Outer Banks West / Currituck Sound KOA Holiday — Hotel in Elizabeth City

Recently stayed for a longer weekend at this KOA for the first time. We arrived on Thursday after 4PM, we received a call from the office just letting us know to check the after hours check in box as our information for the campground would be in there. We selected the spot when booking so we knew where our spot was located as we selected a spot near a boat ramp. It was very windy and we were right on the water so we were not able to have a bonfire or anything but no one has control over the weather so we just made it a good time regardless. The campground was clean, I actively seen people mowing and weed eating while we were there. The patio furniture at the sites is very nice and comfortable. They have a playground with a bunch of slides and climbing equipment for kids, no swings. They had a huge jumping pad which we tried out a few times. They also have pedal cars and a little track to take them out on as well as putt putt. Not sure if putt putt was an extra charge or not as we didnt attempt to play. I had read a previous review so I knew that the Happy Jacks Cafe was not always open, thinking that its only OPEN during their busy season, which I imagine is June, July and some of August. I did see someone come in and inquire about breakfast but left empty handed. The paper given at check in literally states Open - 11 so it seems like there is no actual open time. We brought all the food and snacks we would need as we already know the camping store can be pricy. My dad inquired about the price of a 12 pk landshark beer and was told it was $28.99. So you definitely want to be prepared with food and such so you dont have to pay those crazy inflated rates. We did purchase a gold cart rental for 1 day so we could ride around and let my toddler enjoy it. It wasnt charged but we were able to ride around for around 10 minutes before we had to take it back to our spot to charge it. No problem though as we brought games to play. I believe after taxes it costed around $55/day to rent a cart which seems about average for campgrounds. The boat ramps, two that I seen were full of grass clippings so weren't really usable but that could also be because the windy weather and choppy water. We rented my parents a little RV rental so they could stay in the campground as well and not have to worry about driving out at night to a hotel. They seemed to enjoy their stay, I did notice the floor near the bathroom in their RV was very soft.. like maybe it had a water leak in the past. The bed was the original very thin mattress so I was a little worried about them sleeping on it as they are older. Also they said the A/C unit wasn't really producing cold air by morning but we just turned it off and opened a window during the day and turned the A/C back on at night so it would cool down enough to sleep. Also this campground does charge a $10 fee per guest and I believe visitors had to be out of the campground by a certain time which was another reason we booked the RV. Next time I think we would look into the little cottages instead. I cannot comment on the kayaks or paddle boards, I did see them but with the choppy waters no one was able to use them. Also I cannot swim and dont have a death wish so I would have opted out regardless. Saw a previous review that stated the 25MPH zone before the campground was watched closely so we just didn't take chances and kept our speed low. The road going in is a little narrow but its not a heavily trafficked road so we had no issues. I did see a huge sign upon entering that announced they will be adding a pool in 2025 so that may be something to look forward to! We did book our stay for next year as a flyer in the office stated that if we booked before we left we would receive 25% off, so we will be...

Has potential but not there yet. Too expensive for lack of amenities. We love KOAs and stay at them frequently all over. My kids love the jumping pillow, pools, and amenities. We love the cleanliness, the KOA standard and we know what we are getting when we stay at a KOA. I don’t mind paying a premium price because it has always been worth it.

