Cypress Bend Golf Resort Review

If you're looking for a golf resort for a weekend escape with your best buddies, significant other, fellow workers, or family and friends, then you need to check out . It will be hard to find a more fun, scenic, or challenging 18 holes plus good food, a variety of accommodations, a spa, pool, and conference facilities if you plan to mix golf with some work.

Cypress Bend Golf Resort & Spa is nestled among the trees on the top of a bluff with unbelievable views of a couple of the fantastic looking golf holes leading to beautiful Toledo Bend Lake, Cypress Bend Resort immediately captures your attention and you sense that you're in for a special treat. Just south west of Many, Louisiana and right across the Texas border, Cypress Bend Resort sits on 600 heavily treed acres of rolling hills leading to the banks of Toledo Bend Lake. I know, it's not in Texas, but it's ok to escape across the border every couple of months or so to experience something special, fun, and unique - which is what we did in May 2010.

Cypress Bend Golf Course

You're going to love this course, but be aware Cypress Bend Golf Course is not for the timid golfer or the golfer afraid to loose a few golf balls. The course was designed to take advantage of the terrain and as it meanders through the rolling hills and dense hardwood forest you'll find elevated tee boxes and greens, roller coaster fairways, colorful landscaping, and some fantastic views of Toledo Bend Lake. Several holes play along and over the lake - make sure you bring your camera to capture some stunning scenery. No homes line the course and as such it's peaceful and quiet except for the birds and other wildlife noises, the occasional fishing boat heading to the next hot spot, the woodpeckers pecking away, and the sounds of unhappy golfers as their ball ricochets off the trees or plops into the lake.

Cypress Bend Golf Course is not your typical wide open very easy resort course, in fact it's just the opposite - it will challenge every part of your game from drives to approach shots to your putting. To score well here you'll need to deploy your "A" game and best course management skills. During your round you'll need to:

But do not let all of that discourage you from playing this course - you're going to find it tough but fair and manageable and a heck of a lot of fun.

When we played in May, the course was still in transition and trying to recover from a very harsh winter. Regardless, we thought that the course conditions were still very good. The fairways were in above average condition and the rough was playable. The greens had a few rough spots thanks to the cold winter, but were rolling well, held the ball on approach shots, and were in pretty good condition. We rated the greens 7.5 out of ten and other people that we talked to, including the head pro, said that they are normally around a 9. The greens were small to average size, well guarded, about average speed, and had some slope and undulation. Putting didn't seem to be a problem.

This is the kind of course you won't forget and you'll want to play again, and again, and again. The second round will be even more fun and you're likely to end with a much better score. A variety of wildlife; a unique, very challenging, and fun layout; peace and quiet; a good pace of play; very good course conditions; and breathtaking views make playing Cypress Bend a very memorable experience - all at a reasonable price. The rates are fair and best of all the Stay & Play package is very affordable and includes unlimited golf! To learn more about this fantastic, fun, and challenging course, read our review of Cypress Bend Golf Course.

Cypress Bend Golf Resort Accommodations

We were staying in the Golf Villas, which are a chip shot (with a short carry over the street) from the pro shop and a par 5 dog leg right through a narrow tree lined and well landscaped path to the lobby. The 28 Golf Villas are the way to go if you have friends or family joining you, want a little more space, and want to cook all the fish you'll catch in the lake. Or if you just want to be closer to the pro shop and a fantastic 18 holes of golf.

The golf Villas are fully furnished and approximately 1250 square feet. The central living area has a leather theater style cushy sofa, gas fireplace, and TV, VCR/DVD and a kitchen area which includes a full sized refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, toaster, and 200 year old Pecky Cypress cabinetry that has everything you need to cook a gourmet meal and then serve it on the glass dining table and four chairs.

On each side of the living and kitchen are the two suites. The master suite, or owners suit, has a his and hers vanity and a large jacuzzi tub, two comfy double beds with pillow top mattresses, TV, and a work station with internet access. If more friends or family are joining you, then you can get the adjoining lock-out suite which includes two double beds, TV, coffee maker, mini fridge, work station, and full bathroom. The Villas are clean, seem new, well appointed, and very comfortable. The only thing we found missing was a balcony or patio. The Golf Villas are available for sale if you interested in purchasing one.

