My wife and I live near Dallas and had been looking for a closer getaway destination. Usually for a somewhat-nearby retreat, we head for Beaver's Bend in Oklahoma and rent a cabin/house there. We both love wooded places with lakes and wildlife, so we decided to give Deer Lake Cabins a try.

This is a working horse and cattle ranch set on a wide expanse of wooded acreage, full of deer and other wildlife. Since my wife also loves horses, the experienced was enhanced by the presence of mares with their young foals/colts in the barn and exercise areas near our cabin. The owners of this ranch only began renting out cabins a few years ago. The primary business is the ranch.

The operation has several distinctively different cabins available. If you want lakefront, 4 of the cabins are set on the shore of deer lake, each with their own decks and piers. These are set within a few feet of each other, which could present a problem if you are seeking seclusion or don't want to be around other folks. However, this group of cabins is very family-friendly, and I think there was a playground area for the kiddos, as well as nearby volleyball areas.

Since we went off-season, we had our choice of several cabins when we arrived, even though we had already made our reservation for one particular cabin. The caretaker let us tour several before we made our decision. We looked at Sunshine Cabin (on Deer Lake), and it was very nice inside. Like the rest in that group of 4, it was right next to the water. Since we were seeking a more secluded and wooded setting, we opted not to take that one ....... nothing wrong, we just wanted a different setting.

Next, we looked at the Honeymoon Hill cabin. Wow ! If you want something that is away from any activity or other folks, this is the one for you. It has its own fishing pond, its own pier and doc, and it sits on a remote 40-acre lot. Across the dirt road is a horse pen about 4 acres in size. In it is one of the paint horse studs that the ranch uses. This cabin is made for only TWO PEOPLE (hence the name), and is truly what I would classify as a cabin. It is an efficiency setup .... plenty of room for two people ..... with fridge, stove, microwave, etc. The bed is a king, and the bathroom is of adequate size. The structure is log-cabin theme, complete with wrap-around porch that has rocking chairs. If you want privacy, rent this one.

We also viewed the one called The Log Cabin. It is newer, and hence is a bit more modern than the rest. It is roomy and nicely furnished. Another cabin is attached to it at an upstairs level. The Log Cabin is attached to a garage that is apparently used by the ranch operations, and the other cabin (Cedar Loft) sits on top of the garage. Both are near large horse pens, and the main woods back up to the structure.

We opted for the Wild West cabin. Although not as secluded as the Honeymoon Hill cabin, it was far enough away from other cabins to suit us, and it was just a short walk down to dream lake, which is a smaller lake on the property, complete with a fishing pier with a covered patio dock. Wild West looked like it had been the ranch-hands' accomodations before it was remodeled into a rent cabin. The furnishings and motif were older, but comfortable. I loved the ultra-soft king bed. We both slept very well and longer than usual. I don't know if it was due to the bed, the quiet, or both. Wild West has a den with couch and chairs, a master bedroom, a kitchen, one bathroom, and a small bedroom (single bed with trundle). There is a big covered patio on the backside of the structure, complete with a six-seater patio table and chairs. On the front side (facing the lake), there is a smaller uncovered porch with rocking chairs.

One word of caution : Two of the bathroom fixtures in the Wild West cabin are TINY. Both the shower and commode appear to be of motor-home size ...... ok for kids and the skinniest adults ..... but an acrobatic act for the rest of us ! For some reason, when we looked at this one, we didn't notice the bathroom accomodations. On the others I mentioned above, this was NOT the case, and the bathrooms were fine.

Wild west has washer/dryer, central A/C, full kitchen with all the utensils you will need. I believe that is the case with all of the cabins.

Here are some other helpful (hopefully) hints and info :

- The directions to the property are not detailed enough on the website for first-time visitors. As you are heading south on Hwy 115, start looking for a small community about 5 or 6 miles down the road (south) from Hwy 21. You will see Cypress Springs Baptist Church, then a convenience store on your left. Adjacent to the convenience store is the "Kings Country" gated community entrance, including the guard station. Be sure to ask the Deer Lake caretakers for the gated entrance code to this gate AND the one to the SS Ranch property ! Once inside the Kings Country community, follow King's Country Road, which ends at the entrance to the SS Ranch. You will need a code for this gate too. When you get inside, follow the signs to Deer Lake Cabins.

- Keep in mind that many of the roads inside the property are dirt (sand). If you have an SUV, pickup, or a car that has extra clearance underneath, you will want to bring it, unless you plan on renting one of the available ATVs to tour the property.

- When you enter the property, be on the lookout for the ranch dog (named Shiner). He is very friendly and loving to everyone, but he likes to walk in front of your car while it is moving. Also, if he follows you to your cabin and you are wanting wildlife to get nearby, Shiner will chase them away, so just shoo him back to the main part of the ranch.

- One of the geese on Dream Lake is fairly aggressive, and the whole flock will follow you around for a food handout. The aggressive one will stay back if you pick up a small tree limb and just touch him on his chest. They are fun to feed.

- There is no television reception, internet connection, or telephone. We could not even get signals on T-Mobile or Cingular wireless devices. This is a big plus for some people, and I have to admit ..... it was nice to get away from all that too for a while. If you have to make a call or send e-mail, you can drive a few miles up the road and get a signal. Hey, enjoy being disconnected for a little while !

- As I stated before, this is a working ranch, so I guess you should be prepared for anything. One night while we were there, some guys were having to kill out some of the over-populated beavers on Dream Lake, which were destroying the trees around the lake and creating a big mess. We didn't mind the sound of the gunfire so much, but the shots and dog Shiner scared the deer away from our area. We love to watch the deer as they feed.



General Review :

THE POSITIVES :
A very nice quiet wooded place with adequate-to-very nice accomodations. If you like horses, deer and other wildlife, fishing, fun on small lakes, etc in a serene and fairly secluded (according to which cabin you select), this is a great place to go.

THE NEGATIVES :
The cabins are overpriced by $50 to $60 per night. Yeah, you get a great setting, but the ones we go to in Oklahoma are significantly less and are nicer. Our tab for the weekend (two nights) was over $400. I think the owners should consider dropping the prices by 50 or 60 dollars per night. We would definitely go more often if this were the case. Also, if they expand the number of rentals, they should be very careful to maintain the secluded atmosphere of the ones not located directly on deer lake.