Oh my goodness, what a pleasant surprise. After a two mile drive down a two lane forested road, you are greeted by cabins and a small motel. When you walk into the small office area, everything is still done by hand, from the reservations, the sign in on a small postcard and the handwritten receipt. The bookkeeping is also done on a large spreadsheet on the back wall of the office. You get two keys and don't even present a credit card until checkout. The rooms are spacious and sparking clean. Ours had two beds, and two chairs with end tables along with a sitting room with the MOST comfortable couch and throw pillows. There was no microwave or refrigerator or shampoo or blow dryer just like in the 50's but it's part of the experience. The ice machine was broken on our visit and the parking lot hasn't been repaved in a while but kind of adds to the charm. There were kids playing catch and riding bikes on the spacious grounds. A couple played tennis on the tennis court and there's a swimming pool in addition to the lake, even though it was closed for the season. The best part was sitting outside at the end of the day on the chairs and benches in front of your room listening to the bugs and birds and watching the squirrels scamper up the pines. The sun setting on the changing leaves in the forest was an extra bonus. It was a step back in time for the bargain price of $68 a night. The restaurant on the premises has really good food with out-of-this-world homemade pie. What's not to love about the whole experience? We'll be back!!

My wife's family has been going to Shangri La Resort for the past 35 years, mainly for the food, tranquility, fishing, skiing, and the beautiful lake Ouachita. The food is OUTSTANDING!! One of the older watresses (she's been there forever) can be rude at times, and has been known to throw the menus down if you arrive too close to closing time. The rooms do need some updating...well, alot of updating. But, by today's pricing, they are not too bad. The marina is pretty decent, and there are some fairly well kept docks that you can rent for your boat while you're there. Place your order for pies the night before and reserve them for your family. The staff will keep up with your pie orders for you. Great place for watersports, fishing, and Southern cooking. My wife and family love it...haven't been able to talk them into going somewhere else :(

While traveling across the country, we came upon the Shangri La through online research (primarly Tripadvisor) and are really happy to have found this spot.

We planned on staying only one night and were compelled to stay for a second as we felt so much at home and so rested among the tranquility of our lakeside cabin.

The room was huge with two queen beds, a flat screen TV, and large living area with two armchairs and a desk, as well as an outdoor patio with chairs that looked out onto the lake.

Hiking in this area is wonderful and we felt we could disappear here for many days and be completely at peace among the rustic surroundings.

The staff is friendly and hospitable and worked really hard at keeping up with the pace of a busy Tuesday night in the cafe. And the owner, Mrs. Carr, is a delight who has been overseeing the resort for 52 years, baking pies fresh every day.

We would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone who wants an escape from the hussle-bussle of everyday life and a few days to unwind.

My family has a boat on Lake Ouachita and we have spent several weekends in hotels in and around Mount Ida. Shangri La has them ALL beat, BUT you have to come in with reasonable expectations.

Shangri La is a WONDERFUL family owned property that has been around basically since the lake was built in the 1950's and it hasn't changed since. That is part of it's charm and what makes it so great. If you are expecting a weekend at the Ritz Carlton, you will be disappointed.

If you want a beautiful setting overlooking the lake with reasonable accomodations and great home cooked food, then you'll be delighted. We certainly have been. We have two more reservations booked this summer and were disappointed we couldn't get any additional weekends.

It is not a party atmosphere. Expect lots of families and fishermen. The Carr family that owns it comes in between 4-5am every morning to bake between 30-50 homeade pies that are absolutely delicious. Everything in their restaurant is made from scratch.

Over 80% of their business is returning families and they have folks that have been staying with them for 30 years. It is hard to get a reservation during the high season. We can't wait to go back.