Camp Fimfo Waco — Hotel in Waco

We were very disappointed with our stay at Camp Fimfo in Waco. We booked a Mammoth Cabin near the pool, paying extra for the location, but the air conditioning did not work properly. The bedrooms never got below 75° with very little to no air movement, making it very difficult for our young children to sleep comfortably. We had the maintenance person come take a look and he was unable to make any difference, he basically just checked to see if the air filter was dirty. He agreed there was only very faint air movement coming out of the diffuser and it was not cold. He also told us a lot of the units around the Site were not working well and needed maintenance. Although I appreciated his honesty, the management of the property was much less genuine. It was a red flag when we initially got into the cabin and there was a sign saying the thermostat couldn’t be set below 72 degrees without freezing out the unit and shutting it down altogether. This is basically an admission that the units don’t work properly, in an transfer the blame to the guests if it wasn’t cooling the cabin….not that it came close to 72 degrees anyway.|When we complained, we were told that 75° is “acceptable” and that it was just our “preference” to want it cooler. At $350+ per night, I expect a cabin that can actually cool to a normal sleeping temperature.|Because of this, we had to pack up all of our belongings and move to another cabin on the opposite side of the property, losing our entire first day of activities in the process. The replacement cabin wasn’t ready and we were told to wait 15 minutes while it was cleaned — though it clearly wasn’t cleaned well to say the leastMy kids’ socks were black within minutes of walking inside, the shower had mold and soap scum, and floors didn’t appear to be mopped.|To their credit, they did offer us a golf cart for the inconvenience of being so much further from the amenities, but the new cabin’s AC was only slightly better. Ultimately, we had to abandon our cabin altogether and stay at a hotel nearby, costing us hundreds more on top of the $1,000+ we had already spent. When we spoke with management again the next morning, they we were told we would be refunded fo the first night since the whole ordeal cost us all our time that first day that should have been spent enjoying the amenities. At that time, the rest of the stay was “under review” by management and they would let us know the outcome as the manager wasn’t authorized to offer any refund or compensation for more than that. Each day we had to track them down and ask for an update and each day it was still “under review”. It was still left unresolved by the time we were heading back home while they assured us they would follow up until it was resolved.| |Conveniently, once we were back home and no longer able to ask them in person, the verdict was in that they were not going to refund anything, not even the first night the manager had already told us we would get originally. The whole process was very shady and disingenuous.|Our kids did enjoy the activities for the most part, especially the splash pad/water slide area and the mini-golf. Overall, however, it was a big disappointment and unnecessarily stressful for our family. We went to Fimfo based on so many great recommendations for the location in the Hill Country. In speaking to other guests while there, all shared the sentiment that the experience at the Waco site was FAR inferior and a big letdown after previously going to the Hill Country location. The only ones comfortable in their accommodation were staying in their RVs, which were far cooler than the cabins.|Other issues included:|• Multipleattractions not working and in need of maintenance. Most notable was the arcade which only had 3 or 4 working games with the rest out of order.|• Random nails sticking out of the interior wood paneling inside the cabin.|• Master bedroom curtain hung 3 feet above the floor, offering no privacy from the road no relief from the early morning daylight which made that room unable to be used for our toddler’s pack and play or for naptime as it was way too bright for sleeping.|• Bunk beds very unstable and unsafe. This was mentioned to one of the maintenance people and he just laughed uncomfortably….because he had to stand on the top bunk to access the inside AC unit and it was a wild ride.|• Mold and grime in the bathroom, as well as curly hair stuck on the shower walls…we never used the shower…|What was supposed to be a fun family trip turned into a frustrating, expensive disappointment. Between the lack of working air conditioning, poor cleanliness, safety concerns, and unhelpful management, I cannot recommend Camp Fimfo Waco. If you must Fimfo, try another location and hope it is better maintained and more...

