Holbrook/Petrified Forest KOA
102 Hermosa Drive, Holbrook AZ
The second KOA stop in Holbrook was in an identical cabin to the first. However, this one seemed to be a lot better cared for. The wood inside had been freshly lacquered, the windows were new, and supplied appliances were bigger and in better condition. The campground itself was also in better shape. There was some gravel on the roads, and the grassy areas were green and freshly cut. They had a nice grassy dog yard with shade and seating, and Heidi liked a lot. One surprising thing though was that I saw no handicapped restroom facilities. All had narrow doors and stalls.
The price was about the same, $53 a night for a cabin with no water or restroom facilities. There was WiFi offered, but it seemed to throw us off regularly for no reason. I did use our Verizon air card, but it too could be slow due to distance from any cell tower. We checked out the RV sites, and they were gravel and dirt as well. Some of the comments from past RV'ers were that the RV sites were pretty close together. They were close, but RV's were able to extend their patio awning for shade. And with near 100 degree days, that would be beneficial. One really surprising find was that we ate out the second night at a highly recommended Italian restaurant down the street from the park. It was named the Mesa Italian Restaurant, and was connected to a Mesa Grill next door. Much to our surprise the food was great! The service was a little slow, but it turned out to be worth waiting for. Dinner, drinks, appetizer, and desert was under $100 including tax and tip.
Albuquerque KOA
12400 Skyline RD NE
Albuquerque, NM
The third KOA campsite (see a pattern here?) was in Albuquerque, NM. This was a "deluxe" cabin with a price to match, $150 a night. But after the last two cabins, an upgrade was needed. This cabin had a kitchen/living area when you walked in, a main bedroom to the right, and smaller bedroom with bunkbeds in it to the left. The beds were made with linens, and the kitchen had dishes. It made it way easier for Diane to cook meals for us. Diane is preparing most of the meals on this trip, as her cooking is way better than most places available to eat. This was more like a mini condo, and most everything looked new and fresh. The only real complaint was that the bed was WAY too soft for our liking, and we both got up with sore backs the next morning. Diane also did laundry here, a experience she has not had in awhile as our last several rigs have had self contained W/D. The WiFi offered here was better as well, as there are several access points to choose from. Time of day does play a part in how fast it is though. When I did use our Verizon air card, the speeds were really fast. All the roads here were paved, as were the RV pads. the rest of the sites were usually gravel, unless you opted for a deluxe patio site. There did appear to be Handicapped accessible restrooms, as there were signs posted outside of the entrances.
One downside, the park is not in the best area. When we checked in the woman told us that the gates close at 7 PM, and a guard is posted all night long. When I went out for gas to a nearby gas station, I found out why. The locals are on the "shady" side, and the prostitute that approached me while pumping gas was a dead give away. The park is still nice though, and you made need to drive a few miles to get to a nicer part of town to shop or dine.