Guest reviews are valuable to both Lifewater Ranch and to prospective guests. Here are thoughts relayed to us from past guests with no editing – you see what I see. Note that we now have a guest review form we include with our contracts package.
Kern Lee (Just a note via email) Party of 14, stayed Oct. 12-14, 2018
Your place is a great setup for our family. The kitchen-dining-living room are laid out well for visiting. The hot tub, swing, and fire pit got a lot of use, and just the amount of land that is available for walking and hiking is really nice. It was also nice that you allow dogs, a lot of places don’t.
Nick Brown, party of 6, stayed Sept. 14-16 2018
Overall Experience: 5 stars (*****)
Cleanliness: 5 stars (*****)
Functionality: 5 stars(*****)
Price: as expected
Documents: 5 stars (*****)
Website: 5 stars (*****)
I would recommend this place to my friends: Yes
Comments: Some dirt on the blue rug and cat hair on some furniture. The whole place is awesome and your cat moto is a pretty cool cat.
Nick Landy, party of 6, stayed July 23-24 2018
Overall Experience: 5 stars (*****)
Cleanliness: 5 stars (*****)
Functionality: 5 stars(*****)
Price: as expected
Documents: 5 stars (*****)
Website: 5 stars (*****)
I would recommend this place to my friends: Yes
Comments: None
Chris Taylor, party of 11, stayed July 20-22 2018
Overall Experience: 5 stars (*****)
Cleanliness: 5 stars (*****)
Functionality: 5 stars(*****)
Price: as expected
Documents: 5 stars (*****)
Website: 5 stars (*****)
I would recommend this place to my friends: Yes
Comments:
There were quite a few bees that might need spraying.
I really liked how easy it was to be hanging out inside one minute, and the next be swimming at a pool or in a hot tub.
The Wren party that stayed with us last summer has been so excited to rebook that they wanted to offer me some extra testimonials:
Jake:
Duane Kirkman, party of 4, stayed September 12th-19th 2017 and had this to say:
Overall Experience: 4 stars (****)
Cleanliness: 3 stars (***)
Functionality: 5 stars (*****)
Price: Low
Documents: 5 stars (*****)
Website: 5 stars (*****)
I would recommend this place to my friends: Yes
Comments:
Kitchen microwave needed cleaning, Guest bathroom was dirty, house needs a good vacuuming, mopping and window washing. Mickey and his family are outstanding. He is a great asset. We have greatly enjoyed the ample space in the house and the use of the grill.
Owner Comments: I vacuumed the entire house that morning and I don’t recall the guest bathroom being dirty. I do remember needing to clean the microwave but then forgot to. Some peoples standards for cleanliness seem higher than others. I will have to get professional help to meet these expectations.
The Wrens, party of 27, stayed during August of 2017 and had this to say:
Overall Experience: 5 stars (*****)
Cleanliness: 5 stars (*****)
Functionality: 5 stars (*****)
Price: As Expected
Documents: 5 stars (*****)
Website: 5 stars (*****)
I would recommend this place to my friends: Yes
Comments:
Bunk Bed could be better. Phenomenal! Very gracious and helpful hosts! Thank You!
Owner Comments: These guys were a hoot and had a blast. Just look at how cheap their week long vacation was: $1500/27 = $55.55 per person! They didn’t all stay all week but still, such a deal! Large groups simply can’t find a place with better bang for their buck!
The Ashcrofts were our first guests to use our new review form and here’s what they gave us:
Overall Experience: 4 stars (****)
Cleanliness: 3 stars (***)
Functionality: 5 stars (*****)
Price: As Expected
Documents: 5 stars (*****)
Website: 5 stars (*****)
I would recommend this place to my friends: Yes
Comments:
The Cleanliness wasn’t the best. It didn’t ruin our trip or anything just would’ve been nicer if cleaner. Needs a deep, spring clean! The pool was too cold for Grandma and Grandpa to get into it but most of us loved it.
We loved the BBQ and fire pit, the pool and hot tub and the big open area that fit us all for the family games. It was a nice, relaxing weekend!! Thanks!
We also loved how everything was labeled!! It was so easy to find everything!
Here’s a video review from the Morales family that stayed here in July of 2017:
Owner Comment: I will do all I can to fix that cleanliness issue! A more detailed inquiry noted that the bathtubs needed better scouring.
The Morales gave me a video review:
From: Ben Greenfield (04/03-04/07) (*****) (of BenGreenfieldFitness.com fame)
Things I liked: -Nature setting
-A proprietor who understand and appreciates true health
-Amazing food
-Immediate access to hikes, river, ponds, etc.
-Pool and hot tub
-The friendly, personal touch
Things that could have been better: Nothing. It completely rocked. I went in not knowing what to expect, and it was simply amazing!
Owner Comment: I cannot take credit for the food. Christopher Claunch (of Guns And Duns fame) was our chef and fishing instructor during Ben’s stay and did all the cooking. Let us know if you want Chris’s talents during your next stay – I may be able to arrange it.
