Lava Hot Springs East KOA Holiday — Hotel in Lava Hot Springs

This was our fist time staying at a KOA, and to be honest...we had a lot of fun, and we loved it, and were making plans to return. That changed drastically when we received notice that we were charged $150 for damage.

We have stayed at many Airbnb's...that is usually our choice of lodging. We have never had a problem, and have only earned positive reviews from our hosts. We have always gone the extra mile to leave the places we stay in the same or better condition than we found it. If we ever broke something or caused damage, we let the hosts know or if something wasn't working...we notified the hosts immediately. This cabin was no exception.

We were charged $150 for ripping the mattress in the Kody and Andi Tillotson cabin. We never received pictures or notifications. We had to call and ask why. I can attest that we did NOT cause any damage to the mattress, and it makes me absolutely sick to my stomach that not only are we accused of doing so, but that we were charged for something we did not do.

What started out as something we thought about making a tradition for our family will definitely not happen now. We will continue staying in Airbnb's where everything is provided, and pay the same rate we did staying in Kody and Andi Tillotson's. As fun as it was, it was not worth $230/night with a $150 fee for something that was not proven. I hope you rest easy in your crappy cabin. We will enjoy and sleep easy at Airbnbs from here on out. Choke on a hot dog.

Update: The owners sent a photo of the damage of the mattress cover we are being charged $150. The office said normally damage charges are not more than $100. Crazy that waterproof mattress covers are no more than $33. The dishonesty of this host is...

Check in was fast and easy. The staff were friendly. We stayed in the cabins along the river. The exterior was quaint and clean. The interior was very well done and had a great cabin feel Looking at the cabinets and trim they did not cut any corners, very nice workmanship. The kitchenette has a full size fridge, microwave, toaster, coffee machine, hot plate, pans, utensils and more. The dining area had a nice table, bench seats and a large couch. The bathroom had a full shower, power flush toilet and nice sink. It also had a tankless water heater. The bedroom had two very comfortable full size beds and was open to the main living quarters by a large windowless opening. So it felt like one large room but could be screened off completely for privacy. A little hard to explain but it was very cool. You could be sitting in the beds and still be part of what was going on in the rest of the cabin. Then you could close the sliding screen and the door for some privacy and block out the lights. Now for my favorite part, the back deck. It was much larger than I expected. There were two colorful rocking gliding/rocking chairs It has a natural gas BBQ to one side. The raised fire pit in the center was also natural gas. And to one side was a small table with seating. And the VIEW. About 30 feet down was a river running over a waterfall providing an peaceful low rumble that provided a great white noise. (I opened the window and enjoyed that sound all night.) Rising above the river is a steep mountain face covered with unique geological features mixed with the colors of fall. I’m not sure how tall the mountain is but towered over the area. It is beautiful. Highly recommend you check...

Let's start by saying the owners of this KOA have put big money into making sure the sites are well spaced, patios are well planned, and the amenities are endless. Bathhouse is clean and new, basic playground for kids, sites with private dog run areas, laundry is a bit over priced( $2.25 each), and the sites are decently level. The pricing of sites matches the facility.

The cons though all the accessible waterfront sites are for 35feet and under. Super sites 15 & 16 will fit a bigger rig with master driving skills for tight turns and trees obstacles. Now these sites with run you $125+ a night, which I would pay for the breath taking views of the mountain and river.... EXCEPT......THE TRAIN AND TRAFFIC NOISE.

Oh my gosh yall seriously, I read the reviews and we have stayed at some noisey campgrounds before but the train goes alllllll day and allllll night. It is intolerable. The semi trucks fly buy on the main road which is less than 30 yards from 1st row of pull throughs, and its very noisy. This is not the KOAs fault, and I want to stress this is a beautiful well maintained campground. But you will not get sleep.

The middle and back area to the left of the office has no water access or water views so be aware of that when picking a site. They are roomier pullthrough with plenty of space for our big rig and Dually truck to park. Also very easy maneuvering around spots.

We also loved taking the walking path along the river and into town to explore. Alot of places are closed do to off season, but the small town offers a few restaurants, ice cream shop and local small grocery with basic needs.

Overall we likely wouldn't return based on the...