RV Park Reviews Archives - Page 12 of 14

Thousand Trails Orlando RV Resort – Our Review And Experience

Thousand Trails Orlando RV Resort is located at 2110 Thousand Trails Blvd, Clermont, FL

Oh my what a wonderful RV park!!! We thoroughly enjoyed our time there as we stayed twice during our time in Florida this year.

And although this is a Thousand Trails Park, they also offer sites just by booking online.

For a regular site which includes electric water, and sewer, they start around $70 a night. However, if you want a 50 amp hookup, sometimes there is a $5 a night upcharge.

Of course, these charges do not apply if your site is reserved through the Thousand Trails system though.

Click here to view the Thousand Trails Orlando Park Map

Thousand Trails Orlando RV Resort Accessibility

First off, let’s just say that Thousand Trails Orlando RV Resort is an easy park to get to. Located right off Route 27 in Claremont, it is a straight shot up US 27 after getting off I-4 at the Davenport exit.

During that 15 to 20 minute drive, you will pass many stores that could be extremely
handy for handling any purchases you may need to make while camping there.

There are Publix grocery stores, Walmarts, eating establishments, and many others. In fact, there is a Publix located at the next light on Route 27, right after your turn into the campground.

The entrance and the ability to navigate through this park is good for smaller RVs and also the big boys. We saw plenty of both and it was accommodating to everyone who came in. And you can’t say this about all RV parks.

Secondly, if you are looking for a location that is a short drive to sightseeing, including Disneyworld, this is your place.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is located just a little over 12 miles from the RV park. So if you are a Disney fan, this is a super place to stay!

As far as other things in the area, there are way too many to mention. But let’s just say that it is the perfect place to visit the many things the Orlando area has to offer.

The RV Resort Features

But what is the Thousand Trails Orlando RV Resort really like? Super nice! It is very large. They just opened a brand new RV area in late November, and now there are well over 1,000 sites.

When we first arrived at the guard shack, we were greeted by a very friendly and helpful employee. They made sure that we had a little direction on how the park is laid out.

This is important because the park is BIG, really BIG!! But the staff is eager to help so that you can head in a direction that would be the most helpful for you.

And we have to say that the sites in this park are generally well laid out. Of course, there is definitely an older section of the park.

But they are working to upgrade the older sites with more gravel or even concrete pads. Even so, most of these sites are generally pretty level.

But let me tell you the new section of the park is really fantastic!!! It boasts asphalt roads, concrete driveway and pads, picnic tables and plenty of room between sites.

Campsites in the new section of the RV resort

And the newer section also has spots that back up to trees and even a couple of ponds.

In fact, we came in the day after they opened this section of the park. And we got a beautiful spot right on a pond!

We Enjoyed The Beauty Of This Park

We enjoyed the sun setting over the pond and sand hill cranes strutting through our site. And there was even gopher turtles with habitats that are protected by the park employees.

It was such a restful relaxing place to stay, and we loved it!!!

There is also a beautiful lake that you can walk down to that has a fishing pier. And there was a bench that we enjoyed daily at the end of that pier.

Sitting there, we were able to sit and drink up the beauty of Lake Hancock.

And certain times of the day are very special there too. In the evening, we enjoyed the soft lapping of the lake. And the hawks and owls begin calling to each other.

It transports you to the way Florida used to be many years ago, quiet and restful. It was truly a beauty we enjoyed almost everyday.

The Park Staff Is Very Helpful

As always in Florida though, the weather is constantly changing. And we found ourselves facing a hurricane that was coming up the west Florida coast.

In fact, its path was right where we needed to drive for our next destination. And we became very worried to make the drive through that kind of bad weather.

So we decided to check with the park management to see if we could extend our stay until this bad weather passed by. Happily, they were more than happy to work with us, and within minutes our stay was extended.

Their support was fast, efficient, and they were very understanding. You certainly can’t ask for more when you are dealing with a tense situation.

They solved our dilemma in no time. Thanks so much for all you did for us guys!!!

Thousand Trails RV Resort Amenities

But what about amenities in the park? While we were there, they had just finished upgrading the pool and the surrounding areas.

The clubhouse is big and has a well stocked camp store in it and a mail room that is like none we have ever seen. You can receive mail, UPS parcels, FedEx packages, and can drop off letters to be mailed as well.

