Denver West / Central City KOA Holiday — Attraction in Central City

The owner Chuck Spencer was the most unprofessional business owner I have come across and quite some time.

Right when we got there, when we checked in they had a very well stocked store, while we were checking in, I was shopping in the store. Chuck came into the store yelling out who was parked out front? We told the him that it was us and he started berating us that we were not supposed to be parked there and to move right away. We put down all of the items we had in our arms that we were getting ready to pay for and left immediately.

A few days later on our departure day, being we were out late the evening before, we were planning on sleeping in until 10 AM, and then would be leaving by 11 AM. At 7 AM in the morning we were woken up by multiple helicopters flying over our RV. After about two hours of this, I could not take it anymore and could definitely not sleep, so I called the front office to find out what was going on? The front office lady who answered the phone told me that it was a company across the street that was building a gondola. I asked her why the campers were not notified at check-in that this was going to be done? She said it had been in the paper for weeks, and I should have read it there? Considering I have not read a newspaper in years, and I live in Florida, I would never have thought to read the Denver newspaper! She then said to stop in the office on our way out and they would compensate for the inconvenience.

I eventually got up, I had a cup of coffee, and got in the shower. Once I had shampoo in my hair and body wash on, the water turned off? After waiting some time, we contacted the office and was told that all of the water Was out throughout the area from a water main break.

After getting all of the soap off with bottled water, we were waiting for the water to come back on to flush our sewer tank and fill up with water for the next trip that day. The owner Chuck came knocking on our door asking why we were still there? I explained to him that we were all packed up, slide out in, Jack's were up, and just waiting for the water to come on so we could leave.

I couldn't understand why he was questioning why we were still there when he knew there was no water throughout the campground. I then mentioned to him that I was disappointed about the helicopters all morning long, and he explained to me that they did not know about it? I then replied back to him that the lady in the office told me that it had been in the newspaper for weeks and that she was well aware of it. He then turned back at me and said why don't I just pack up and go home?

Once the water came back on and I was able to fill my water tank and flush the sewer tanks, I stopped up at the front office. When I went in and asked about any type of compensation for being woken up with helicopters over my RV, she explained to me that the owner contacted her and said that we won't get no Compensation or refund at all. That's when I found out that Chuck was the owner...

This Place ripped us off for almost $79. We made a reservation traveling from Moab Utah and DOT in all their wisdom closed I-70 at exit 87 (flooding? construction? who knows!) sending travelers on a 200+ (you heard me right) detour through winding mountain roads elevating to almost 12000 ft at one point. It was clear half way that were not going to make it to the other side. It was 3pm when we called the campground and while they acknowledged that I-70 does close at times, they refused to refund our money because "you have an open road". We are a senior couple and we were tired and did not want to drive these roads in the dark. We were lucky enough to find a wonderful resort in Granby and called the KOA to tell them we would not make it and again request a refund. They refused again. I asked that the manager, who had left for the day, call me in the morning. I never heard from her. When we left Granby, the last 50 miles back to I-70 was as bad as the first 130 miles and we realized quickly we would not have made it in the dark. I filed a complaint with KOA cooperate the next day and still didn't hear back from the manager. I also have a complaint pending with the BBB. We have been RVing for 30 years and know the cancelation policies better than some of the staff at the places we stay. This was NO FAULT of ours yet this campground took advantage of senior couple who didn't want to risk their safely traveling winding mountain roads in the dark. If you are traveling east on I-70 and you see a sign saying closed, get off before exit 87 and find a place to spend the night. I-70 did reopen the next day. It also closes westbound and your sent on the same detour but I'm not sure at what exit. DO NOT take the detour, especially with an RV. AND......DO NOT GIVE THIS CAMPGROUND ONE CENT UNTIL YOU ARE THROUGH THE GATES! Update: I was told after the fact that these closures can last from minutes to hours. DO NOT take the detour if your unfamiliar with the area. Pull off I-70 and wait it out somewhere, but I reiterate, do not give this campground any money until you know your going to...

This KOA has a lot going for it, but a couple of negatives noted at the bottom. The sites are nice - we had a premium with concrete patio, gas grill, fire pit, table and umbrella. WIFI was strong and they have cable hook ups. Well stocked store with camping/rv and just things you may have forgotten when you left home. Staff were outstanding. They offer a pancake breakfast for $3.50 per adult all you can eat and another $2.25 if you add sausage or bacon. Coffee is $2 but free refills. You can order pizza and wings in the evening from the store. Seven machines in the laundry room but two were broken during our stay. Cost was $2 per machine. We are giving a three star rating because of the bathroom/showers and a local attraction recommended by the owner and noted in the KOA local information guide that had an attached $5 off per ticket coupon . First bathrooms, will say they were always clean, so no issue there but the thing is there were only three showers per gender. This is a fairly large KOA, so just three showers for men and three for women seems insufficient. About half the time we tried to use them, there was a wait. Second, as for the local attraction - Golden Loop Rail Road ride. Owner who guided us to our site recommended it and pointed out the $5 off per ticket coupon. We decided to make reservations but there was no option to use the coupon booking online. When we showed up, we presented the coupon and expected the clerk to give us the coupon discount back on our CC. All she did was note our ticket numbers on the coupon and that was it. Multiple times we asked her directly "will we get the discount from the coupon" and she ignored us and turned to another customer. It could be argued it isn't KOA's fault, but the owner himself recommended it, and this KOA offered a discount in their KOA guide, so we're docking them another star. Central City is small and most of the shops are closed Tues - Thursday and what was open was 100% casino. Evergreen CO has a super Wal-Mart and it’s about a...