We were very disappointed with our stay at Camp Fimfo in Waco. We booked a Mammoth Cabin near the pool, paying extra for the location, but the air conditioning did not work properly. The bedrooms never got below 75° with very little to no air movement. Maintenance looked and was unable to fix… and agreed there was only very faint air movement coming out of the diffuser and it was not cold. He also told us a lot of the units around the Site were not working well and needed maintenance. Although I appreciated his honesty, the management of the property was much less genuine. When we walked into the cabin a sign greeted us saying the thermostat couldn’t be set below 72 degrees without freezing out the unit. When we complained, we were told that 75° is “acceptable” and that it was just our “preference” to want it cooler. At $350+ per night, I expect a cabin that can actually cool to a normal sleeping temperature. Because of this, we had to pack up all of our belongings and move to another cabin on the opposite side of the property, losing our entire first day of activities in the process. The replacement cabin wasn’t ready and we were told to wait 15 minutes while it was cleaned — though it clearly wasn’t cleaned well… The kids’ socks were black within minutes of walking inside, the shower had mold and soap scum, and floors didn’t appear to be mopped. To their credit, they did offer us a golf cart for the inconvenience of being so much further from the amenities, but the new cabin’s AC was only slightly better. Ultimately, we had to abandon our cabin altogether and stay at a hotel nearby, costing us hundreds more on top of the $1,000+ we had already spent. The next morning we were told we would be refunded fo the first night since the whole ordeal cost us all our time that first day that should have been spent enjoying the amenities. At that time, the rest of the stay was “under review” by management and they would let us know the outcome as the manager wasn’t authorized to offer any refund or compensation for more than that. Each day we had to track them down and ask for an update and each day it was still “under review”. It was still left unresolved by the time we were heading back home while they assured us they would follow up until it was resolved. Conveniently, once we were back home and no longer able to ask them in person, the verdict was in that they were not going to refund anything, not even the first night the manager had already told us we would get originally. The whole process was very shady and disingenuous. In speaking to other guests while there, all shared the sentiment that the experience at the Waco site was FAR inferior and a big letdown after previously going to the Hill Country location. The only ones comfortable in their accommodation were staying in their RVs, which were far cooler than the cabins. Other issues included: • Multiple attractions not working and in need of maintenance. Most notable was the arcade which only had 3 or 4 working games with the rest out of order. • Random nails sticking out of the interior wood paneling inside the cabin. • Master bedroom curtain hung 3 feet above the floor, offering no privacy from the road no relief from the early morning daylight which made that room unable to be used for our toddler’s pack and play or for naptime as it was way too bright for sleeping. • Bunk beds very unstable and unsafe. This was mentioned to one of the maintenance people and he just laughed uncomfortably….because he had to stand on the top bunk to access the inside AC unit and it was a wild ride. • Mold and grime in the bathroom, as well as curly hair stuck on the shower walls…we never used the shower… What was supposed to be a fun family trip turned into a frustrating, expensive disappointment. Between the lack of working air conditioning, poor cleanliness, safety concerns, and unhelpful management, I cannot recommend Camp Fimfo Waco. If you must Fimfo, try another location and hope it is better maintained and more...

EDIT (in reply to CFW response): we were aware of the summer hours, as noted in the review. Thanking me for my detailed feedback, then only addressing the least important of issues, could only be construed as ‘more of the same’. While we do hope that our feedback ‘will help make additional improvements’, we are not confident (given this response) and it only further solidifies, that we will NOT be back to CF Waco.

So as not to bury the lead... we will NOT be back to Camp FIMFO Waco. The best thing about CF Waco, is the website – because there is little to nothing, that is as good as it appears online. Having been to many RV resorts (including CF Texas Hill Country) & based on what we saw online, we were excited to be in Waco for the Memorial Day weekend – but it seems we were duped...

RV site: grass & weeds overgrown, full of active ant mounds; had to blow off the full rv pad & table area with our own blower (from whenever the grass was last cut). And really this was the entire park – all sites/gaming areas/etc., were fully overgrown with grass & weeds. Woke up to the RV site next to us being mowed on Friday morning, but that is the ONLY site in the entire park that was mowed – they requested the mow...?

Amenities: do not feel equivalent to the price or time of year. Arriving on Thursday (for the long holiday weekend), after set-up we discovered the pool (7p) & general store (6p) closed, leaving only the playground and a few yard games available. For mini golf, cornhole (and other yard games), the equipment/etc., had to checked out from the general store (unlike HC, that has clubs & balls/boards out for general use). The overall number of yard games were good & the mini golf course was well planned – but with no/minimal lighting in this area, it would not be something that could be used later. The pool seemed a bit smaller (than HC), but was only ok because the park was not full/not everyone was swimming – when the park is at capacity, it would not be large enough. And unlike the HC water park, this one is very much geared towards smaller children (one less amenity for the adults). Kayaking/Canoeing showed to be available (on the website) starting Memorial Day weekend, however there appeared to be no river access in the park (due to overgrowth) & asking a few of the park employees, no one could provide info for when it would be available. Squirrely's Tavern – went in twice; it was open, but had no one working. Loved the idea of the Friday & Saturday concerts, but maybe under the tent (by the yard games – for a larger venue). General Store – staff was polite & willing to help; but unless you were buying FIMFO merchandise, the rest of the store was not well stocked. Dog Park – overgrown; would be afraid of fleas/ticks/etc. Bathhouses: very clean. Hand soap dispensers in the showers were a bit confusing. Definitely need more hooks and/or a bench (to set clothing/etc.), and shelving (for shampoo/soap, while in use).

LOCATION: one of the best features of CF Waco, was the central location. We were looking to stay in the park for most of the stay, however without much to do, it was good that we were close to other activities in Waco.

Price point: Knowing that It is summer/holiday weekend/etc., it is understandable that we might be paying a bit more - however charging resort fees for much less than resort amenities/atmosphere/maintenance/etc., only exaggerates the overpriced/underdeveloped perception of this location. We were told at check-in, that the the park was under construction – but having been open for almost a year, the overall feeling is that they should have waited a bit longer to open... or be more clear about the current condition of the park – and not charge full price for a park that is not...