Flamingo Campground — Attraction in Key Largo

Stayed in the tent site in March for a night and the weather made it great then. This time however, was unbearable due to the service and not the heat nor the huge horse flies. Came in early Sunday around 11am and the attendant said let me see if we can get you in before check-in, like he's doing me a huge favor. The RV side had 2 used spots. The other 60+ were open and one person in the tent side. I paid for 3 days and he asked where I preferred and I said near the bathroom and shaded please. He gave me a pink parking pass for the RV and one for the low speed golf cart that is street legal as he said obviously you'll be driving that instead of the RV. Thanked him and setup camp. He put me next to the broken restroom. He had to know they were broken as there were signs and I saw 4 different work trucks there messing with the water, etc. Went to store and bought shirt, ice cream, batteries, etc and had a pleasant night. Woke to a park Ranger pounding on my door. Went out and first thing she says is 'I'm not giving you a ticket'. I'm dumbfounded. I ask 'for what?' For driving an off road vehicle in the park. I said I was given a pass and it's a LSV. Low Speed Vehicle. Street Legal. Federal. Supercedes Park rules. She said the attendant called bc he wasnt sure if it was legal to drive in the park? Why did he give me 2 passes then? She rattled off a rule the park administrator has, but when I said it goes 30mph and the speed limit here between the campground and store/restaurant is 25mph, she stopped talking, but to save face stuck to her guns. I said, ' you want me to hoof it all the way to the store 4miles RT to get ice and ice cream, with 3 dogs and I'm 55 with a heart condition? She couldn't care less. I'm upset now. I told her bye abruptly and went in to get ready to leave as this effectively kicked me out since I couldn't make it comfortably and stuck at my RV with 3 dogs for a few more days. Tried walking to kiosk to see what we could do and 100 yards or so and I was covered in mosquitoes and horse flies. Went back and broke camp and loaded up. Went to kiosk and no one there as usual. They leave walkie talkie to call so you can stand there and get eaten alive while they take their time getting there. The very unprofessional, condescending, and dishonest Brian Pile something who checked me in finally showed up and he had the gaul to ask what he could help me with?? I said by you calling the Ranger on me for a street legal golf cart, not an off road ATV or Gator etc. He lied and said the Ranger just showed up and asked!! I said I'm just repeating what the officer just told me as that's all I have to go off of. All I was trying to do is get my next 2 nights refunded. I had no reservation, just showed up as I know it's never booked. He refused. I said 'you give me 2 parking passes and 1 specifically for the cart you say to use, then you call the Rangers on me and won't refund a little over a $100?? I def said some choice words to him at this point. He covered his name and closed the shutters. I would of called police to file a report but no cell/wife etc there and he knew it. He lied about what the office said and then to them and took my $$. I'm a widower/retired EMT and was disgusted by the way he treated me. He completely knew what he was doing and had this smirk the whole time. All over 2 nights camping. No wonder there's no one there. He was really upset when I called him out on putting me right next to an under repair bathroom. He said I could of asked to move, but, was he going to help me reload and unload to move a 100yards? He was laughing at me the whole time. I guess I'm not going back there anytime soon. If, you like rudeness, no working facilities like promised, no wifi, no cell unless AT&T customer, mosquitoes galore and horse flies the size of ping pong balls and cops that go lights and sirens @ 80mph+ on a park road w/bicyclists, wildlife, and tourists bc a dim-wit couldn't get his lies straight then, please, by all means come visit!! Buy, don't stay at Flamingo, you've...

Allow me to begin by expressing my appreciation for Everglades National Park, a destination I've cherished as a long-time visitor. Witnessing the park's proper maintenance has always brought me joy, and it genuinely takes a significant issue for me to write a negative review.

A few days ago, I sought to make a reservation for an overnight stay at Flamingo Marina, and I successfully booked a campsite for the occasion. Due to the late hour, I mistakenly assumed it was already past 12 am and unintentionally booked a reservation for the same day instead of the following day as intended. Upon arriving at the campsite entrance the next day, I was initially informed that no reservation was under my name. It was only after a careful check that they realized my reservation was for the night prior. To my surprise, I was informed that to stay, I had to purchase another night, as they couldn't honor my reservation, even knowing that I never checked in. Despite my efforts to explain the situation, none of the kiosk staff, despite being aware of the situation, attempted to escalate my complaint or find a middle-ground solution. Notably, the campground was nearly empty, with only two other tents besides mine in my loop.

It is disheartening that long-time customers are treated in such a manner. Ensuring the satisfaction of patrons is crucial, this was a great opportunity to provide excellent service. I felt genuinely let down by the lack of understanding. At the end they charged me for a 'service' I never got and washed their hands with my clumsiness.

The website failed to provide any alert or pop-up warning me about booking for a date well past the check-in time on the same day. Such a prompt could have helped me realize my mistake and prevent the situation. The solution is an easy one.

The cost of $43.32 per night is considerable, and being charged twice amounted to $86.64 for a single night at the campsite. Since I possess a yearly pass, I was exempt from paying at the park's entrance; however, if I had not held the pass, the additional cost would have been $30. Having visited several national parks, I find this price excessive for the amenities provided. Additionally, the bathrooms were notably unclean, and the rigid check-in (3 pm) and check-out (10 am) times are definitely constraining for such price.

In conclusion, this experience left me feeling truly disappointed. I sincerely hope that improvements can be made in customer communication and conflict resolution to maintain the satisfaction of loyal and supportive patrons...

This review of our stay in Flamingo campground covers the park as well. If this had 3.5 stars I would give that. We enjoyed our stay. We love our protected public lands and thank those who work to protect them. We stayed here in December, a shoulder season. T loop provided us electric only, with a potable water fill site and dump station. We felt $30 was high for electric only. Bathrooms had cold showers (ok with me) and were clean, with flush toilets. Maybe 20% full on campsites but many have no hookups for $20. For some reason they place RV campers clumped together, instead of spreading them out. We prefer space. Sites are close, with little to no visual barrier or privacy. Many have shade, in T loop. I have the feeling they would have allowed us to take a different site, more shade more elbow room, but we didn't ask. There was no host in campground, huge No-No. Park Service needs to require the concessionaire to keep a host 24/7. Safety and quiet/peace being main reasons. There is a friendly attendent at check in booth during the day. Our stay was very laid back and peaceful. Loved the experience. Negatives: saw only 1 law enforcement Ranger in a week inside campground; large amounts of trash along road through park; lawn mowing during our stay was loud, but only 4 days. They have to maintain area, but maybe more uncut areas to minimize cutting? I personally am there for quiet. Also, the dump station did not have a cleanup hose, only a potable water hose. The way to minimize health risks is to provide a separate water source for rinsing hands and equipment after dumping. We don't want people who just dumped to rinse with the potable water hose. The park is a must see. Great birdlife, monster gators and crocs, nice visitor center, and a lot of upgrades planned (lodge, restaurant, etc..). Hopefully future development will be limited and priorities stay with preservation of the ecosystem. Great kayaking, but motorboats are allowed (I thought motors are minimized in national parks?). We brought out 2 kayaks and were charged $5 a piece when entering the park. Never heard of that, and what impact does a kayak have? People using park service canoes on the same tour received them free. All in all, thanks for...