Outdoor Resorts Indio, Ca Review

[RickO]

We just completed spending nearly four months at the Outdoor Resort in Indio, California and I thought I'd share my impressions.

First of all, Outdoor Resorts are NOT FOR EVERYONE. These are not campgrounds. They are RV Resorts. They are not cheap and they only accept large class A rigs. The lots are individually owned and most have been developed/improved by the owners. Once all lots are sold, the resort turns over management responsibility to the owners association which in turn, usually contracts with ODR to manage the facility.

There are two Outdoor Resorts in Indio (directly across the street from each other) and it causes a bit of confusion. The original facility is called Outdoor Resorts Indio Motorcoach Resort and the newer facility is the Motorcoach Country Club. We spent one week at the "Country Club" and the rest of the time at the original resort across the street.

First, a few words about the country club. It is literally like a Disneyland for affluent adults. It is built around over a mile of winding water ways and a 9 hole golf course... although they actually have two sets of tees and call it 18 holes. There is a five star private resturant as well as an impressive fitness center and even a Yacht Club, since many of the owners have electric party boats which can be seen on parade each evening around cocktail time. All interior lots have their own boat docks. Security is 24/7 and seemed very good. Not all lots have been purchased yet so there are still some unimproved lots available. Prices (hold on to your hats) start at nearly $200K for an unimproved site... typical cost is closer to $400K for a lot with exterior kitchen and entertainment center (and mabey even one of the 9X13 casitas),and, last year, a single lot sold for just over $1M!!!! I told you to hold on to your hats. MOst of the higher end sites have added swimming pools and/or in ground spas. There is no activities director. The neighbors all seemed quite nice. Our 6 night stay only cost us about $80 since they are offering a 5 night free stay while they are still trying to sell the final phase of new development. Typical rental rates from the office are about $80/night and about $2200/monthly.

After a week, we moved across the street where we had arranged to rent a site directly from the owner. Our site had a built in kitchen with sink, fridge, disposal and nice exterior lighting. It was fully paved and the 17th tee of the private executive golf course was only about five steps from the rear of our site.

We loved the facilities and the people and staff. There's a great tennis facility, fitness center, 18 hole executive golf course, croquet courts, and an activities director who is constantly putting together fun things for everyone to participate in.

I would estimate that the resort was populated with about 80% owners and 20% renters. Renters can either rent from the office or directly from the site owner if you can find how to get in touch with them. We found several ads in the FMCA classifides.

After spending just over two months there, we decided to extend our stay another month and rented directly from the on site rental office. Even on short notice, we were able to rent a site for the month of January. The cost for the site we rented from the owner was $1400/mo while the rental office charged $1700/mo including utilities. The second site was actually much nicer than the first because the improvements were newer and much more extensive... including furniture, umbrellas, outdoor heater, full cooktop and oven, and even a dishwasher! It's important to check when renting from either the rental office or directly from owner, on use of the improvements. Some have them covered and rental rates only include the site and hook ups. It's a case by case basis but I'd strongly suggest finding a site which includes the use of improvements. Sites at the original resort sell for between about $120K to nearly $400K with the median being much closer to about $275K. Unlike the new country club, there are no casitas swimming pools or spas allowed.

The DW and I really (really) enjoyed our time at both resorts and plan to return. I wouldn't say that we seriously considered purchasing a site, but we did do a sanity evaluation on the numbers and we just couldn't see how they would work when compared to renting. One would be paying a high price for the privlige of being able to develop your own personal site to personal taste.

I'll wrap up with some random thoughts in no particular order:

* The sites at both resorts are concrete and very large
* Privacy varies by site although the country club interior lots were not very private. Sites seemed more private at the original resort.
* Golf, fitness center and use of nearly all facilities are included with the rental fee.
* It seemed that many of the owners were from Southern California. They left their coach (and many toys) at the site and used it as a weekend and vacation home.
* Many Canadians are owners. I'm sure the weakness of the dollar has made for quite a shopping spree.
* The country club has a country club feel. If that's not your thing, you probably won't like it. There are clearly many examples of conspicuous consumption and a sense that there is a compitetion to see who can develop the most remarkable site. Kind of fun to look at but... This is much less obvious at the original resort.
* Needless to say, the grounds and staff at both resorts were outstanding. Everything was just beautiful.
* Two mobile coach washing outfits service the resorts. They will come to your coach and wash it for a reasonable price. I paid $65 for them to wash my 40 footer. At your site propane is also available but at $4/gal.
* There is a LOT of money at these resorts. We estimated that the country club had over 80% high end coaches and the original resort was closer to 60%. By high end, I'm talking about coaches typically costing >$500K including Country Coach, Beaver, Travel Supreme, Newel, and Prevost conversions. Many of the "toads" were Hummers and there were many Mercedes and Porches as well.

The bottom line is that these resorts (as well as the other Outdoor Resorts) offer an experience that is far different than what's provided by the typical RV park. It's expensive to rent there but we found it to be a fair price for what we wanted. We learned quite a bit about these facilities while staying there this winter so feel free to ask if you'd like any questions addressed.

[RickO]

We just completed spending nearly four months at the Outdoor Resort in Indio, California and I thought I'd share my impressions.

First of all, Outdoor Resorts are NOT FOR EVERYONE. These are not campgrounds. They are RV Resorts. They are not cheap and they only accept large class A rigs. The lots are individually owned and most have been developed/improved by the owners. Once all lots are sold, the resort turns over management responsibility to the owners association which in turn, usually contracts with ODR to manage the facility.

