We really enjoyed our stays at Tan-Tar-A and plan to return often. It is quite packed during summer months, but slows down and becomes much more intimate in the winter months. Had a great time during both times as they are both completely different experiences.

My Girlfriend and I had stayed there for Memorial Weekend. I had been refered to Tan Tara by a co-worker who owns a house down in the ozarks, said "its where its all at!"
Unfortunately, I think "its where its all at" was about 15 years ago, and is really focused on family fun now. There was just a lot of kids and families there, and a lot of stuff was centered aroudn them. The pool was nice (had a nice pool-side bar) and a good Marina for Boat/Jet Ski Rentals, but that is all we really felt like doing at Tan Tar-A. We usually spent our time in the town of course, but in our down time at the hotel - it was just an outdated room, not the best bed/sheets at all.

**We stayed in the Restort Complex - I have heard the Estates Complex is a little more secluded.

I still had a great time in the Ozarks, and the golf at Tan Tara was good, but that is about the extent of it. I think I would rather try another resort than go back.

But it really depends - if you are with kids, this seems like it would be a great place for them.

So, we read the reviews and looked at the photos, even asked friends who had stayed at Tan Tar A, and so we decided to take the plunge and spend our vacation here. We booked 3 nights from Priceline Name Your Own Price and got a pretty good deal. I was pleased with the price, but upon our arrival (a Saturday) there was a motorcycle convention going on and they had several parking garages closed off for the bikers including the entire drop/off-check-in area, which made it difficult to find a spot to even get in to check in! .... We check in and the lady tells us we have a single in the main complex hotel which is what we wanted, but when we get to the room, it was a double room, right above the parking garage and facing the main entrance where all of the bikers were hanging out. This was far too loud and annoying for my taste especially since I wanted a quiet and relaxing vacation, so we asked if they had any king rooms anywhere else, and the lady said yes, but it was in the 'Estates'. We took it, and found our way through the winding roads of the Estates. By the way, if you're in the Estates, there is ONE ice machine at the Estate's complex, major drawback for us. Our room was less than overwhelming with old carpet, no view, a tiny tv, but the upside was a very clean bathroom and the bed was comfy. Unfortunately there was light beaming into our room through the shades ..no curtains... from an outside night light next to our window that must have had a 100watt bulb in it, and I had trouble sleeping since it was ridiculously bright in our room.

A hot shower can make everything better after a restless night of sleep, but when we went to take a shower....No hot water for us! We call in and they send out a maintenance guy(Dave maybe?) but he was pretty awesome and told us that the heating element would need replaced and it would take awhile so he would try to get us a better room. This was also when we found out that the main office KNEW that there was no hot water in the room from a couple complaining the day before, but that the night maintenance never did anything about it.

So we pack up - again - and drive to our new room which was upstairs on a house that was directly on the water. Very nice room, bigger tv, big windows with a view, and a 2 person whirlpool tub. I noticed it smelled kind of musty, and when I walked barefoot around the bed, I found out why! The wall unit air conditioner was leaking inside of the room and the carpet was sopping wet. When we went back to the main building we told them about it and they said they would have someone fix it while we were out.

The arcade was super fun, we spent $20 and had about 2 hours of playing time and decided to eat at the black bear restaurant since the wind rose was closed on Sundays. I wish that we wouldn't have. When we were seated by a window(nice view) the window frame was caked with food, grease, and dust...Gross. Also, my water glass looked like it hadn't been cleaned...ever. The margarita was less than average and our $15 dollar shrimp fajitas had a total of 5 small shrimp each, the rice and beans were out of a can. It really wasn't very edible and extremely overpriced. I'd love to have Gordan Ramsay dine at this place... blah.

Back to our room, there was a note that said 'they vacuumed out our a/c unit and to only run it on high (which it had been), but it was still leaking? Whatever, so time for a relaxing bath in the whirpool tub... except the jets didn't work... Bummer! But hey, I was used to this by now!

The positives about Tan Tar A........ A+ Awesome pools, indoor and outdoor were all great and there were lots of nice pools to choose on the property from and hardly anyone was swimming! The arcade was lots of fun, and the area was nice.

This could be an amazing resort, but it would take a lot of time and money. I'm not really a picky person, but I do expect certain things work and be nice. I love the outdoor pools, but I would almost be willing to give that up for a nice room and breakfast at a holiday inn or something else.

Expect nice pools, but don't expect reasonable prices or nicely decorated/updated rooms with a view of the lake.

....and whatever you do, make sure you don't pay full price for this place.

I recently stayed at Tan Tar A for the second time, both times have been less than impressive. The rooms are completely outdated with plaster peeling off of the ceiling and walls. Most recently the room had a giant cobweb above the TV. You need to bring house shoes with you because you don't want to walk around barefoot.