It was really a well run operation. We were impressed because many RV parks and resorts don’t offer that kind of service. Even those in the Thousand Trails system.

The trash is located in only one area of the park. And a compactor is used to take care of the trash that a park this big generates daily.

It was a plus because noisy trash trucks were not running through the park in the early morning hours.

And sprinkled through the park are bath houses and a few laundry rooms that we used as well. We found them to be clean and neat.

However, we thought the laundry was a bit expensive at $3 a load for both wash and dry. If that is not for you, don’t worry, there are laundromats nearby that we understand are cheaper.

And there are other park amenities like mini-golf, bocce ball, shuffleboard, etc. And they are kept in good shape for your enjoyment if you wish.

Connectivity At The Resort

Being that the park is in a fairly urban area, cell phone coverage was certainly very good. Both T-Mobile and Sprint worked well, and our AT&T hotspot brought in a very strong signal.

There is wifi in this park, except in the D section. And they make sure you are aware of this before you head out to find your campsite.

Thousand Trails Orlando RV Resort – Our Conclusion

There is just so much good to say about this park. Frankly, we wish all Thousand Trails parks were run like this one.

We have to say that Thousand Trails Orlando RV Resort is maintained very well overall. And they also continue to upgrade and improve the park on a regular basis.

Their staff is friendly and accommodating. And they work hard to help take care of the wildlife in the park. That was truly unique, and we appreciated their efforts in this area.

Would we return to Thousand Trails Orlando???? In a heartbeat.

So the next time through the area we will definitely take some time to stay at this park again.

Our rating…4.8 stars!!! Thanks to Thousand Trails and the staff for an awesome stay both times we were there!

Azalea Acres RV Park – Our Camping Experience And Review

Azalea Acres RV Park is located at 27450 Glass Rd in Robertsdale AL

This delightful little park is located just 1 1/2 miles right off the I-10. You can find it between the 2 larger cities of Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL. This makes it about a 30 mile drive to each.

And just a short drive away are some of the best beaches located on the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately, we didn’t stay long enough to explore them (we stayed just one night). But it would be something we would definitely do if we came through the area again.

Azalea Acres RV Park Features

This clean little park has 66 sites that offer both 50 and 30 amp electric, water and sewer.

Visit the Azalea Acres RV Park website by clicking here

The sites are level for the most part and many offer pull through sites with concrete pads and of course, picnic tables.

There are some long term residents that live in the park. But there are also many sites for those who want to spend a much shorter period of time.

They offer weekly and monthly rates as well as daily rates. And it was very nice to take advantage of the Good Sam discount when we stayed there too.

Azalea Acres RV Park Management

The management was extremely nice and helpful. They let you know when you make the reservation that there are two ways to access their park when you come.

There is a route for rigs under 38 feet and a different way for bigger rigs.

That’s because there is an extremely sharp turn on one of the roads to get to their park. And they did not want anyone to have an issue trying to navigate it.

We definitely used the road that was for the larger rigs since our rig is 39 feet long. And, sure enough we had no issue at all getting to the park.

They also asked us to call as we were exiting the I-10, which we did. And they met us at
the entrance and escorted us to our site.

They did everything they could to acquaint us with the park, and were extremely hospitable.

Thanks so much guys!!!

Park Amenities And Activities

The park offered a laundry room, bath house and club house. We didn’t use these facilities because of our short stay.

But given the cleanliness of this park, we think they would have been very usable too.

The park does offer a few activities. And given the limitations of COVID, they did the very best they could during our stay.

Of course, we noticed they had offered more activities in the past when COVID was not around.

There are not many amenities such as a pool or children’s playground. But they did offer a dog walk and nearby we found some goats that let us know they were there.

Our visit by a goat at Azalea Acres RV Park

In fact, we had a wandering goat come by our site and visit us when we arrived. What a welcoming committee!!!!

How was connectivity???? Well, the park did offer free wifi which was very nice for its guests.

We did not need to use this option because of our AT&T hot spot. It gave us very adequate download and upload speeds on our site. And our phones which are on the T-Mobile network worked well also.

Our Conclusion

So how would we rate our stay at the Azalea Acres RV Park? We would give it 4 stars.

The park is located in a more remote area. So for some, it may not be a place you would want to stay for an extended time. Also if you are looking for amenities, as was mentioned, there aren’t many.

