The most notable aspect of this campground are the length of the sites: except for maybe the few sites in the abbreviated first row, they could all accommodate even the largest RV. Even though the space between sites wasn’t as remarkable (a little wider than normal for a private campground), the long sites made the campground seem spacious, and made up for the fact that the paved roads along each row of sites was narrow. Our site (D12) had short grass at the front and back of the site and a gravel pad in the middle, with a raised concrete patio and a picnic table. We also had a fire ring made out of landscaping stones. Some sites had trees to provide some shade, but most do not. The campground is separated from an off-ramp for I-10 by a fence and a line of trees, which unfortunately did little to block out the significant road noise.
Most of the amenities are located at the front. The office has a store with a small selection of convenience store items (like ice cream and refrigerated sodas) and RV-related equipment and items. There is a kid pool as well as a regular pool, a playground, and a compact mini-golf course. Laundry and keypad-secured bathrooms with showers are located on the back-end of the office building, while the nearby clubhouse serves coffee in the morning and other activities such as bingo during the week. Not far from the office is a regulation height basketball hoop with a quarter-court concrete playing surface that’s a bit uneven in places.
We were surprised to discover that on-site dog fences like the one we usually set up around the camper door are not allowed: a first for us at a KOA. But like most KOAs, there is an enclosed dog park: this one had a single gate, a sandy surface, and several skinny trees which might provide shade during other parts of the year. It is also well-lit at night. There are other options for walking dogs besides the park: on the edges of the campground, on the short nature trail through the woods on the north side of the park, and along the long driveway into the campground, which shares a fence line with a farm that lets goats and burros graze along that stretch of road.
In terms of cell service, the best speed I got on my Verizon Jetpack with MIMO antenna was 26 Mbps down and 10 up, so I had no trouble remotely during the day and streaming video in the evenings. The one speed test I ran on my 5G AT&T smartphone showed 25Mbps down and 8 up. I tried out the campground WiFi the morning we left, and got 14 Mbps down and 5 up.
The rule against dog fences is the only thing that makes me hesitant to say that we would...
Read moreWe had a wonderful experience at this KOA! My husband went out of town for Memorial Day weekend to a wedding and so I got really brave and decided to take my kids here in our Motorhome. I had never done this alone so I was pretty nervous about getting everything set up correctly. When I arrived, I checked in and asked them to give me a spot away from everyone so no one could see me set up and laugh. They immediately made me comfortable and let me know they were here to help. They had someone escort me to my spot and the nice gentleman helped me get parked. After that, he stayed and began to help me set up. I was blown away - then I asked him if he would mind if I did the work and he supervised to make sure I was doing everything correctly. He kindly obliged. I couldn't get my rear air to come on and they immediately sent someone out to check out power pole. After testing it, the gentleman said he wasn't sure of the problem but would have their onsite electrician take a look at it. The next day he showed up and made several trips back and forth replacing parts and doing his best to help us out. He finally came to the conclusion that there may be a problem with our RV. Even though we couldn't get it to work, I was so impressed at how hard they tried to help me out.
This KOA has so many things to do other than enjoy camping. They have a nice pool, free put put golf, a game room, horseshoes, a playground and a nature trail (although we almost got carried away by mosquitoes). The campground is very well maintained and clean. All of the restrooms/showers were very clean. Other than RV spots they also have adorable cabins to rent and very nice tent spots with an outdoor kitchen. The office has a very good selection of parts and accessories you might need for a Motorhome, along with toys, pool toys, towels, lotions, food, drinks, Ice, firewood (they deliver it to your site for you) and many more supplies. They also will deliver you a newspaper for free every morning and they offer a complimentary breakfast at the clubhouse. They also have Karaoke on Friday and Saturday nights. We brought our dog along with us and we're happy to find that they had a very nice dog park there.
I feel like the price we paid was more than fair for everything we received. I can't say enough about how wonderful, attentive and kind all of the staff are there. We had a really great trip and can't wait...
Read moreDon't come here with a group - especially if you are a happy and friendly group! The management was most unfriendly to us on our recent trip. We have been meeting for an annual tube trip on the Blackwater (Shout out to Blackwater Canoe Rentals!) for over 20 years. We have stayed at Gulf Pines KOA for the last 15 YEARS and have never been treated so rudely. We (me and 35 of my closest friends) came in at various times on Friday. We had booked EVERY cabin in the campgroup and all gathered in front of the stretch of cabins isolated from the others. There was good converstion and alot of laughter. Admitedly, we were gathered out there well past the 10pm "quiet time" and it can be easy to misjudge how loud 36 happy people can be, but instead of coming over and letting us know it was too loud, Marty the Manager called the Sheriff!! No problem...they were so nice - asked us to turn our radio off and keep it down. We complied right away, cut the music and all dispersed within about 45 minutes. Then...at 8am....BOOM, BOOM, BOOM - there is a knock on my door and its Marty telling us we were being EVICTED! ALL of us! WTHeck!! I told him that wasnt possible because we had a bus picking us all up at 9am and asked him to give me a minute to get dressed so I didnt have to talk through the crack in the door. Instead, he jumps in his golf cart and speeds away screaming that he is calling the Sheriff! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!! HUGE thank you to Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Dept and Sgt Kilborn for his professionalism and assistance as I tried to talk some sense into Marty! We reached an agreement and stayed, but rest assured, we wont be back until Marty is gone! Its such a nice facility. It's a shame. We are...
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