If you don't feel like cooking and don't need a living room, then one or more of the 70 hotel rooms are perfect. Next to the lodge, the hotel rooms are nicely done standard hotel type rooms with a king bed or two doubles, full bathroom, mini fridge, coffee maker, TV, high speed internet access, and a work desk with and an ergonomically designed chair.

If you're staying in the hotel, I'd recommend the lake side bottom floor rooms which have a small outdoor patio and chair - a great place for a drink and watching the golfers trying to par the 18th hole or enjoying the sun set over the lake. There are 3 king suites in the hotel which have a little more room, kitchenettes, and mini fridges. The hotel room is next to the pool and other resort amenities.

Cypress Bend Golf Resort Amenities

Some of the amenities at Cypress Bend Resort include:

After 18 or more holes of golf, some hiking, biking, or just to wind down from a tough stressful week of work, the Cypress Bend Spa is the perfect place to head to eliminate the kinks, relax the sore and tired muscles, and get rid of some of the stress. The Spa offers a variety of services including: a variety of massages, body treatments, body detox, facials, and more.

To settle the golfing bets, enjoy a libation, munch on some appetizers, or catch the scores, the Sabine Social Club, which is next to the lobby, is the place to go. Or better yet, grab a drink and sit on the veranda and watch your buddies try to par the 18th or just enjoy the magnificent view of a couple golf holes and the lake. Or grab a pool stick and see if you can win back some of your losses playing pool.

If you justified this trip as a corporate retreat, business planning session, special recognition, or some other business related excuse, Cypress Bend Golf Resort has state of the art meeting facilities ranging from an amphitheater to a board room. And they can provide all the catering and other special requirements (set up a golf tournament, for example) to make it a productive meeting.

Dining

After all that golf, biking, hiking, swimming, or lounge chair exercise, you're going to be very hungry. And you won't be disappointed with the food or food prices. The dining room next to the lobby is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a casual setting with a fantastic view of the 18th green and Toledo Bend Lake - it doesn't get much better than dining on their veranda. The breakfast buffet is perfect to load up on the carbs you'll need to score well on the course - scrambled eggs, pancakes, fruit, biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage, and more. Or you can order from a full breakfast menu - the Eggs Benedict were great. Dinner selections include a variety of items from steak, fish, chicken, and pasta to sandwiches, salads, and appetizers. Everything we sampled was good and best of all, the prices for everything at Cypress Bend are reasonable and not your typically highly inflated resort rates!

At the turn from the ninth to tenth hole or after your round of golf or if you just want a good burger and view of the golfers warming up on the range, then try the food at the Cypress Cafe at the Pro Shop. They serve sandwiches and salads and burgers, in fact the burger, with double cheese, was very tasty and again, everything is reasonably priced. We enjoyed sitting outside on the veranda with a burger and cold libation overlooking the driving range and wishing that we had spent more time on the range before we headed out - we may have saved a few of the golf balls that decided to go for a swim or a hike in the woods.

Nearby Fun Things To See and Do

One of the main reasons to come to Cypress Bend Resort is to enjoy some fantastic golf and take advantage of the resort amenities. But after you've lost all your golf balls or set a new record score (high or low doesn't matter because the course was so much fun to play) or had one of your most memorable golfing moments ever, why not put down the clubs and grab your pole and go fishing! The Resort sits on the north east end of Toledo Bend Lake and is a perfect place to stay if you want to catch some big fish, ski or wake board, or just enjoy a day on the lake. So bring your boat if you've got one or at least your fishing poles and tackle - Toledo Bend Lake is one of the best fishing lakes in the United States and it's loaded with trophy bass, deep water stripers, crappie, bream, and catfish just waiting for you to land them for a fish fry or a wall mounting in your study. If you don't have a boat, then here is a link to Toledo Bend boat rentals and a list of Toledo Bend fishing guides who can help you land a big fish. Check with the front desk and they can also line you up with a knowledgeable fishing guide who will take you to his secret fishing holes or they can rent you a trail boat or take you on a barge cruise. See this Cypress Bend Resort fishing link for some details.

Check our our review of Toledo Bend Lake and our Toledo Bend Clickable Lake Map to find ramps, restaurants on the lake, boat rentals, fishing guides, party coves, and more. Check out this link to Sabine River Authority to get more information on the Louisiana side of Toledo Bend Lake.