We stayed a week at this campground w/ our 4yr old. It was terrific! Everything including Key West are close. The campground bar was fun, and they have there own beach. Movies are shown at night on the beach. Staff very friendly, and would recommend this campground. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Campground in no longer owned by Encore Resorts. The sites are large and level. The staff was very friendly and helpful. They have a nice pool and some planned activities (cook-outs, bingo, etc.). There are several derelict RVs on the premises that are probably left from the 2005 hurricanes. All in all, not a bad place even if pricey and 20 miles from Key West. We camped here in a Motorhome.
The campground management was excellent and everyone went out of their way to make you feel at home. However, this part need a lot of improvements, the washers and dryers are not working and the rest rooms were in need of updating. This is an Encore park and it was surprising to see how much this park needed in upkeep. Not typical for an Encore park. We were told by some of the residents that the park was going to be sold and converted into condos. I would not consider staying at this park again. Encore has another park about 10 miles north on Sunshine Key that is much better maintained and reflects what one would expect from an Encore park. There is also a KOA next door that appeared to be excellent and had a little sandy beach area for their guests. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Check in was easy and staff very friendly. Staff asked if we wanted a "lakeside" site ... let us look at site first to see if motorhome could set on lot ... which it couldn't. Pull-through sites are large and spacious ... room for our 37 foot coach with slide, awning extended and toad. Convienance store was very expensive (chicken soap can $1.49). Pool was open 24 hours and very clean. "Lake" is former mined quarry created during construction of overland highway ...immediate dropoff and dangerous for none swimming children. The park is 16 miles from Key West and an excellent base
for site seeing. Guests in the park all acted and seemed very friendly which made for a very plesant stay. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We just returned from this campground after spending 2 weeks there. It turned out to be an excellent experience. Washrooms, pool area, and hot tub were clean and spotless. Staff was friendly and very helpful. Small beach area was cleaned every day of seaweed etc. I would definitely like to go back here someday. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This park really has it all. The location 20 miles north of Key West is terrific. The sites vary in size from pretty good, to tight, depending on the location. There are some waterfront sites that are tight, but we had plenty of room where we were. The park is very dog friendly including a fenced exercise area. The people are friendly. There is a marina with variety of activities. There is a bar right on site with daily activities. Wifi is available at a charge, but it works very well. Cable TV works well. We will stay here again if we are ever in the Keys. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We spent New Year's Eve here and we had a blast. This may not be for everyone! Every site plus a few empty spaces were full. Motorhomes were packed in like sardines. The amenities were great. A beach, marina, pool, bar, live band, water trampoline, etc. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The bathrooms and showers were clean. Yes, it is very expensive but this is a high rent district. We camped here in a Motorhome.
For the price, this campground is not worth it. I will stay at another the next time I'm in the Keys. The location is OK at MM 20 on US 1. But overall there were too many negatives. This is the first KOA that I've stayed at that had horrible bathrooms. As with most Keys campgrounds the sites were very close together and are very difficult to back into. Many kids at this park and the noise factor was very loud (we have a kid and she said they were too loud). One night some kids shot off some fireworks and blew a transformer so we had no power for 2 hours. Unlike Fiesta Key KOA there are no sunset views (one of the main reasons to come to the Keys). We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Way too crowded, jammed in awning to slide-out. They should up the rates and cut out about 50 sites and make the remaining ones bigger and plant some trees. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We had a wonderful time. We arrived the day after Christmas and left on New Years Day. They had lots of activities for the kids(and there was a lot of kids running around), Check in everyone was friendly and helpful, The marina was nice, The beach had some jellyfish but the kids still jumped on the trampoline and climbed the rock wall that was in the ocean, and the pub had a great band on New Years eve it was a great way to ring in the new year. A few disappointments were that the sites were extremely close together and the bath house was in need of some updating. They were cleaned 3x's a day but with 200 sites and everyone of them full all week long Im sure that they did their best. It was a great location at mile marker 20, only 18 miles to key west. We hope to go back again soon, but not in the summer. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Compared to KOA campgrounds in Saco, Maine and Gettysburg, PA this park was a bit of a disappointment. Compared to other campgrounds in the Keys it was superior. Setting is nice. Location is great for visiting the Keys. Staff could have been more knowledgeable. There is minimal recycling. Wi-fi is available, but not free. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This campground is very close to Key West (about 14 miles) very easy to find. It is extremely clean, has courteous staff, and price was reasonable for the "Keys" Made another reservation for 2007; really looking forward to going there again We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
