For our long weekend at Possum Kingdom Lake for the Lone Star MasterBash, we managed to grab a room at the recently remodeled Motorboat Inn. We drove up from Austin after work on Thursday so apologies that some of the photos are in the dark.
Booking
While the MasterBash weekend had been on my radar for a while, our crazy travel schedule caught up to us and, a few weeks before the event, we didn’t have a place to stay. For the majority of these trips we rented a house through AirBNB or VRBO but, our crew this time was small and we didn’t want to pay the crazy prices for a last minute whole home rental.
I found the Motorboat Inn through some friends and managed to book the last available room for the weekend. While the property has its own website, the back end of the booking is handled through Smart Vacation Rentals, so expect more of an AirBNB experience than a true hotel/motel.
We ended up paying $249 per night for our three night stay at the property.
Location
Possum Kingdom Lake is located northwest of Mineral Wells, roughly an one and a half to two hours from the DFW Metroplex. The Motorboat Inn is located in Graford, TX where Park Road 36 meets Ranch to Market Road 2951. It is in close proximity to the boat ramps and marinas at Lush Resort and Bonitaville as well. It’s easy to spot thanks to the sign and boat out front.
Check-In
We arrived at the hotel after dark and all of the check in instructions had been sent to us via email. We pulled into the parking lot which was basically deserted with the exception of two other cars so there was plenty of space to park the boat. While unloading, we came across a very small, very mad snake which gave us a good scare, though after a second look we realized he was harmless.
The rooms were all exterior facing and had a digital keypad for entry. We punched in our pre-assigned code and headed inside.
Room
The room was very large and laid out in a rectangle. It featured two queen beds off to the left upon entering with a nightstand in between.
Next to the beds was a small nook with a two person café table. Strangely, this was the extent of the seating as there was no couch or other chairs inside.
Across from the beds was a dresser with a flat screen TV perched on top. The hotel didn’t have cable or satellite but did offer some free internet TV as well as connectivity to Netflix and other streaming services.
To the right of the TV was a small kitchen area that featured a sink, mini refrigerator, and a microwave. There was also a traditional coffee maker on top of the microwave.
Back near the entrance were two doors, one lead to the shower/bathtub combination as well as the toilet.
The other led to a large closet which is also where the sink was located.
Toiletries were H2O Therapy branded and there was a funny sign reminding you not to take your towels out of the room with you.
Out back there was a small, covered patio with a couple of lounge chairs available as well as some shared charcoal grills.
These faced out over the front of the building and had views of the lake in the distance. There were also groups and families playing games out here throughout the weekend.
Summary
The Motorboat Inn at Possum Kingdom is a good place to stay if you have a small group or need multiple rooms. With lodging at the lake at a premium, this provides an alternative to spending thousands of dollars on a whole home rental and there is plenty of boat trailer parking. The experience is definitely more in line with a motel rather than a hotel but, as long as you go in with the proper expectations, it’s a great, convenient option for people wanting to spend a weekend at the lake!
