Moonies Resort - Climax Springs

Truly astounding establishment. I only give it two stars because I obtained a great story just by coming here, our waitress was absolutely trashed while working. Nobody came over to our table when we came in, so we flagged someone down to get some food. The wait wasn't super long for food, but the waitress brought water that was mixed with coke, and could not follow a simple drink order other than a simple screwdriver. Joke of an establishment, truly a miracle.

Frequent this place all the time. Great wings, good people, and nice view of the main lake.

We were expecting another couple to join us, and upon seeing our two-bedroom room, I was thrilled. It had a very retro vibe, but the mini fridge didn’t work (my husband was able to fix it), and there were no toilet paper, paper towels, soap, or bath towels provided. It was no big deal; we just headed to Dollar General to pick up what we needed. On our way back, we heard honking and saw a van in a ditch with a woman sitting in front of it. We parked and rushed over to check if she was okay. It turned out she was drunk and claimed her husband had caused this mess, saying that he beat her and she couldn't find her shoes. I ran to the bar to get help since we had no cell service to call 911, followed by Mike, the owner. My husband noted that the woman’s husband, who was their cook, was walking back and obviously intoxicated. He urged Mike to call the police given the woman's allegations, but we were told not to involve the authorities. Mike then suggested we could pull the woman out with our truck, but my husband firmly declined, sensing it wouldn't work. Frustrated, Mike attempted to pull the van out with his truck but failed. In the meantime, the cook lay passed out in the street, and it was clear that no one at the bar was capable of handling the situation. There was a lot of arguing, and it turned into quite a mess, so we decided to take a nap and brushed off the chaotic events as just a fluke while waiting for our friends to arrive. When our friends came that night, they found that their bed had dirty sheets that looked like a dog had been rolling around in them. There were even some suspicious, unwashed stains. They spoke with the owner, who stripped the bed and apologized profusely before eventually getting them new sheets. We spent the next day and night on a boat, enjoying ourselves. When we returned to the resort, we were given complimentary shots and partied with everyone. However, amidst the chaos, they decided it was time to settle our bill for the room and the drinks. My husband tried to pay, but his card was declined because he hadn’t put a travel notice on it. He used another card, which went through without any issues. We didn’t think much of it at the time, even though their record-keeping was clearly lacking. In fact, Gina had us calculating our bill ourselves! The next day, three more friends joined us, and we spent the day boating again. However, things took a turn that night. One of our friends was playing some upbeat party music, but the owner, Mike, kept skipping his songs on the jukebox, claiming it was “murder music.” When confronted, he insisted they didn’t have violence in the bar. To make matters worse, we learned that our new friends were also given dirty sheets and the resort refused to change them. An argument ensued between Mike and our friend, after which Mike drunkenly declared he was about to refund our money and that we should leave. While waiting for the new sheets, two of the girls heard Gina say something dismissive about how we weren't at the Ramada and that we acted like they owed us something. (By the way, three of the five girls in our group were Black, including the main couple we had come down with.) Everyone was upset, and the newcomers felt scared. It got late, so we barricaded our doors with chairs and tried to sleep. We packed up and left as early as we could. Upon returning home, we discovered that they had charged my husband's card four times. This establishment desperately needs a complete overhaul and an entirely new staff. Clearly, we won’t be going back.

During our visit to the lake, we usually don’t venture beyond the 60-mile marker. However, last weekend we decided to make the trip and were delighted to find that Moonies was still open. We used to frequent this place when we spent more time boating, and returning brought back great memories. The service was excellent, and the drinks and appetizer sampler we ordered were absolutely delicious.

However, I think Mike might benefit from hiring someone with better skills in record-keeping, specifically for tracking sales. It seems likely they could be losing a significant amount of money due to mismanagement. While the staff were very nice, they didn't seem to have backgrounds in business, hotel management, or culinary arts. Though I didn't eat at the restaurant myself, my group did, and they weren't impressed with their meals—despite being fairly easy to please. During our two-night stay, there was no proper tracking of drink sales at the bar. We found ourselves having to assist the barmaid—who might also have been the cook—in figuring out our tabs. It's hard to say how much revenue might be slipping through the cracks, but a quick audit could reveal some discrepancies. The rooms were decent but keep in mind they cost $65 a night, so it’s not comparable to a Holiday Inn. The resort caters to those wanting lake access, and there are plenty of boat slips available. My room had a ceiling fan that didn’t work, no TV, and while WiFi was available, the password wasn't posted anywhere; I had to ask the staff for it. The dishes were mismatched, there was only one coffee cup, and the silverware was scant. One of the two mismatched queen beds had only one headboard. The sheets and blanket looked clean, as did the shower and toilet, so it wasn't bad but certainly could use some improvements. With the right staff in place, the income generated could help fund upgrades. Despite the shortcomings, I would stay there again without hesitation. Thanks for a great time, Mike!