From: Aloysius Fobi (July 17-22, 2016) (*****)
Things I Liked: The location is beautiful and an excellent place to unplug and recharge with the family. We took excellent hikes, the kids played in the pool, milked cows and tried to catch frogs. Great time was had by all!
Things that could have been better: This was perfect!
From: Jan Brandvold (July 10-17, 2016) (*****)
Things I liked: Our family of five adults and six children had a wonderful time during our week at Lifewater Ranch. The caretakers, aptly named Kindred, were incredibly helpful and kind. They let our children help gather eggs and milk the cow, and were quick to respond to our questions. Mickey even showed the kids how to fish and catch bullfrogs! We spent many hours at the beautiful saltwater pool, went for walks around the ponds, played games, watched movies, read, played pool, made s’mores, and relaxed. The house was perfect for us, with four bedrooms and four bathrooms and lots of living space. We really enjoyed the birds, bullfrogs, cattle and chickens.
Things that could have been better: We had trouble keeping the spa water clear. Also, the master bedroom mattress was too soft to be comfortable for me, though my husband had no trouble sleeping. (If it was my house I would replace the mattress and box springs.) but these things were minor and did not have a significant impact on our enjoyment of our stay. (The king sized bed in the basement had a nice new mattress.)
Owner Comment: Actually the Master Bedroom mattress is brand new and the basement one is used. We are aware of that mattress being too soft and are working on improvements.
From: Ginny Jacques (Canada) (6/2016) (*****)
Liked:
What we loved:
1) the peace and quiet (underneath the grandkids’ laughter in the pool); 2) the crystal-clean, un-chlorinated pool;
3) the hot tub with a view of the hills and pond;
4) the closet full of board games, some of which we’d never known;
5) the caretakers–helpful and respectful of our freedom and privacy;
6) the comfortable, homey atmosphere.
Things that could have been better:
Hmm. Not much could have been better. Maybe a few more clean linens and towels?
From: Jay Maxner (6/29/2015 – 7/2/2015) (unrated)
Liked: Great pool, comfortable home, beautiful setting.
Amazing property. Island pond area is peaceful, beautiful and teeming with wildlife.
Owner easy to work with, accommodating & generous.
Things that could have been better: A/C in house was too cold.
Owner Comment: Unfortunately, my temperature preferences are not compatible with all my guests. The thermostat is easily adjustable by renters as needed.
From: Elizabeth Langford (12/2014) (****)
Liked: The location was beautiful, the trees and mountainous terrain were just breathtaking. I loved the way we were greeted and taken care of so well. There was everything we needed on site which was a huge bonus and the hot tub was a very nice treat. The privacy and room we had as a large family was really perfect and, much better than a hotel, we felt like we were at home. I loved having the trails to hike and explore it was just so peaceful and beautiful, even in the winter.
Dates I was at Lifewater Ranch: 12/21/2014-1/2/2015
Things that could have been better: The mattress in the Master room was quite hard and it was also distracting at times having to worry about the owners pets, one night the cat kept scratching the door, but at least she had a place to go and once she was put in there it wasn’t a problem. There could have been better cleanliness as far as bugs and dust all around the window sills and along the edges of the wood floors as well, but overall most of the issues we had were very minor and didn’t affect the enjoyment of our stay.
Owner Comment: The Langfords arrived the day after fly eggs hatched in the living room. This happens every year and just requires a one-time cleanup. Their timing was perfect and there was nothing we could do to prevent this. (We don’t know where the flies come from – but they annually appear each year in the spring)
Sam Breneman, party of 5, stayed July 23rd 2019
Overall Experience: 5 stars (*****)
Cleanliness: 5 stars (*****)
Kitchen: 5 stars (*****)
Bathrooms: 5 stars (*****)
Bedrooms: 5 stars (*****)
Other Rooms: 5 stars (*****)
Outside: 5 stars (*****)
Pool and Hot tub area: 5 stars (*****)
Functionality: 5 stars(*****)
Price: as expected
Documents: 5 stars (*****)
Website: 5 stars (*****)
I would recommend this place to my friends: Yes
Michael Miller, party of 31, stayed August 2-4, 2019
Overall Experience: 4 stars (****)
Cleanliness: 3 stars (***)
Kitchen: 4 stars (****)
Bathrooms: 3 stars (***)
Bedrooms: 5 stars (*****)
Other Rooms: 5 stars (*****)
Outside: 4 stars (****)
Pool and Hot tub area: 5 stars (*****)
Functionality: 3 stars(***)
Price: as expected
Documents: 4 stars (****)
Website: 5 stars (*****)
Reservation Process and Communications 5 stars (*****)
I would recommend this place to my friends: Yes
Owner Comments: We had a few snafus this visit. The oven decided to start acting up – had been fine for 20 years. I somehow missed cleaning a clogged toilet upstairs which I fixed as soon as they pointed it out. Also a previous guest had used the grill and then closed it up to appear it hadn’t been used and I missed cleaning that. All these issues will be corrected for the next guest.
Lifewater Ranch 