I don’t want to give this new KOA a bad public review because I do understand they are new and have had many setbacks along the way. I paid a premium price of well over $100/night to stay at this new campground in my RV and I expected premium for the price. It was not. I will say all the staff members we encountered were WONDERFUL however. There was hardly any water pressure at our “premium site” it was a trickle the entire weekend and hence I could not shower in my camper, doing dishes was almost impossible. All of our friends did not have water pressure either. We had no electricity until 11pm the day of arrival…it may or may not have been the campgrounds fault? There was no jumping pillow, no shuttle to Corolla like advertised Safety was a MAJOR concern! My kids found a pipe with what looked like electrical cord running through it at the end of the dock near the boat ramp! There was debris in the water near the last boat ramp that cut open my husbands foot and potentially could damage a boat. It NEEDS to be marked. Typically we use a stick marker so boaters know to steer clear of it. There is no dedicated parking near the boat ramp, this is a major pain if you are lugging items to the water or need to park the boat trailer. They offer no reserved sites so if you are camping with a group, you will most likely be separated. We weren’t beside any of the people we were camping with! That is half the camp fun and experience for the kids and adults. We even asked to be with them when we reserved our sites and at check in The sites are NOT LEVEL. Once again, we paid for a premium site. Premium sites should be level. Especially at a new campground. I would expect this type of site at a state park for $30/night. The “koa patio” was not paved. It was a wooden platform that got in the way. It is not what was pictured on the website. The water feature was not available because of Covid apparently but the playground was open? It doesn’t make sense. Positive Notes: The staff was amazing. The views are lovely The water view and premium koa patio sites are large The playground is fun for the kids The band Saturday night was fantastic The bathrooms and bathhouse was clean The firepits and furniture at the koa patio sites are a nice touch Loved the late check out so we could enjoy the water longer and not rush to pack up.

After all that, I did like the campground and can see the potential. It is not there yet. I would have been perfectly happy if they weren’t charging full rates for none of the amenities. It is NOT worth over $100 a night…maybe $60-70. Please clean out where kids swim and mark hazards at the boat ramp! They have opened before they are ready and it is the guests that suffer.

We are returning in July, I hope some of these things are remedied.

I sent this exact review directly to the campground and they did not respond. Show less Date of stay: June 2020 Room tip: The waterfront sites are the...

This was my third (and last) visit to this campground.

I am a metal detectorist in retirement, I have dug historic sites, farms, and in the summer we travel the coast to beach locations.

Twice before I have been allowed pretty much "carte blanche" to detect this campground, particularly after finding objects near fire pits that could be a problem. It used to be a hunting camp in the early 1900s. Management had been kind and I promised not to dig anywhere they told me not to, such as drain fields.

I spoke to the new General Manager this year, she seemed fairly agreeable, but I couldn't help noticing the cold looks from her husband in the background. She left for the weekend for training with him in charge.

I was out detecting and digging a part of the campground that had a lot of old trailers on it a long time ago, and walked into the drain field a bit to see if there was anything there, and the husband came flying up in his golf cart and very angrily told me I could detect and get things on the surface, but he "didn't want me digging any holes". I'm 64, and he talked to me like I was some kind of bad kid. I wouldn't have minded it otherwise, and certainly complied. Any attempt to enlighten this individual was rudely dismissed.

I use a very expensive metal detector, it will pick up any underground power, even low voltage. It will pick up lightning 5 miles away. For digging I use a very expensive type of shovel which, employed properly, leaves little to no trace. I will not dig anything deeper than the length of the blade, and put the plug back. In fine grass I use a small probe to retrieve coins and other objects. I have never had a complaint in many years. I do extensive research of my destinations.

I don't believe this individual was motivated by knowledge of my pastime or even knowledge of the campground, I think it was more envy, ideological as opposed to logical. I guess a person that looks like me shouldn't be doing this sort of thing?

This is not hospitality, this is petulant oppression. I've met many people like this in my life, and have a sixth sense for it. I will not be treated like a child by a child. Other guests I spoke to mentioned the same treatment. What a shame.

I stopped detecting the campground, went to the beach and got my wife a couple of nice rings.

Add to this that the historical area of this campground is closed off, some of the staff is rude and exercises "do as I say, not as I do" especially mandating 10mph on golf carts and yet whizzing around at much higher speeds themselves throwing dust everywhere, and the still poor water pressure, I'd rate this a place to avoid. I've pretty much written off KOA campgrounds in general. There are people creeping into this type of recreation that just do not belong in it. They have no sense of decorum.

On a positive note, the weather was fairly nice, the person at the front desk (Jody) was very congenial and professional, as was the gentleman who led us to our spot. He was the only person I knew from previous stays. This was also the first time my RV wasn't whacked by trees on the ridiculously thin road coming in.

No worries y'all, we...