But if you are looking for a nice, clean, quiet place to stay for a night or two while traveling, we would definitely recommend this RV park.

Our Twin Lakes RV Resort Campground Review – Pros And Cons

Twin Lakes RV Resort is located at 1618 Memory Lane in Chocowinity, NC.

This RV park is part of the Thousand Trails/Encore Park system. But as always you can reserve a site with the RV park and not be a member. And the average site costs about $50 a night with full hook ups.

We were very much looking forward to staying here because of its location between Pamlico River and the Chocowinity Bay. And it was not very difficult to get to being located very close to Route 17.

For us, being that close to the water was a big draw. But with all that being said, we
were definitely not blown away by this park at all.

Click here to view a map of the park

Twin Lakes RV Resort Features

The roads inside the park themselves were peppered with many holes. And the ruts were large enough that you had to navigate them very carefully.

Once at the registration area, we had our first encounter with the park personnel. To be fair, they were not rude at all.

But they definitely did not give much explanation about anything either. They handed you the map, told where to find your site, and that was about it.

We did not feel welcomed at all. So in our opinion, their customer service could definitely use some improvement.

Although they have 363 sites, very few of them are devoted to RV travelers. Most of the sites are for annual members or extended stay visitors.

The ones that are devoted to RVers, although offering 30 and 50 amp service and full hook ups, are definitely in the worst area of the park.

And although surrounded by canals, ponds, and the Bay, your RV site will probably not be near any of those.

The Biggest Problem With This Park

But one of the biggest drawbacks of this park is the extremely poor drainage that we experienced during our stay. We do recognize that living that close to the water, it is more difficult for drainage to occur easily.

But the area that these short-term stay sites are in is the worst. The sites in this area also tend to be somewhat unlevel. You can make it work even with a big rig, but it will take some adjustments.

The sites are pretty much all dirt located under pine trees, but the worst thing is the drainage.

We actually had rain only one day while we were there. And although it was a steady rain all day, it was not an all out gullywasher by any means.

By the time it was done though, our site had so much standing water that it was up to our ankles.

Even the next day it had not drained much. So we had to try to raise our jacks in muddy muck and unhook our electric while standing in water. (We were concerned about that as you can imagine)

Our site was not the only one in the area like that either. Other sites were experiencing similar problems.

Twin Lakes RV Resort flooding #1 — Campsites flooded

And not once during this did anyone come by to see if there was anything they could do to help us. It was not a good experience at all and by the time we left, we were filthy, tired and frustrated!!!!!

Twin Lakes RV Resort Amenities

On the other hand, the rest of the park seems to be generally clean. They have the amenities that are offered by most RV resort parks. Things like pools and a camp store and children’s playgrounds.

With COVID going on some of these were closed but they did look like they would be nice to use. There was nothing outstanding about them but they were adequate.

We did not check the showers and rest rooms while there. This is because we mostly stayed in our rig, especially because of the inclement weather.

But looking at the other park amenities I would say they were probably adequate also.

To our knowledge, they did not offer wifi while we were there anywhere throughout the RV campground.

But we were able to use our AT&T hotspot to access the internet at reasonable speeds. And our Sprint/TMobile phones seemed to get a strong signal also.

Once again, we feel that Twin Lakes RV Park is pretty with the canals and ponds and the bay close by.

The Surrounding Area Around The Park

The towns around the campground have everything necessary to provision if you need to do so.

The town of Washington, NC is close by and it has a Walmart and a couple of other popular stores. This is where you can get most of what you need.

We also drove around the area a little bit and there were a couple of smaller towns not too far away. But Washington is where you will find the most places to restock your daily supplies.

The town of Washington has a nice waterfront boardwalk area and there are a couple of museums there too. And there is a state park and an estuary that could be visited as well.

We didn’t have the time because of our limited stay in the area to visit surrounding areas much. But it appears that there are other interesting places to explore too.

Our Conclusion

So summing all of this up, what is our opinion of Twin Lakes RV Resort?

Although in a beautiful area of the country, we would never go out of our way to revisit this park again.

Just because of the difficulties of trying to get set up. And the chance of being in an area where we could get thoroughly flooded out again, keeps us from quickly returning.

In fact, it is mainly because the park does not offer good drainage that we would not chance it again.

It definitely was not one of our favorites and we would probably give it no more than a 2 star rating.