This campground comes highly recommended! We stayed with our 4 yr old for a week. Close to Key West, and town. Movies on the beach at night, and the campground bar was fun. Very friendly staff, and clean. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
I really enjoyed the stay here. Very clean park with friendly service, nice pool, nice beach (for the Keys) and good amenities. Only complaint would be with the internet service - there was no way to register online, and the office was out of the cards needed for prepaid access. Othewise, great. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
March 2007
$92
I have a family of four, which includes two children, ages 11 and 14. This was the perfect place to go for them. They had an absolute blast, and so did my wife and I. We have camped all over the southeast, and have seen some of the best and worst campgrounds available. This ranked way up there on the fun meter! The facilities were clean and in good repair and the staff were courteous and very helpful. The pool was wonderful and a great place to head when you were ready to leave the beach. At the small beach, the water trampoline, and the "Rock", were a blast for the kids, and I have to confess, at 47, I had a ball on them too! The marina is excellent, and the boat ramp is a big plus. They also rent boats, but we didn't give this a try. We brought a 16' square back canoe which we could launch from the marina and motor across the cut and fish the flats. The bridge fishing, which can also be accessed from the campground was quite good. The campground restaurant was great for breakfast, and the pizzas at the bar were quite good. We also visited Mangrove Mama's across the Highway from the campground and enjoyed the entertainment and food. We zipped in to Key West for one day of our stay, but never made it back. We were too busy fishing and swimming. With that being said, the only reason I didn't rate this campground higher than an 8 was due to the tight quarters. If you are a camper that has to have lots of space to be content, this facility is not for you. We had campers tight on both sides. Not so tight we couldn't put down our awning, but there wasn't a lot of room to spare. When we first arrived, and for about 30 minutes after, the tight quarters concerned me. Shortly after that, it no longer mattered, and we proceeded to have a wonderful time. This is a wonderful place for families to come. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
First off, we had a confirmation to stay in a back-in site that was waterfront. We had also paid a holding charge, nothing much ($20), but at the time had given us the security that the site would be available for the week we were there. The wife called after making the reservation and spoke with an onsite host that confirmed our waterfront stay. We drove 1000 miles and arrived at about 2:00 p.m. to only find that the site was not available and no one seemed to care. We explained that we had a confirmation and holding fee charges. We were met with the cold shoulder of "I can refund you your money and you can try to find another campground down the road if you like." This seemed standard practice of the bait and switch. My wife was then handed a map of available spots for us to "WALK" around and decide which one we would prefer. Then after trailering into a site, we were met with the reality that our slide-out view was "two inches" (I MEAN TWO INCHES) from the neighbors fixed camper. Our front door was "four feet" ( I MEAN FOUR FEET) from our other neighbors sewer hookup. In fact we had to place one of our own chairs over it so the kids would not accidentally disconnect it. Our rear landscape window got a great view of a Class A rear end at three feet. And our parking would only accommodate one vehicle that had to wedge itself under the goose neck of the fifth wheel. The no see-ums (sand gnats) were horrendous and would swarm you if you had the misfortune of having to park you're commuter vehicle in overflow parking. (which of course, we had to do) Other than the site being a FLOP, the weather was magnificent and the other vacationers were very friendly. This pet-friendly park had a pet walk area and a pirate playground for the kids. The swimming area was convenient and recreational. The marina was informative and boat launching was easy. The pool was clean and the beer at the bar was cold and fairly priced. The entertainment was marginal, but the atmosphere was relaxing. We had decided to stay at this park, only after hearing bad stories about the Fiesta Key KOA, getting closed in the future. Don't be surprised if it happens here as well. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Love this corporate run KOA. Aside from beautiful Blue Water Key Resort, this is as good as it gets in the Keys. Very tight sites, but they make up for that with a friendly staff, paved roads, white gravel sites and lots of fun activities for kids. Great water toys for all to play on as well. Nice campstore. The Eco Tours that run from the marina are fantastic. Cheers to Tom and Leslie who head up those adventures. We look forward to coming down each year and have never been disappointed! We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a great place to stay in the keys. The people are all happy and extremely friendly. Nice pool, great activities, nice bar, breakfast restaurant. Sites are really tight. Laundry had 5 machines not working. Whatever the shortcomings, they are made up for by everyone being happy to be here. We would stay here again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Very nice park, although you would expect that for the very high price. Beautiful setting and only about 20 miles into Key West. Very friendly staff. Lots of activities available. We camped here in a Motorhome.
