Hot Springs, Arkansas - Help please
 

Hello. I am wanting to bring my husband to Hot Springs for a surprise birthday weekend in August. I would love to stay on the water and have access to a boat, if possible. I know absolutely nothing about the area. Please help with accommodations suggestions, activities, restaurants, etc.... Thank you so much!
Judy

The Clarion and Sunbay are on Lake Hamilton. Both are older properties that have been renovated. I would recommend accessing vrbo.com. There are many lakefront condo options (Lake Hamilton). When searching properties, make sure the condo has a lake view. Some have boat slips included in the condo rental. Many condo properties are "on the lake" but are in a building away from or not facing the lake. If you prefer to be out of the city, there are other lakes (DeGray, Ouchita, and Catherine). You would have a drive to get to the city of Hot Springs. As for restaurants, we ate at J&S Italian, which has a lake view. It was decent food but a bit expensive. Coy's no longer exists but was a great steakhouse. There is a hole in the wall in the downtown area called Brick House Grill (I think). Not much in the way of atmosphere but the burgers were good. McClards has BBQ made famous by Bill Clinton. Personally, I find it to be overrated. SaltyDog rents pontoons, jet skis, etc.. Not knowing the type of boat rental that is of interest, they could either help you or make a recommendation as to where you can find the type of boat that you want to rent. Hope this helps.

Also, it will be extremely hot and humid in August. Plus, if you want to get a decent price on lodging, now is the time to book.

There are lots of condos on the lakes in Hot Springs. You might try googling "hot springs visitor center" or something like that to get started on reading various websites for info. Also, tripadvisor.com forums are useful since they have a forum for each state--and Hot Springs is usually one of the more talked about destinations on the Arkansas board.

Lake Hamilton is very popular and each little inlet has condos and often beautiful views of the lake. If you do rent a boat, please be careful on Lake Hamilton (or the others, of course). That lake is so horribly crowded on weekends once the weather warms up. I actually prefer not to be out on it b/c of how crowded it is--it's dangerous, in my opinion. Lots of inexperienced boaters and lots of teens and pre-teens on jet skis are a bad combination.

A few popular places to eat for seafood are Cajun Boilers and Fisherman's Wharf. I'm sure there are others--those are just 2 that my family always enjoys! It's great to sit on the decks by the water, although it may be way too hot and humid for that in August. Bella Arti is an Italian place downtown that always gets good reviews. If you're in town on a Sunday morning, the brunch at the Arlington Hotel is wonderful!

I would opt for a cabin on Lake Quachita, Degray or Catherine. go to the arkansas state park website. I wouldn't even consider this trip in August unless you plan on staying in the water in a lake the entire time. TO HOT and the horses won't be running. I do not like McClards bbq sauce. Smokin in Style has good bbq in Hot Springs. Cajun Boiler is ok. If you are renting a boat, you had better do it now.

The Wharf is a wonderful place to eat! It is right on the water of Lake Hamilton. I really enjoyed it!

Go to parkhotelhotsprings.com

Just stayed there last week.
Great location and reasonable. Check it out. Food was really good as well.