We just spent a very full weekend at Rocking Horse...

We just spent a very full weekend at Rocking Horse Ranch (RHR) and I wanted to share our experience while everything was still fresh. I was GOING to rate them at "just under 5 star" but amazingly, the only 2 issues we noticed while there have both already been addressed by their truly remarkable staff.

So, I'll start with my negatives from the weekend, so that if anyone reads about them from prior reviewers experiences, you'll have updated info as of our trip (October 2016) Our first personal gripe was that they had a Girl Scout Halloween Dance Party that STARTED at around 11:00 PM. We're not one to deprive our girls of fun, but that is simply too late to START an activity. I happened to be having a conversation with a manager about a POSITIVE thing and mentioned this and they assured me it SHOULD have started at 10:00 aside from a scheduling issue, but also that people overwhelmingly REQUESTED this in the past. So, I'll blame insane parents, not RHR. The other issue was that the WiFi coverage is awful. They seem to have one access point total, so unless you're within 100 feet of the lobby, you get nothing. When I mentioned that to a manager, he said "Yep... we're starting the new WiFi rollout Monday (tomorrow)" It has been a great concern, and over the next 6 months, they hope to cover a much wider swath of the property and increase speeds too.

Now to the positives (everything else) - and I'll keep these brief if I can:

The place itself: Clean (yes, even though it's a horse ranch). Everything was clean and well-kept, including bathrooms, pool, etc. It's not a giant campus (like a Disney property) but it's definitely spread out enough with a TON of activities.

Staff: Flawless. Zero negative experiences and plenty of positives. The staff are all wearers of many hats. For example, DJ Mike is also the roving photographer, one of the scavenger hunt experts and officially "Activities Director" But the cleaning staff talk to you about your stay, everyone is just happy and friendly. And focused on you having a great time..

Rooms: Roomy and clean. Bunk beds were in ours, but the rooms definitely felt roomier than your average resort bedroom. (The TVs were fairly small though)

Food: Simply amazing! It's better QUALITY than just about anywhere we've ever stayed and it is EVERYWHERE. Included with the price of the weekend was all the food you could need. Breakfast, lunch and dinner... and then throughout the day, they set up tables with cookies, muffins, jalapeno poppers, cheese & crackers, fruits & vegs, chips & dip... I had ribs for dinner one night, my wife a steak... all cooked perfectly... all 100% free of cost. GIANT dessert bar... also free. And breakfast is simply incredible. Not your typical hotel fare by any stretch.

Activities: Just check their website for the weekend you are going, but the girls loved everything. Mountain tubing (snow or dry)... a nice size lake with paddle-boating and kayaks... pools with water slides... horseback riding... a ton of indoor stuff too (7 or 8 ping-pong tables, pool, a treadmill style climbing wall that moves as you climb... and almost all of it is 100% free. The only items they CHARGE for really are things like arts & crafts where there is a cost for the byproduct. So, you paint a piece of pottery, you pay for the pottery. But even that is reasonable ($5-9) and even the arcade... a room where most resorts make a fortune on you... all low key and affordable.

Absolutely nothing bad to say!! We had an amazing weekend!!