Community Forums

jimcumminsw · 04-17-2015, 07:22 AM

Hi, My DW and I am planning a winter trip to the Golf Shores in the winter of 2016 around February to March. We are looking at some camp grounds their and was wondering about reviews on them. We have already used RV Park Reviews and trip advisor but looking for recommendations here too.

Lake Osprey RV Country Club in Elberta AL.; Sugar Sands RV resort in Golf Shores AL.; Anchors Aweigh RV and or Bella Terra in Foley AL.

What we would like to know how would you rate the campgrounds from 1-10 with 10 being the highest for area attractions, campground cleanness, shopping for the DW and restaurants along with distance to the Golf Shores beaches.

Thanks in advance.

Jim W.

biosensai · 04-17-2015, 05:02 PM

Well we might just be there at the same time . . .
Our first time there was 2 years ago. Planned to stay a week, wound up for 6. Stayed at Lake Osprey first. Excellent facility but not much around it, but it was a great access point to Pensacola, etc. When we were there, only Class A's got the lakefront sites. 5'ers still had great sites though. Next went to Magnolia RV park in, I think, Magnolia Springs. Once again, not much around it but lots of cool places were an easy drive away. (We were.trying to avoid Easter Break party types at those facilities.). Anchors Away was next. Great facility in Foley. The most popular RV park in the area is Gulf Shores State Park. We got in as the snowbird exodus started. (At that time they only had 9 of their 400 sites still available for the following winter!) Our lakefront site was spectacular, but there was just too much activity for me. Not bad, noisy stuff. Just a lot of activity. In the fututure I'd get one of the 'less desirable' sites on some of the back loops. We didn't stay at Bella Terra, but it was one the list for next time.

All that to say this. Everywhere we stayed was great. There's so much to do in the Gulf Shore area, so many good restaurants. Beng a California dude, I had no idea!

twogypsies · 04-17-2015, 05:48 PM

You might also look into Gulf State Park. They allow long-term renters in the winter months. It's full of snowbirds. It has big spaces, nice walking/biking in the huge park and easy access to town via a bike or to the beach. It has tennis courts, a pool and some planned activities....also, very nice folks stay there.

Roger G · 04-17-2015, 08:00 PM

Lake Ospry is kinda off the beaten path but it is beside a golf course I'd call it a 6. Bella terra is closer to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and I would call it an 8 but I think it's class A only, not sure though.. Sugar Sands is just across the toll bridge from OB and a short drive to GS, it's new and has a great clubhouse. It's not as nice as the other two as far as landscaping and such but the location is better so I would call it a 7. I'm not familiar with the other one so no opinion.

Ramets · 04-18-2015, 05:53 AM

We were at Bella Terra this past Nov. for a month, but man it was starting to get too cold for us. So we left and went into Florida near Lake Wales for the remainder of the winter. We really like the Foley/Gulf Shores area. I think Bella Terra is class A only. I think Gulf Shores State Park, where we stayed in 2013 for two weeks is one of the nicest State parks we've ever stayed in.

Roger G · 04-18-2015, 09:37 AM

Lake Ospry if the farthest from the beach, 12-15 miles. Bella Terra is next at about 8 miles but is closest to Foley where most of the shopping is located. It's probably 3-4 miles from the big mall in Foley. Sugar Sands is only 1/4 mile from the inter coastal waterway and 1.5 miles from the beach as the crow flies but 4-5 miles driving. Gulf State park sits between the inter coastal waterway and the beach and separates Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. You have to go around it to get to the ocean. The best food is in Orange Beach along Canal Rd. The restaurants in Gulf Shores are more tourist oriented as well as the restaurants along Beach Blvd. we love the area but it's not far enough south to stay warm year round, you will see a few nights that drop below freezing.

Steve Ownby · 04-18-2015, 10:32 AM

Be sure to go to Lambert's Cafe in Foley at least once.

Steve Ownby
Full time since '07

jimcumminsw · 04-18-2015, 02:16 PM

Will we made reservations at Lake Ospery RV park today. We tried some of the other that were mention and these were already booked full for Feb 2016. They said we could be placed on a waiting list; DW said no. Could not book into Bella Terra since this is a class A park only and a Cedar Creek 34Rl dose not classify as a class A.

Thanks again.

Jim W.

biosensai · 04-18-2015, 03:19 PM

Sure hope you have as great of a time there as we did. As previously stated, we came in around Easter making reservations no more than a day or 2 in advance. With the exception of Gulf Shores SP, we had no problem by then. Lambert's is definitely to be experienced. Lulu's (I think), Jimmy Buffet's sister's place is a purely delightful tourist trap. Between TripAdvisor, Yelp and the other RV'ers we had a blast enjoying the locale cuisine. (Matter of fact, 2 years ago today we took the ferry to Daphne Island. Awesome.) And driving among some of water front places in Magnolia Springs, I felt like I was in the Pirates of the Caribbean Disneyland ride.