Do you avoid KOA??

[Tom]

One of our local campgrounds, a place we've stayed in on a number of occasions, was purchased by KOA. After checking it out, I advised a friend to stay away.

Last weekend I heard that KOA also purchased the adjacent marina. Since they can't operate the campground, this might be one marina I'll avoid.

 

[caltex]

Tom, which marina was that?

 

[Tom]

Robert,

It was Tower Park. I couldn't believe what I was hearing when it was announced at the SRBCNC meeting on Saturday that KOA had purchased the marina. I let out a big groan 

 

[fredethomas]

Grumpy,

" I did get a letter back saying they would contact this park, and got a gift of two free nights at any KOA." 


You were lucky.  I wrote and complained about a bad KOA to Corp. and got a letter back apologizing for our unhappy experience and a $5.00 cert. for our next KOA stay.  I sent it back and said the $5.00 hardly paid for the aggrevation that was caused and that with that pittance it was obvious that KOA needed the money more than we did, and that we would not go out of my way to stay at another.

Daisy

 

[Ron]

I think we would have done the same Daisy.

 

[Don Jensen]

During our trip to Alaska last year we found KOA's to be consistently beyond our expectations and after several less than happy stays at "non KOA's" we purposely looked for a KOA.  We were disappointed to learn there are none in Alaska.

Don

 

[dneighbo]

Generally speaking KOA's are very kid friendly.  They often have arcades, pools, mini-golf and other things that rowdy kids like.  In general, I think it depends on what kind of experience you are looking for in a camp ground.

If you have kids that want to run around with other kids, play on a nice playground and have nice things to do (usually at no additional cost).  KOA generally isn't all that bad.  Add to that often times their price includes additional campers.  So $30 at generic campground plus $6/person x 3 kids is $48.  KOA across the street is $45 (4 people included) 5th person is additional $4.  Now we are comparing $48 to $49, but the extra $1 actually gets me something.

It's all perspective.  I was warned do NOT go to West Yellowstone KOA.  It was only place I could get into on 4th of July and it was WONDERFUL!  Kids had a blast.  It was a completely ZOO (as many here would put it), but it was a grand party for our kids.  Parade and ice cream included. 

The key is know what works for you.

 

[vlady daddy]

After reading some of the response, looks like KOA has done a 180 turn......now its AOK. Sorry, I just had to say that ! ;D

 

[John From Detroit]

I agree that KOA's tend to be somewhat consistant in the services they provide, they tend to be clean and have a decent camp store, and they try to offer the same range of service,  This can make one "comfortable" because the KOA down the road is a lot like the KOA across the country.  In Science fiction there is a club for planet hopping "instant transmat travelers" where the club has only one blueprint, Each and every clubhouse is identical in every detail, even the air conditioning is set to exactly the same temp and they set it up so the elevator music is the same. 

KOA's are not quite that far along, each is unique, but in the ways that count they are much the same.

This is nice

Though sometimes you pay for Wi-Fi, and sometimes you don't  Sometimes you pay for ____ And sometimes you don't.

And some it's easier to get around in (IE: KOA Las Vegas has few trees) Some you need a lot of skill.

But you can count on a pool, a camp store, decent showers, and the like

And a price that tends to be on the high side of average, not always the highest but almost always above average for the area you are int.

There is one KOA in Utah though that is just plain Ducky  Photo on request.

 

[Tom]

dneighbo,

Glad you enjoyed West Yellowstone KOA and really glad your kids didn't get hurt, or worse, killed. That place in an accident waiting to happen. Motorcycles riding up and down the walk paths and hordes of unsupervised kids at the entrance to the park, where some drivers don't slow down. I'd never take any of our grandkids there. Our kids are in their late 30's (oldest is 40), so they can decide and fend for themselves. I hope the park has good liability insurance, but it won't help someone who's child is injured, maimed or killed.

That park is overpriced (we paid more than $49 for two people, IIRC it was $55, no kids or pets) and the owner/manager (an arrogant English guy) basically said "kiss my U-know-what" when I questioned the price.

As for WiFi, that park was charging $8 a day and most folks couldn't get online unless they sat in front of the office with their laptop. I saw and talked to a number of unhappy campers and I wasn't exactly happy myself.

I sure as heck would not recommend anyone going there with kids.

Most other KOAs, I'd agree with your comments, just not that one. Some KOAs we've stayed at have been very good and we stayed at an exceptional one near Dallas (reported in another topic - click here to view.) I even emailed KOA letting them know how impressed I was with that park and the owner/operators. I'd stay there again any time.

 

[Tom]

After reading some of the response, looks like KOA has done a 180 turn....

Not so fast Vladimir. I haven't experienced or read anything that would suggest a turnaround. In fact, I checked out a local KOA that we used to frequent before they were KOA and suggested a friend stay away. The folks were unfriendly and really didn't want to help anyone. The staff preferred to run around in their yellow golf carts, avoiding potential customers.

I suspect that the difference in KOA parks is the ones that are owned/franchised vs the ones that are managed.

 

[ArdraF]

And the good news about ALL campgrounds with managers is that managers can and do move on, so one lousy manager may not be there very long and the next one might be great.  Of course, the lousy one may move on and ruin what was a perfectly nice campground.  :  The thing we all need to keep in mind is that the world is ever-changing and nothing is static.

ArdraF

 

[Daisy]

Well, on this trip the only two KOAs we stayed at would not be high on my list for recommendations, nor any list of recommendations.  Small sites, first was very unleval, overpriced at that, advertised "Free" WIFI which we could not connect to as the antenna did not seem to be directed towards the back of the campground where we were, but to the front of the campground where the small rigs were.  That was one.  The other was very tight spots, with no side by side sites with the Johnsons, though we had made reservations the week before, and were told we could have side by side sites.  Johnson's had barking dogs on one side, and kids falling out of trailers on the other.  Permanents took up most of the sites, of which a few had trash all over the place.  Fred and I were fairly lucky as we had a corner site, with a little more space on the one side.  The small Class C next to us seemed to be a single guy, road construction worker, and was very quiet, was seldom there, and didn't leave his trash around.  We were far from impressed with either of the KOAs. 

Our hope is that we don't run into any more KOAs that will be a necessity to use.  :

Daisy

 

[Jeff]

If you think KOA's are OK try the Seattle KOA just south of SEATAC. Crowed, noisy, and expensive!

 

[Ron]

If you think KOA's are OK try the Seattle KOA just south of SEATAC. Crowed, noisy, and expensive!

Also suseptable to lvery low voltage the last time we were there, like 95 volts.

 

[Mike Goad]

We are staying at a KOA that is just a few blocks from our daughter's home.  It's an older KOA and it shows.  That being said, the new owners are very busy working on upgrading.  They poured new sidewalks on the bathroom side and are remodeling the inside of the store.  They have been very friendly and helpful.  When I carried a propane bottle over to get it filled, Jeff Irwin, who, with his wife, owns it, told me that that was his job.  I assumed that he was kidding, but when I paid his wife, the price was reasonable and Jeff took the bottle (and me) back to the camper on his golf cart.  We'll be staying here again because our daughter, son-in-law and grand kids are so close, but I wouldn't hesitate to stop if we were just passing through.  It's located in De Forest, Wisconsin, near Madison.