley Resort. I wasn't quite sure the rates on their page matched the online reservation system, so I called and made the reservation by phone. As it turned out, they did match, but it was very nice talking with Chieko (chee-AY-koh), the very polite owner(?)/operator.
We were very impressed. The cabin was "period", but modernized, and immaculately clean. The grounds were truly park-like; if you like songbirds and bunnies and ducks coming right up to your doorstep, this is the place for you. We stayed in cabin #7 (one queen bedroom, one bedroom with two twins, and one sleeper sofa). This was conveniently right next to the pool and playground, and most of their cabins surround this same area.
The kitchenette had a full sized refrigerator, full size electric range, compact microwave, and a standard drip coffeemaker. Coffee filters, salt & pepper, a full set of dishes and utensils, and more cookware than we could need were all included. There's a park-style charcoal grill at every cabin, and ours included a scraper/brush, grill spatula, and tongs.
Minor nits: no ice trays in the fridge. There was no remote for the TV, but it was only on for about an hour out of our stay. The shower is
tiny. The advertised WiFi is free, but the signal doesn't reach most of the cabins (Chieko leaves the office open, and invited us to come down and use the desk at any time). We actually survived two days without internet by sitting at the picnic table and having conversation! If you have a cantenna or something similar, you might be able to get a signal.
Notes: unless we missed it, none of the neighboring resorts have groceries. One (Boomerang) has a "grocery store" consisting of canned meat and crackers; other than that, it's four miles either direction on Route DD for milk or anything other than vending machine sodas. The Branson West Wal-Mart Supercenter and Country Mart are 15 minutes away. Green Valley does have ice available. I didn't see a price, but the box was unlocked, and Chieko seems to rely heavily on the trust system. There is a laundry room consisting of a single coinop washer and dryer.
The
Sho-Me Baseball Camp is right next door, but they weren't in session while we were there. I don't know if having dozens of 8-18 year olds in the neighborhood would change things. As baseball fans, we'd have definitely wandered over to watch if they'd been in session.
Oh, and for budget, the total for two nights, with tax and the extra person charge, was $221 and change. We'd have needed two rooms or a suite at a hotel/motel, so we came out money ahead by renting the cabin. We enjoyed nice home-cooked meals every night, instead of having to eat out, so that's more savings.
I hope to be back there in the fall.
