RV park "STANDARDS"

I kind of like the nutty reviews, just like I don't trust any Amazon product with only 5-star reviews.

pbeverly wrote:
I like the the type of reviews that people go to places like the beach and complain about all the sand.

Lot of people gives bad reviews for stuff that a compground has zero control over. Too much sand, too hot, too cold, too many bugs blah blah blah.

I think some of these things are worth mentioning as an FYI, but I wouldn't ding a campground for things far beyond their control.

That was the exact type of review at one of our favorite COE parks in Va., someone actually complained about all the leaves in a fully forested CG. How dare they put leaves in a forest. :S

I like the the type of reviews that people go to places like the beach and complain about all the sand.

Lot of people gives bad reviews for stuff that a compground has zero control over. Too much sand, too hot, too cold, too many bugs blah blah blah.

I think some of these things are worth mentioning as an FYI, but I wouldn't ding a campground for things far beyond their control.

Reviews are what they are. Some people complain no matter what. Heck if a bank was giving away money someone would complain the bank didn’t have a unicorn for their kids to ride while they were filling their pockets. Dealing with the public is exhausting. It’s why we sold our parks and now blissfully avoid most humans.

pbeverly wrote:
I agree that reviews are a tricky thing. I found Google reviews the most questionable. IMO opionion if you want decent reviews for campgroiunds you need to go to a site that is dedicated to camping. I have read Google reviews that make me lean one way and then gone to a real camping related website and the lean was totally different.

Totally agree. There's paid bloggers out there that praise or trash any establishment, whether a campground, donut shop, or whatever. Proceed with caution there.

Campendium & The Dyrt are sites I find trustworthy for campground reviews. Not always spot on, but reliable.

I agree that reviews are a tricky thing. I found Google reviews the most questionable. IMO opionion if you want decent reviews for campgroiunds you need to go to a site that is dedicated to camping. I have read Google reviews that make me lean one way and then gone to a real camping related website and the lean was totally different.

Reviews aren't all that trustworthy either. I've been in many parks that I would not have recognized by some of the reviews. I guess it really depends on your requirements and expectations. My requirements are low.

I don't do "destination" parks or 55+ parks. I just want a fairly level spot with decent W/E/S hookups. I don't care about landscaping (except that the tree limbs are cleared from creating damage), not interested in swimming pools, hot tubs or spas. I have zero interest in clubhouses, potlucks (NO!) and other get togethers. A clean fenced spot for the dog to be off leash for a few minutes would be nice, but not a requirement as I can look for a nearby dog park online. I can walk the dog on the interior park roads so I don't need a "pet walk". I have my own bathroom and laundry facilities which I prefer to use.

I'm also not really interested in a one night stay in a cg/rvp unless I need to dump or need an electric connection. I tend to set my campers up for traveling and overnight in parking lots for several nights in a row before I need to dump waste tanks/refill fresh tank. So much more convenient to pull into a parking lot, walk to a nearby restaurant for supper, and possibly breakfast the next morning, before heading down the highway. And I try to refuel close by before stopping for the night.

The worst park I have ever been in (one month only, 11/2009, it was memorable) was an all age destination type park with very good reviews in Rockport, TX. They had the pool, spa, organized activities. Had a nice laundry (I didn't have a washer/dryer back then but that park is a great deal of the reason why I have my own now). Had several pool tables in the club house. Filled with the meanest, nastiest people I have ever run into outside of a 55+ Adult Golf Community (I grew up in FL and people in those places didn't like the sight of local kids). The guy across the street from us beat the **** out of his wife almost daily (horrible language). She would show up wanting to chat with big fresh bruises and never said a word about it other than she "tripped". Their place was far from the only "loud" place in the park. Lots of drunks there. We did not fit in at all. My husband and daughter went to shoot a bit of pool while I did laundry when we first got there. My daughter was 23yo at the time and looked like she was 14yo. A group of guys came in and informed my husband that he was playing on "their" table. There were at least 5 other tables that were empty. After they got nasty and threatening, my husband and daughter just left. The women in the laundry made nasty, snide remarks about the laundry detergent I used, my age (at 49yo I was "too young"), my daughter's apparent age (the park didn't allow kids - which was a lie since kids much younger than my daughter looked were living there and a school bus would stop to pick up and let kids off), my clothes (we all wore jeans - I had "too many" jeans). And I needed to wear more jewelry (what?). This was all in the first week we were there. We decided it wasn't a safe park despite the glowing reviews. We found a little place in Corpus Christi to stay for the rest of the winter. It didn't even have reviews. We liked it. People were nice. Of course it was filled with people like us, working class in older RVs. Neat, clean, quiet, no drunks stumbling around the park, lots of "permanent" older RVs and mobile homes. Public laundromat next door. Close to the beach. We could walk to the public library. Perfect for us.

That was when my husband and I really noticed that so many "RVers" were getting meaner.

bobsallyh wrote:
"RV Resort" is the most verbally abused word in the RV park industry. There are no standards, regulations, etc. As long as the sign painter can put it on signage, it's good to go!

what about "High Quality" or "Well Made"? :W

"RV Resort" is the most verbally abused word in the RV park industry. There are no standards, regulations, etc. As long as the sign painter can put it on signage, it's good to go!

ken56 wrote:
Part of the problem is people have champaign taste on a beer budget. Expectations do not meet reality. What is it that turns you off to a campground? What makes a campground unacceptable to you? Is it for a 2 week/2 month stay or an overnight stay? I've run the gamut of put your money in the slot in the door CG to the high end resort CG. All depends on what my needs are at the time. I have never been in any CG that I have felt unsafe in and wanted to leave. I've had the neighbors from that hot place that I had to tolerate until THEY left. I've had some of the most wonderful people as neighbors too and have had great times around the campfire with them and that reflects MOST of my experiences, the good ones. It would take a lot of negative issues to turn me off on any campground.

Well said.