Pine Lake RV Resort & Cottages — Local services in Sturbridge

Use to be a fan of this campground when phil visited it and the staff hiring was managed by someone who cared about the campground and it's families. We recently stayed there and at 9:15pm a staff member drove by and told us it's quiet time in 45 minutes which we knew since we have visited the campground at least a dozen times. The staff member also told us that our kids were speeding around the campground on their bikes, what he didn't tell us is that he was swearing at the kids telling them to get the ** off the bikes before he takes them, brought it to the staff member when he came back and he said he didn't know who said that. The kids confirmed it was indeed the staff member and he should have a dashcam footage of it, talked to another staff member (the only sane one there) and he mentioned that he is the one who was swearing at the kids and he also has the ability to turn off the dashcam. At 10:30 the security guard came back and told us to be quiet, we had already turned off the music at this point and were just talking at the table, mind you that every other site around was doing the same thing and some louder then us. He came back very aggressive towards me and started staring me down, I had my kids there so did not do anything except ask for a manager. The manager came down and told us to shut up or hes going to call the cops, and at this point there were nobody was yelling. I told him if that's what you need to do then call them we aren't doing anything wrong. Fast forward 15 min later 4 cruisers came down and started off at first being very agressive and asked for licenses to run names, why? no idea... but everyone who was asked complied respectfuly. The staff told the police we were being loud and the cops bascially told us to quiet down and left, they also told the security in question to stay away from us. No other issues that night, in the morning we woke up to a knock at the door with 4 cruisers again telling us our group had to pack up and leave we were being kicked out (2 campers, 3 cabins) we left without an issue as we were planning on leaving anyways after being treated like that. The manager also told us he would refund everyone for the full stay if we left in the morning which he did not, so currently pursuing that. I am in the process of getting body footage from the officers and will seek legal action. We aren't sure if this was racially motivated or something else but we are going to find out.

This is not how a family campground should be operated, we were in a group with about 10 adults and 12 children, all the children crying while making smores while the cops ID'd the parents. Again nothing against sturbridge PD they were doing their job and even gave the kids stickers at the end. The new managment is basically hiring riff raff who were 100% looked like they were on drugs or something else so they can operate their campground cheaply.

The problem is hiring unprofessional transients for cheaper labor creates issues because they aren't trained to deal with people and especially small children, I would go as far to even say there is no background and cori check on the people they hire. The staff there get to park their camper for free and live free as long as they put in 40 hours a week, just imagine the types of people that brings in. Yes the good but also the bad and in this case it was 100% the bad.

Review response: Even in the reponse to the review Pine like still posting lies and that pretty much sums up their management. 25-30 people and not guests at the campground? Here is a summary of everyone accounted for in our group all of which were staying at the campground

Cabin 1: 2 adults - 3 kids Cabin 2: 2 adults - 2 kids Cabin 3: 1 adult - 2 kids RV 1: 2 adults - 2 kids RV 2: 2 adults - 2 kids

that's 9 adults and 11 kids and almost all of the kids are 12 and under. Also intoxicated no, packing up an RV at night as not only difficult it's time consuming. Even having 1 beverage and driving an RV is irresponsible not to mention we are traveling...

