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Old 02-27-2016, 07:54 AM   #29
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$105 a night is certainly high. However, what were any other campgrounds in the area charging?. And, what were the rates in the hotels?. You may have just been caught in a local "What the market will bear" situation. We found this last year on the East coast where everything near popular tourist areas was around $60 including the KOA where we stayed.

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We have owned our coach for less than 1 year now. We live on the beautiful Monterey Bay (close to Silicon Valley and south of San Francisco). There is a wonderful KOA about 15 minutes to the south of us so we took 2 of the grandkids there for one night in July 2015. This was AFTER July 4 weekend though the California coast is always in demand.

Cost for one night ( 2 adults, 2 children, 2 dogs) for our 36' coach = $105!! I just sucked it up and paid it because we only had a short time for the kids to be with us.

Later, in Sept. and Oct. 2015 we did a 2-week road trip covering 2900 miles and stayed in a couple of KOAs - one in Idaho and one in Oregon. Far more reasonably priced. I think one was $35 and one was $32 per night.

I can handle prices in the mid-$30 range but they're not going to see us or our rig again in our local KOA campground.
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Old 02-27-2016, 08:09 AM   #30
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Just a few additional thoughts on KOA (IMHO based on the dozen or so I have been to on the east coast).
1) they are a better option when travelling with kids, without kids you are paying more for things you may not want/need
2) they tend to not have a lot of seasonal or work campers
3) they are one of the few campgrounds with WIFI that seem to be making efforts to upgrade to a proper WIFI setup using directional antennas to connect up the rest of the campground to the office vs how many others just repeat the signal until it sucks in the back 40. They seem to also be making better efforts to control internet hogs, so they are just kinda crappy speeds instead of really crappy.
4) if you plan on using them more than 3-4 nights a year it is worth getting their card to get 10% off
5) some "destination" KOA have minimum stay limits on weekends, particularly long weekends. Other than that I have not seen any other of the typical RV prejudice like RV age restrictions etc.
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Old 02-27-2016, 12:00 PM   #31
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X2.

I understand there are KOA haters. These people are welcome to their opinions, and I'm not trying to change anyone's mind. We usually stay at KOA's unless there is a specific reason not to. Like a convenient Harvest Host location or a Passport America RV site. The KOA Value Card savings are welcome, and can really add up.

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Just a few additional thoughts on KOA (IMHO based on the dozen or so I have been to on the east coast).
1) they are a better option when travelling with kids, without kids you are paying more for things you may not want/need
2) they tend to not have a lot of seasonal or work campers
3) they are one of the few campgrounds with WIFI that seem to be making efforts to upgrade to a proper WIFI setup using directional antennas to connect up the rest of the campground to the office vs how many others just repeat the signal until it sucks in the back 40. They seem to also be making better efforts to control internet hogs, so they are just kinda crappy speeds instead of really crappy.
4) if you plan on using them more than 3-4 nights a year it is worth getting their card to get 10% off
5) some "destination" KOA have minimum stay limits on weekends, particularly long weekends. Other than that I have not seen any other of the typical RV prejudice like RV age restrictions etc.
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Old 03-01-2016, 03:27 PM   #32
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Not all things show up on the bill or their advertisements. We recently stayed in the Enfield, NC KOA. I had a mechanical issue with my hot water heater. The owner left the grill where he was cooking his wife's birthday dinner and spent about 45 minutes helping me. The problem was temp fixed to be usable for the night, including a cut finger for the owner.

That's service above and beyond.
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Old 03-01-2016, 03:36 PM   #33
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One man's junk is another's treasure. I'm a train nut. Where are the one's within spitting distance of a railroad? I also assume the sites closest to the tracks would be premier sites and cost extra.
.....
You MUST stay at Thousand Trails' Soledad Canyon Resort in Acton, CA!

You will greatly appreciate the freight trains at 2:00 a.m., 3:00a.m., etc...

It's not a KOA, but not everyplace can be one.
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Old 03-01-2016, 03:53 PM   #34
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I am sure eventually I will find a bad KOA but that has not been the case so far. We have used them many times over the past two years and every time our experience was excellent. We got the KOA card and save the 10%.

At most KOA's we have stayed I noticed improvements being made to either the grounds or facilities. Most recently we stayed at the KOA in Baton Rouge, LA and noticed they have replaced all of their pull thru concrete pads and patio's. They also repaved with blacktop all roads at the entire site.

Look for KOA's who have received the "Presidents Award".
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Old 03-05-2016, 05:49 PM   #35
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Come on down!

https://www.facebook.com/AshevilleEastKOA/

Very busy freight line with a grade crossing directly across the highway. Very pretty facility, but air horns every 20 minutes all night long is a bit much for even this railfan.
...
Reminds me of the time some years back when we stopped at the Asheville West KOA. Got off at exit 37 on I-40 and was initially happy that I had to drive about a mile to get to the campground, thinking, ahhh, no traffic noise tonight. Didn't realize the road had curved around and the KOA sat on a hill directly above I-40. Also didn't notice the noise at the CG office at the rear of the park but there was a constant roar of truck traffic all night where the sites were located.
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Old 03-05-2016, 06:52 PM   #36
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Amusing that people with a high priced MH want the campgrounds to only charge $25.
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Old 03-05-2016, 06:55 PM   #37
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While I find KOA most times cost a few dollars more than other campgrounds in the same area I find them consistent in what they offer. Like anything else some are better than others and some need improvement. I like the ease of their reservation system. Most are in areas that are convenient to the sights I am visiting. As I pick campgrounds by location and reviews and I have other discount membership I don't end up staying at a lot of KOA's. The only dealing with cancellations was last August when my large slide failed and by the time it was disconnected and stowed in the coach it was 5PM so I called and advised the Manchester TN KOA that I wasn't coming that night due to a break down and they only charged a $10 cancellation fee refunding the rest. Anywhere else I think I would be paying for the day. Thinking back at the 20 or so times I used different KOA's alot were near trains tracks. However thinking about most campgrounds I stayed at a lot near train tracks also and a few near airports. I take it as part of the ambiance of the area I picked to stay at.
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Old 03-05-2016, 09:56 PM   #38
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My daughter and I took a trip to Yellowstone last year and stayed at three KOAs. The most we paid was $75/night. The other two averaged $42/night. Each were well-maintained and I wouldn't hesitate staying at each again.

As others have said, they are pretty much consistent, so you have a good idea on what to expect.

I've found most campgrounds/RV parks average around $40/night, so I don't really see KOA's pricing out of line.
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Old 03-05-2016, 10:10 PM   #39
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Amusing that people with a high priced MH want the campgrounds to only charge $25.
Maybe it's because we watch what we spend in other area's that we can afford high priced rigs?
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Old 03-07-2016, 07:10 AM   #40
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Prior to the great San Fransisco earth quake Nob Hill was known as Hamburger hill
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Old 03-07-2016, 07:43 AM   #41
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Before I retired, I use to travel often for work. I made it a point to stay at Hilton properties. From Embassy Suites to Hampton Inns.

I always knew what to expect - regardless of what city I was in and for that matter, what country. Some were far better than others - but the basic product was still there.

I look at KOAs kinda like Hilton. When you make a reservation, you kinda know and expect what you are going to experience. As in Hilton, KOA has different levels of properties, Holiday, Journey, and regular KOAs, each having a different purpose. As with Hilton - some are better than others........

Just my thoughts............and - since this is America - stay where you want......

Safe travels....

g
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Old 07-04-2017, 07:58 AM   #42
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KOA is normally has a lot of kid's playing around. Not for us!
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