Fiddlestix RV Park and Mini Golf — Hotel in Isle Harbor Township

Update: In response to the blanket response from the owners. We were not asked to leave, in fact, we were asked to renew our lease. We have decided to leave Fiddlestix due to all of the concerns listed below in my review. The campers that were asked to not come back were of no concern to us, the biggest concern was the lack of management. Instead of making more excuses, you should address the many concerns and not assume you know why people are not coming back especially when you do not know your campers.

I have been a seasonal camper at Fiddlestix RV & Golf Resort for the past three years and a weekend camper for two years prior. However, I would no longer recommend this campground to anyone, seasonal or weekenders.

Over time, the overall quality and atmosphere have noticeably declined. What was once a welcoming and enjoyable work week get away has become increasingly uncomfortable and stressful due to poor management, lack of communication, and an unprofessional environment.

There has been significant turnover in both general management and restaurant/bar staff, often accompanied by the recurring excuse of being "short-staffed." Unfortunately, this has resulted in inconsistent service, frequent closures of advertised amenities, and a general lack of accountability. Despite rising costs for food and amenities, their availability is unreliable and often not accessible during the posted operating hours.

Communication from management is minimal at best. Questions and concerns raised by campers are rarely acknowledged or addressed, and when they are, they are riddled with excuses and often turned back onto their seasonal patrons in a gaslighting fashion. Activities are almost exclusively planned and funded by seasonal campers, and even then, agreed-upon reimbursements or prizes are often denied without explanation.

The owners, Chuck and Marilyn Appeldoorn, have unfortunately contributed to the negative atmosphere. Their interactions with campers are frequently cold and unwelcoming. This summer Chuck would frequently sit at the bar with his arms crossed and glare at you while trying to give his establishment business. I have never felt like such an inconvenience while patronizing a business.

Facilities also leave much to be desired. The pool is far too small for the volume of campers, especially on busy weekends, and has had persistent maintenance issues, including leaks that occur annually and a heater that doesn’t work. Promises have been made since our first year that improvements are coming, but after so many lies, it’s hard to know what’s true anymore. Restrooms are often filthy and understocked, and even basic maintenance requests are met with the usual "we're short-staffed" or “that’s not my job” responses.

The campground also offers paid internet access at over $200 per season, yet they fail to provide a service-level agreement or reliable service. Multiple campers who purchased the internet package ended up returning it due to ongoing connectivity issues.

In short, it feels as though the owners are more focused on generating revenue than creating a positive experience for guests. The sense of community that once existed here is gone, and many longtime campers are now choosing to leave.

I would not recommend this campground to anyone, especially if you are hoping for safe and fun campground for you and your...

UPDATE: We personally never had parties, never got a noise violation. Funny how YOUR staff came to our sites to enjoy themselves. Also, didnt seem to mind when we spent hundreds in your clubhouse every single weekend.

After staying at this campground for nearly five years, I feel it’s my responsibility to warn anyone even considering coming here: DO NOT! This place has gone from bad to worse, and it is no longer safe, enjoyable, or worth your money.

Rude, unprofessional service Staff and management are constantly disrespectful, dismissive, and downright hostile to guests.

Harassment & false accusations Management began a police patrol, as if there was criminal activity, called the police for regular campground fire gatherings, and wrote eviction letters over false claims (and stood by them refusing to review camera footage proving otherwise). Imagine gathering at a campfire and at 10:01PM the cops are being called. Completely unsafe and unacceptable.

Broken promises & zero transparency They make big claims about “future plans," “upcoming improvements,” and "children activities" yet nothing ever happens unless the seasonals volunteer to put things on, pay for food/materials/prizes. They even said the winners of the children's golf contest would get ice cream and then told them no (requiring seasonals to pay). Guests are consistently left in the dark with no honesty or accountability.

Amenities not available Advertised amenities are rarely open — or don’t exist at all. The bar/restaurant...usually closed, or regularly closed early. When it was open, they’re regularly out of food. To top it off, they would consistently double-charge people and then not respond or move forward to issue refunds. This required many of us to go through the battle with our own credit card companies to be refunded.

Unsafe environment The constant harassment, false reports, and hostile management created an atmosphere that feels threatening, not relaxing.

Kids & family activities? Forget it. Mini golf is outrageously overpriced. The “mega slide” would only be open a few hours on major holiday weekends The bounce house is moldy and filthy — completely unsafe for kids. -That leaves a bounce pad and a few arcade games, which are frequently broken.

There are no planned activities for children. Instead, management piggybacks on events organized by seasonal campers and advertises them as if they were their own.

We gave this place more chances than it deserved. After half a decade of disappointment, disrespect, harassment, and unsafe conditions, we are beyond done. We will never return, and we’ll encourage anyone who asks us to avoid this place at all costs.

There are plenty of campgrounds that actually respect their guests and deliver what they advertise — this is absolutely not...

We checked in on Sunday, Aug. 18 and upon walking back up to the bar, found out there’s no password for the specific WiFi as there is NO information upon check-in on the campground map. It would have been nice to know before being parked out in the “back nine” of the new long pull-throughs. We were also not notified of restaurant hours as it was just before they wanted to close the kitchen as we were checking in, we would not have walked all the way back up to not be able to have dinner. Please understand that we traveled 8 hours across all of North Dakota and to this location in Minnesota that day.

For TV, Sunday was fantastic, an enormous amount of antenna channels! Had a fantastic evening after an 8 hour drive to enjoy good TV, after preparing our leftovers. Then Monday morning, I had to scan the channels again, for whatever reason, and captured major TV stations. However, within 10 minutes it shut down, signal, antennas, everything. Antenna TV channels shouldn’t just stop projecting. We went motorcycle riding for the afternoon, then enjoyed the pool, though you could not have access to it but through one gate and no access to the bathrooms except from around back of building.

Monday evening was the exact same way, only the WiFi/Internet kept asking for a “CODE”, that we weren’t supposed to need for the Stix-Net that is supposed to be provided to us. It was on and off. Antenna channels were on then off.

We are very disappointed that not only is there intermittent access, but that after 5 p.m., there is no one to contact. Some of the seasonal occupants expressed the same issues with the connections as well. And why there is no access to the pool through the bathrooms, or gates except for one entry.

We chose this place for the fact it had a restaurant, amenities especially for staying more than one night and for motorcyclist that don’t always want to ride to get a meal and/or adult beverage while riding. We definitely cooked the first two nights we were here, but it appears there’s nothing for those who are here during the week. We need internet access to plan our routes, especially if they’re two hours away and at this price point, we expected basic services. And don’t get me started with their dump out station, located between the maintenance buildings that thankfully had no vehicles in the path! As well as only garbage can in the parking lot, not near the sites.

Can you tell me why it’s so difficult to get simple antenna channels or to use the WiFi?

This was sent to their email address which no longer exists. The Stevensons, site 217 (the new pull...