It was definitely for this resort!! And it was under my friend's name. Way overpriced for the quality, location and amenities. The cottages are cute, but were not cleaned very well and the lot sizes were extremely small (slightly bigger than the actual cottage) so you're practically on top of the surrounding sites, which are on all sides. The location is nothing great - it's not like you're in the white mountains or the Berkshires. It's almost like a glorified parking lot - there's barely any trees or nature on any of the lots and cottages or campers were just practically on top of each other. There was definitely no privacy. Trees surround the campgrounds, but are bare within the campgrounds and on the campsites themselves. Also, there is nothing scenic, except for a small lake that looks like a pond. It doesn't look clean because there's so much muck in it like branches, wood, leaves, plant debris, etc. It's definitely not swimmable. Also, the wifi is THE WORST and the T.V. wouldn't even connect to the network. We didn't have T.V. or mobile service for the entire trip, and staff were either not available or couldn't help! Also, it was the last week of the season that they were open, and you'd think that they might lower the price or offer a discount, especially since the pool and spa weren't even open, but they actually raised the prices from what was on listed on their website so they didn't even honor their own pricing! There were so many vacant cottages and campsites that you'd think they'd offer some sort of discount just to, at least, get something (something is better than nothing). There weren't a lot of events going on, and whatever was going on was not even included in the price and you had to pay extra. Also, the staff wasn't that friendly or welcoming. We went to play bingo one night, which started at a certain time and we were there like 20 minutes early, but the girl wouldn't sell us bingo cards because she said that she stops 1/2 hour before it starts and we were 10 minutes late. There was nothing in the brochure that stated buying the cards ended 1/2 hour before the game started. It was all in good fun and not like we were joining a formal gaming match or competition or something! They were very stringent in their ways and rules. However, they didn't hesitate to overcharge for everything or charge extra for whatever they could soak out of you, as if the cost of the campsite wasn't extravagantly priced enough! They offered a barbecue meal one night and it was $20 per person! They did offer a complimentary breakfast one morning, but it was very bare and only had boxed cereal, packaged muffins, yogurt and apples; and they made you feel very uncomfortable because it wasn't even buffet style, where you helped yourself, but rather there was a clan of people standing behind the tables watching you like a hawk and handing out the food to you, like they were ready to attack if you took an extra apple or yogurt or something! Again, the scenery and location were nothing great and like I said, more like a glorified parking lot. I was not impressed with the location, campsites, events, pricing, lack of included items and very disappointed and dissatisfied with the lack of wifi, no T.V. or mobile services and poor customer service. They call it a resort and jack up the pricing, but it's NOWHERE near any type of resort that I've been to. It's more like a Motel 6. I doubt I'd ever go...

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This is my absolute favorite campground in the area, and I have visited many. But of course it all depends on what you’re looking for. Pine Lake is for families and couples looking for comfort and a mix of quiet and activities. There’s enough to do for people of all ages to be entertained, mostly on the weekends, and also areas where you can peacefully enjoy the outdoors, like over by the lake. There’s even a short walking trail around the lake. And kayaking available.

For me, I absolutely love that’s it’s in Sturbridge because there’s so much to do in the area, especially for adults that like nature. Right across the street (seriously you can walk over) is an entrance to part of the grand trunk trail (bike path). It’s pretty long so you can bike for at least an hour.

I also appreciate that this campground is only a few years old, so everything is new and well maintained. You won’t see better bath suites anywhere around. And they are CLEAN. This is super important to me and they deliver. You can take a hot shower, in a private suite, and they are scattered all over the park. Never once have I waited for a bathroom to be available.

Let’s talk about the awesome pool… it’s heated! With plenty of seating (usually) and always kept clean. Now of course it gets crowded during peek season. July/Aug. Good for them. It’s a business after all and it’s good to have the place busy. Don’t like so many kids at the pool, come visit in Sept! They also have an activity center with tables and games in the back, not to mention all the things to do at the main lawn.

Lastly, by New England standards, the sites are roomy and there is a large variety of them. There’s no tent camping but otherwise there’s a site for everyone’s needs. All sites have water, sewer and electric. (I’m pretty sure).

They also offer monthly long-term camping which is more expensive than traditional seasonal sites if you’re looking for that, but it also helps open up sites for those who don’t want a heavily seasonal campground. Oh yeah… they do Halloween all October and I start early! 😍

There’s one con for me at Pine Lake and it’s the lack of reliable WiFi. You won’t be able to use streaming devices or do any work that requires WiFi or even a hotspot because phone service is also very sparse here. Personally this is a mixed blessing because it forces the whole family off their devices. On the other hand, I’d like to work from here and I’m limited to what I can do. That said, if you drive 10 minutes into town and find a cafe of which there are many, you can get all the...