Ventura Ranch KOA Holiday — Hotel in Santa Paula

This was my family's 4th trip to the Ventura Ranch KOA, and we might be choosing somewhere new next summer. It feels like there isn't enough staff to keep things worth the price for the cabins (almost $300 a night). First, the positives: it's an easy drive, even with the 150 closed up the short route; the front desk lady was very nice each time I went in; the place is very quiet, even at night for the most part, but we were there on a Monday and Tuesday, so maybe it's different on the weekend; it's a pretty place, filled with trees, and a river/stream, not to mention the peacocks that will wake you up at 5:00 a.m. Now, the negatives: the ropes course and zip line should be open more often. It's one of the biggest draws for families with children. During the time my family was going to be there, it was only open Monday at 2 or 2:30. Why so few options? While having lunch with my family, I got a phone call asking if we could change our kids' 2:30 reservations to 2:00, so I said sure, and when we got down there, there were 40 (!!!!) people that had been combined into one HUGE group. That is absolutely ridiculous. When I asked the girl who was working about possibly coming a little later, she said that there "was a private party" at 3:00, so now it makes sense why everybody was crammed together. Needless to say, we said no thanks to that activity due to the sheer number of people who would be on the course - absolutely no fun with that many. It's such a bummer that it wasn't open Tuesday or Wednesday so more people could have the opportunity to experience the fun without being crammed into unsafe, unmanageable groups. I thought the group would be small - hence the phone call asking me to move my kids' times - but it was the exact opposite! Enough about that. As far as the other amenities go - the air pillow is cool, more for smaller kids (my kids are 15 & 16); the pool area is nice, but it looks like nobody ever skims/cleans the pool, so it's totally dirty. Plus, it's supposed to open at 10:00 and at 10:30, the guy was just making his way over to unlock the gate. The rock climbing wall never opened; neither did the gem mining, so I don't really know when those are offered. It wasn't listed anywhere. On to the cabin we stayed in. Yes, it was ready when we got there (1:30) which was great, but how about cleaning the floor? Just taking a wet mop to it would be nice so at least when you walk in the first time and take your shoes off, the bottoms of your feet/socks aren't filthy (yes, I know I'm camping, but there's a reason we stay in a cabin and not a tent). Also, the water pressure was so low in the kitchen and with the bathroom sink; the shower was okay; when the wind blows, it totally smells like sewage at times. Two stays ago, they had a total issue with the septic tank pump not working and a truck had to come out. The smell was even worse then. I think it needs a complete overhaul. The bed pads in the loft don't come with fitted sheets, and it's a waste to just put the flat sheets on slippery pads; one turn over and it's a mess. I brought my own fitted twin-size sheets last year but the pads aren't twin length, so they didn't fit, so this year, I just brought two of my own single-size blow-up beds and it was much better sleeping. As far as no tv/cable, it's kind of a bummer, but I guess it's to save money, but it would be nice if there were shelves added or pictures or something instead of just a big obvious area where the TV's used to be....just a thought. I know I'm sounding nit-picky, but when you pay over $600 for two nights of glamping, these little details matter.

Overall, I'm not sure what next summer's camping trip will be, maybe Ventura Ranch, maybe a new location. Either way, it's nice to get outside and spend time...

We are frequent Ventura Ranch KOA campers so I always book a few months in advance, specifically for a Teepee. A few months ago, I had booked TP#12 (paid extra for choosing a preferred site) because of its location (it's in a quieter area, close to the trail that leads to the stream), for this past weekend (10/22/21 - 10/24/21). Well, thankfully my mom got there before us and checked out the Teepee herself because she found a big slash on the side of it. And this weekend was cold, too! And it rained a little in the middle of the night. It's as if no one cared to check on the condition of the Teepee before we checked in. Thankfully the office was still open and she went to complain. By some miracle, the manager, Stevie, was standing right there and overheard her complaining (she was about to leave for the day). Stevie was upset and apologetic and was so kind to upgrade us to a cabin. But if it weren't for my mom's timing, the office would have closed, Stevie wouldn't have been there, and then what? My two young kids and I would be in a damaged Teepee, freezing and probably a little wet...

What I would like to see is that KOA always examines the condition of their Teepees after every use, AND works on fixing any damages in a timely manner. AND to not allow someone to use it if it turns out it is still damaged. I mean... common sense, right? My kids and I have always loved Ventura Ranch KOA. We've been going for a year now, reserving every 3 months. I honestly feel hesitant on booking a Teepee again. Especially because that wasn't the first time I was unhappy with one. The first time was the very first reservation and we were horrified to find out that there was no rain cover over the top of our Teepee and it rained a lot that night (it was in November 2020), and the center of our floor got all wet. All Teepees should have their rain covers on! I just don't get that part. Especially because the rain covers don't restrict air flow or cover up the top completely, so it wouldn 't be a problem to have it on in the summer either.

Please, PLEASE, do better with your Teepees, guys. I want to come back in a few months, but am just...

This was a KOA we really wanted to like. We were renting and stayed in one of the “premium” tent sites. They’ve clearly gone to some effort to put in various activities and things to do and this is a positive. From what we could tell from the gate the pool looked beautiful but anytime we tried to go it was closed. Which was a disappointment with the hot weather and cost we paid for site. Every staff person we asked seemed to have a different answer. The tent campground itself looks like a rustic BLM or National Forest campground and not much has been tidied. The worst part though were the bathrooms and showers. Bathrooms were in a trailer (okay fine), but door closer was broken and door was flopping in the wind. The lights are on a rotary timer switch but the knob was missing so you could only turn then on with a real strong grip or pliers. Found another camper standing in the doorway with a flashlight so her son could use the washroom. Toilets were always clogged, toilet paper all over the floors, all the soap containers were empty, paper towels were emptied. Showers were equally as dirty and clearly hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. Another camper complained the first day we were there to no avail, I complained the next day. They send a cart of three (THREE!) staff down so all of us tenters had hope. But no. They dropped off a roll of paper towel and a piece of bar soap. Nothing was refilled, nothing cleaned, nothing fixed. Oh and then we were warned to keep our stuff and people secure and don’t leave anything out because they often had homeless people sneak in to the tent area. As anyone who stays at a KOA knows, they are marketing as more premium camping experiences and one expects things to be cleanish and working. This was a disappointment for the not inexpensive cost. Would not...