There are two Outdoor Resorts in Indio (directly across the street from each other) and it causes a bit of confusion. The original facility is called Outdoor Resorts Indio Motorcoach Resort and the newer facility is the Motorcoach Country Club. We spent one week at the "Country Club" and the rest of the time at the original resort across the street.

First, a few words about the country club. It is literally like a Disneyland for affluent adults. It is built around over a mile of winding water ways and a 9 hole golf course... although they actually have two sets of tees and call it 18 holes. There is a five star private resturant as well as an impressive fitness center and even a Yacht Club, since many of the owners have electric party boats which can be seen on parade each evening around cocktail time. All interior lots have their own boat docks. Security is 24/7 and seemed very good. Not all lots have been purchased yet so there are still some unimproved lots available. Prices (hold on to your hats) start at nearly $200K for an unimproved site... typical cost is closer to $400K for a lot with exterior kitchen and entertainment center (and mabey even one of the 9X13 casitas),and, last year, a single lot sold for just over $1M!!!! I told you to hold on to your hats. MOst of the higher end sites have added swimming pools and/or in ground spas. There is no activities director. The neighbors all seemed quite nice. Our 6 night stay only cost us about $80 since they are offering a 5 night free stay while they are still trying to sell the final phase of new development. Typical rental rates from the office are about $80/night and about $2200/monthly.

After a week, we moved across the street where we had arranged to rent a site directly from the owner. Our site had a built in kitchen with sink, fridge, disposal and nice exterior lighting. It was fully paved and the 17th tee of the private executive golf course was only about five steps from the rear of our site.

We loved the facilities and the people and staff. There's a great tennis facility, fitness center, 18 hole executive golf course, croquet courts, and an activities director who is constantly putting together fun things for everyone to participate in.

I would estimate that the resort was populated with about 80% owners and 20% renters. Renters can either rent from the office or directly from the site owner if you can find how to get in touch with them. We found several ads in the FMCA classifides.

After spending just over two months there, we decided to extend our stay another month and rented directly from the on site rental office. Even on short notice, we were able to rent a site for the month of January. The cost for the site we rented from the owner was $1400/mo while the rental office charged $1700/mo including utilities. The second site was actually much nicer than the first because the improvements were newer and much more extensive... including furniture, umbrellas, outdoor heater, full cooktop and oven, and even a dishwasher! It's important to check when renting from either the rental office or directly from owner, on use of the improvements. Some have them covered and rental rates only include the site and hook ups. It's a case by case basis but I'd strongly suggest finding a site which includes the use of improvements. Sites at the original resort sell for between about $120K to nearly $400K with the median being much closer to about $275K. Unlike the new country club, there are no casitas swimming pools or spas allowed.

The DW and I really (really) enjoyed our time at both resorts and plan to return. I wouldn't say that we seriously considered purchasing a site, but we did do a sanity evaluation on the numbers and we just couldn't see how they would work when compared to renting. One would be paying a high price for the privlige of being able to develop your own personal site to personal taste.

I'll wrap up with some random thoughts in no particular order:

* The sites at both resorts are concrete and very large
* Privacy varies by site although the country club interior lots were not very private. Sites seemed more private at the original resort.
* Golf, fitness center and use of nearly all facilities are included with the rental fee.
* It seemed that many of the owners were from Southern California. They left their coach (and many toys) at the site and used it as a weekend and vacation home.
* Many Canadians are owners. I'm sure the weakness of the dollar has made for quite a shopping spree.
* The country club has a country club feel. If that's not your thing, you probably won't like it. There are clearly many examples of conspicuous consumption and a sense that there is a compitetion to see who can develop the most remarkable site. Kind of fun to look at but... This is much less obvious at the original resort.
* Needless to say, the grounds and staff at both resorts were outstanding. Everything was just beautiful.
* Two mobile coach washing outfits service the resorts. They will come to your coach and wash it for a reasonable price. I paid $65 for them to wash my 40 footer. At your site propane is also available but at $4/gal.
* There is a LOT of money at these resorts. We estimated that the country club had over 80% high end coaches and the original resort was closer to 60%. By high end, I'm talking about coaches typically costing >$500K including Country Coach, Beaver, Travel Supreme, Newel, and Prevost conversions. Many of the "toads" were Hummers and there were many Mercedes and Porches as well.

The bottom line is that these resorts (as well as the other Outdoor Resorts) offer an experience that is far different than what's provided by the typical RV park. It's expensive to rent there but we found it to be a fair price for what we wanted. We learned quite a bit about these facilities while staying there this winter so feel free to ask if you'd like any questions addressed.

[diesellabs]

Thanks for your well-written and informative subjective/objective evaluation...I've often wondered about Outdoor Resorts since they so heavily advertise in FMCA et al.

[BZam]

Rick, thanks for a very good review, especially explaining the differences between the two.

I have stayed at both also, but for short term.

At the older OR Motorcoach Resort we were there when it first opened only with a couple of sections in our old Fleetwood. I took a photo of it along with all the Prevost and Country Coaches and sent it to my kids and said next time I come back I am going to get a license plate frame that says 'Don't Laugh, Its Paid For!'.

They still have the 5 day free stay certificate up on their site for Motorcoach CC at
http://www.or-indio-vegas.com/ good at Las Vegas or Indio.