Mackinaw City / Mackinac Island KOA Journey — Hotel in Wawatam Township

First time staying here. We used to be avid tent campers, but getting older and having a 4 year old, we decided to get rid of our tent and haven't yet found a camper, so did the first time we needed to rent a cabin. My bare minimum search parameters were 'real' beds and air conditioning.

We rented a rustic cabin without a bathroom, which was PERFECT for us. An a/c unit meant we were comfortable all weekend and the mini fridge meant we could bring our son's favorite things (milk, cheese, yogurt) without spending a fortune on ice and dealing with the wet.

We had cabin 2 and it was in the best possible location for us. Not too close to the neighbors but a very short walk to the main building with the (extremely clean) bathrooms, clean unisex shower rooms, pool, laundry, store, and playground. When (not if) we stay again, we're going to our best to request this cabin again!

We didn't hear a single neighbor while trying to sleep, we're extremely comfortable the entire time and got to enjoy camping. If we needed firewood, we only had to text the campground and they would deliver (same with ice if necessary). The ground were very well kept, and garbage was picked up daily if needed.

The free ferry shuttle for Mackinac Island was a bonus. They call it on demand for you when you're ready to go and we waited maybe 10 minutes before our bus headed back to the campground after coming back to the mainland. They also give a slight discount on the ferry tickets for their campers.

While we didn't have a bathroom at our cabin, there was a water spigot right next to the front porch (which had a bench and swing), a charcoal grill, picnic table, and fire ring. We even had two trees close enough together to tie up a laundry line to dry bathing suits and towels.

While there was no beach at the campground itself, there's a public beach just over a mile down the road or you can easily head into town to the public beaches there.

Our son loved the heated pool (even I got in, and I never go in because I find them too cold), the playground, the gaga ball pit, the cornhole, and connect 4 games. There's also a little free lending library, but we weren't there long enough to partake.

The little store has a limited but wide selection of items available, and they're actually reasonably priced. We've stayed many places where they really jack up those prices for their captive audience, but not here!

We didn't bring our fur-kids with us, but there were plenty at the camp. All were well behaved and we never saw any messes. They have a dog park area if you do bring your 4-legged camping buddies with you!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. Previously, we've always stayed at Mackinaw Mill Creek, but this was a very nice change of pace!

We're already planning another trip up there as soon as possible!

**OH! One thing to note, if you need dark to sleep in past sunrise, you may want to bring extra blankets or something to put over the windows. While they do provide curtains in the cabins, they're definitely more for privacy and not to keep the sun out!

**We also brought our folding camp table to set up in our cabin and that helped tremendously! There is one higher table/shelf that was great for keeping our stuff/food on, but the camp table let out son draw pictures, look at books etc. And have my husband and I a place to put our water bottles, phones, medicines,...

We were in Site# 98. We had Full hook- up with a gravel pull-through. We travel towing a 14 foot trailer and were able to fit both in our pull through site along with my jeep. The site was easy to level.

Our site was not shaded with limited trees (many were shaded though). This was a smaller lot with our neighbors fairly close.

This lot (a premium lot) comes with a concrete patio with a round table with four chairs, two Adirondack chairs and a fire pit and a charcoal box grill.

It is an easy access to the campground from highway -(approximately 1 mile from highway).

There is free WiFi. They offer Cable TV and there are many channels.

There is not a community outdoor kitchen or community fire pit. They sell wood for $7 a bundle.

They pickup your garbage at your site daily.

You are allowed to ride personal golf carts. They also allow you to rent regular bicycles and e-bikes. They do not provide golf cart rentals. There is really not a need to have a Golf cart because it is a smaller campground.

They do have a Swimming pool. There is a Playground. They also offer Gaga ball,horseshoe, and corn hole. There is a Reading lending library and board games to borrow.

They have a great general store. There is an electric car charging station. They sell propane.

There is not a snack bar/restaurant on site.

The streets are gravel so not great for riding bikes.

There are great places to ride bikes outside of campground. From the campground, there is a nature trail that you can take your bike that leads you to the. North Western State Trail.

They have cabins for rent and tent areas.

They have one shower house. The shower house has individual showers. Toilets with sinks are in a shared bathroom. These are kept very clean.

There is a laundry facility. It is a cash only facility. There are approximately 5 washers and 5 dryers. It is approximately $2.50 to wash and $1.50 to dry a load.

They have a fenced in dog park.

Bugs (mosquitoes/flies)did not seem to be an issue.

There were trails to hike off of...

Ok campground but I would strongly suggest a state park (Wilderness SP and Straights SP are great) over this KOA until improvements are made. The sites are very small and mostly dirt (we had poison ivy at ours and were told to keep the kids away from the woods). Plus they have A LOT of rules including high fees for visitors and no hammocks or clotheslines. The worst part is the firepits. They consist of small old rusty wheels set nearly flush with ground. Some are at an angle and very dangerous to use. We had several near disastrous incidents with small kids and I had to park my truck over ours to keep people from tripping in it when not in use. Not acceptable! Comparing the price to what they charge and provide at state parks, it's not worth your money until they fix the firepits.

On a positive note, most staff are friendly and attentive, the facilities are clean, and the location is great. It has a lot of potential.

UPDATE: Management is unprofessional, cowardly, and lacks even the most basic customer service skills. After posting my review and management responded (see below), my wife and in-laws were sent emails banning the family from the park due to my review. This was an unprovoked retaliation for my honest review and the owner refuses to answer our calls for an explanation (hence the cowardly description). I would recommend finding a different place to stay if you value custumer service and basic safety. There are other options in the area including Mill Creek, Wilderness State Park, and...