The price is just too expensive even for the Keys. Sites were OK, but a little close to neighbour. Problem was they were only half full but still grouped everyone together. My wife was attacked and bitten by one of three dogs belonging to a motorhome 3 sites away from us. We completed an incident report but NOTHING was done about it. If that dog attacks a child, at least there will be one record already on file. There is a public bus service 100yrds from the KOA which costs $12.50 for 7 days and then $6.25 for 7 days for the downtown buses - much better than the $15 shuttle the KOA operate (or didnt when we were there as not enough takers). It could be a great campground if they reduced the price and provided that bit more in service. We wouldnt go back. BTW the city bus covers the area from Key West MM3 to Marathon MM50 and then you use the downtown buses for final 3 miles to main streets. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This was our first time at this KOA. The staff was excellent. The food at the snack bar was great for breakfast. The bar offered pizza and wings in the afternoon. The pool was heated and very clean. We fished at the marina and on the bridge everyday. The kids had bingo in the afternoon. Thanksgiving dinner was expensive. The hookups were a little far from the sites. We had to purchase extra sewer hose from the store and they ran out of firewood. The sites were nice. If you want a fire you must bring a firepit. We will return to this campground. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Well, where do I start. This is going to be a mixed review. I would say that the good far outweighs the bad. This is a well maintained property that is in a good location. The staff is friendly and answered several questions cheerfully. If you have kids, this is a great place to stay, as there are many activities (swimming/fishing) for them. The campground has a great beach with plenty of toys. It also has it's own marina. However, their boat rental prices were WAY out of line. We ended up renting a pontoon boat from another marina on Cudjoe Key just over the bridge. Good boats and good prices. Cudjoe Key is also a great place to start when going to Looe Key for diving. The bathrooms and laundry facility were top notch. Never had to wait in line for either. Now for a few of the bad items. Mosquitoes and no-seeums were really bad. But of course, the property can't control that and I didn't take off points for this. Just bring industrial strength bug repellent. On the last day of our vacation, some campers that had a "bad vibe" arrived in several RVs. I've been camping a long time and I can sense when things are going to get loud. One of the tipoffs was that they had a whole goat on a picnic table between two RVs. They were preparing for the roast that night. Fires are not allowed in this campground and they didn't have a grill big enough to cook this beast, so they were obviously going to start a fire on the ground and use a spit. So I went to the office and told a lady of my concerns. I ask whose door I could knock on that night if it got loud and she showed me an intercom button on the front door of the office that I could use. I warned her about the "goat ritual" that was going to take place that night. She wondered aloud how they were going to cook it. Good question. Did she go ask them? No. Also, I asked her what the intercom person was going to do if things got out of control. She said they would ask them to quiet down. What if they continue? She said they would give two or three warnings before asking them to leave. Two or three? I mentioned the police and she seemed to think that was a bad idea. The bottom line is that I took a sleeping pill, put in ear plugs and got a bit of sleep. So we get up at 5:00 am to get an early start. We get hooked up and head to the showers before we leave. That's when we see Bubba passed out on the laundry table, a Budweiser (his last one I suppose) a couple of inches from his hand. This guy is REALLY dead to the world. It concerned me enough to check out his color and check his breathing. Where this guy belonged was a mystery. But here is the disturbing part. There was a property employee cleaning the showers and he saw this guy (walked past him) at least two times. I'm thinking that this is supposed to be a family place. It's now about 6:30 and families are getting up and will be heading to the showers soon. Why wasn't this guy asked to get where he belonged? Unbelievable. As I mentioned earlier, the good outweighed the bad, but there are some issues that the property owners need to address. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
We loved this campground. The office and campground staff were very friendly. You are escorted to your site upon arrival. Bathrooms and showers were clean (although a few shower handles were broken) and well-lit, as was laundry area. TV in the bathroom tuned to Weather Channel - enjoyed looking at the snowy forecast for back home. Beautiful beach area with a fun trampoline in the water. Enjoyed the heated pool and hot tub. Snack bar breakfast and lunch offerings were good and affordably priced. Good fishing from the bridge. Garbage picked up at your site. Good WiFi ($) signal at site. We did not bring our TV, but they had a very good cable channel selection. I'd give this park a 9.5 - just nitpicky things like site not being raked out (campground itself very clean) and the small sites (but we expected that), and the broken shower handles prevent it from being a 10. We would return in a heartbeat. We camped here in a Tent.
This is an outstanding KOA. Everything is as it should be, considering the price of the site. We enjoyed it very much. The only downside is that our site was right next to the lift station, which smelled of sewage the first couple of days we were here. Water pressure was very low, but the water was clean. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Brought our new boat down from Ft. Lauderdale to spend 5 days relaxing and boating. Sugarloaf has its own boat launch, gas and about 10 boat slips. Be careful of the strong current coming back into the marina. It is the perfect location to launch your boat to go out to Looe Key Reef, one of the best snorkeling and diving reefs. The facilities are well maintained but it does get extremely hot in the summer. Most of the sites are on crushed coral. They have a large area for tenting but we chose a waterfront site with mangroves with an opening to view the water. There was plenty of room for our tent, boat and van. We were there during the start of lobster season, so it was very busy with boaters, which everyone may not like. We camped here in a Tent.
The sites are short; a 40' rig would be a squeeze. They are also narrow, maybe 20 feet wide. Showers are clean but slippery and cleaned at times other than those listed. The folks who work there are very friendly and helpful. There is a "honey wagon" for $10. Shuttle to Key West costs $15 per and leaves at noon and returns at 8:30 PM. Weather was great as was pool, hot tub. A friendly, nice place. We camped here in a Motorhome.
A nice park, but a little too pricey. A nice staff though and close to Key West. The park could use some landscaping. We booked this place almost a year ago and requested water front, but ended up one row shy of the water. Seems they only save those spots for the big rigs. We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
2002
$55
This place is like a big RV parking lot, but the views are fantastic. Some sites sit right on the ocean, but they are very close together. The park is very well run and organized, but congested. The pet walk area was pitiful. Good marina on site. Good restaurants closeby. We camped here in a Motorhome.