Review: Arizona Charlies RV Park, Las Vegas, NV

Bottom line: The grounds were well kept and the price was fair.

I've never heard of Arizona Charlies, but since we were driving through the area and needed to spend the night somewhere, we looked for a fairly priced place with good ratings to stay at. One of our plans was to take an Uber up to Freemont street in the afternoon and get dinner, so the proximity was a consideration.

One of the nice things about this place was that the sites were all concrete pads.

Features: Pool, wifi, 30/50 amp, picnic area, dog run, showers, laundry facilities, and 50, 40, and 35 foot spaces with over half being pull through.

We went there with kids and ended up swimming in the pool which was semi-clean. Being July, the pool was bath-water warm and not refreshing at all.

Notes about Vegas:
Our first Uber driver didn't have a clue where he was going and made about 15 U-turns and took an extra 15 minutes. We got a $60 bill and had about $18 returned after we disputed it. The Uber on the way back to the RV park was quick and easy and appropriately priced.
The Freemont Experience can get a bit raunchy even during the daylight hours. We took three kids and expected to see some lights, music, and maybe a few wild folks, but even around 6 PM Freemont street was determined to shock as many as possible. Beware if you have kids in tow.
That being said, without the kids, Arizona Charlies RV park is a good place. It is close enough to the strip to get a taxi. They have pretty good weekly and monthly rates for those who want to park for a while, and the Arizona Charlies casino is right next door.

Summary:
Arizona Charlies RV Park in Vegas is close to the action and a good deal. I give it seven out of ten stars.
Arizona Charlies RV Park in Vegas (Official Site)
4575 Boulder Hwy.
Las Vegas, NV 89121

Phone: (888) 236-9066
Web: Arizona Charlies RV Park Las Vegas

Review: Kingman KOA, AZ

Bottom line: This KOA had great customer service and clean grounds with plenty of features. Great place for a family!

I haven't been to a KOA since I was a kid, but seeing the sign up the street really brought back memories. Kingman is in Northern Arizona. It's hot and fairly dry in the summer. The KOA is right in town with easy access (less than 5 minutes) to grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants and all of the other businesses on Stockton Hill Rd.

The first thing I noticed was the service. The check in was friendly and quick, and there was staff on a golf cart to escort us to our spot. I don't think there was a single time that there was not a friendly staff member out cleaning or helping folks out. Most of the spots are pull through, but they also have dry storage, "Kabins", and tent spots.

Part of what makes this KOA so nice, and I think it is reflective of most other KOAs as well is that they have family friendly features.

Features: Pool, rec hall, laundry facility, game room, mini golf, picnic area, horseshoe pit, playground, dog-walking area, wifi, water, sewer, cable, and 30/50 amp hook ups as well as three sets of bathhouses, and a pretty well stocked store.

Best of all the price is absolutely reasonable. I think we paid about $36 per night for a 30 amp site.

Kingman itself is about two hours from Las Vegas, one and a half hours from the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead, NV, thirty minutes from Laughlin, NV, fifty minutes from Oatman, AZ (wild burros!) and of course route 66 runs right through Kingman. There is plenty to see.

Summary:
The Kingman KOA is well worth staying at.
I give it eight out of ten stars.
Kingman KOA (Official Site)
3820 North Roosevelt
Kingman, AZ 86409

Reserve: 800-562-3991
Info: 928-757-4397
Web: Kingman KOA

Review: Bluewater Key Luxury RV Resort, Bluewater Key FL

Bottom line: This RV resort is truly a luxury vacation spot. The grounds, service, and view are spectacular, but you'll need a vehicle or bicycles in order to get to a store or restaurant.

The Bluewater Key resort has sites on the canal (Blue Canal), offwater, and on the waterfront (Lower Sugarloaf Sound.) Many of the sites are owned and so all of the sites are off limits to everyone but the occupants. Each site is different and that reflects the style of the owner, but each one has a beautiful tiki hut with draw-down, see-through sides to protect against weather. The sites all have plenty of room for large RVs and their toads.

Features: Storage for boats and trailers, parks, pool, club house, fishing, wifi, water, sewer, cable, and 30/50 amp hook ups.

The waterfront sites have piers that are perfect for swimming and launching paddle boards and boats.
The wifi service uses tengointernet.com and worked OK for basic use. Once connected to the nearest hotspot it appeared necessary to use a web browser to login however the URL given (start.tengointernet.com) was very slow and would not really do anything. Fortunately the internet did work without a login or a purchase. I am not sure if that is how it is intended to function.

Key West is about 14 miles West of Bluewater key, but there are cabs that can make the trip. Enterprise car rentals will not do a pick up that far out. Key West itself has a lot to do. Check out Dry Tortugas!

The cost is going to average at least double what a normal RV campground/resort will run, but Bluewater Key is at easily twice as nice as any that I've been to. With the gated community, water front, views, service, and location, it's not hard to justify spending over $100/night. Rates are cheaper off-season (summer time), but this resort puts the vast majority to shame. I have no complaints and can't think of any negatives.

Summary:
The Bluewater Key Luxury RV Resort is well worth the high price!
I give it ten out of ten stars.
Bluewater Key Luxury RV Resort (Official Site)
2950 Overseas Hwy
Key West FL 33040

Phone: 305-745-2494
Web: Bluewater Key Luxury RV Resort

Review: Port St. Lucie R.V. Resort, Port St. Lucie FL

Bottom line: Reasonably priced, nice little RV resort with easy access to lots of retail.

The Port St. Lucie R.V. Resort is located off S Federal Hwy 1 in Port St. Lucie just South of Fort Pierce Florida. There is a bit of driving through a high-traffic area to get to the resort. My GPS took me off I-95 exit 121 which is a little North of the spot. Exit 120 or 118 are ideal exits but either way, there will be some eastward travel required.

Also, it is easy to miss the turn into the resort when turning onto Jennings Rd. from Hwy 1, and the intersection at the end of Jennings is an odd one. You've got to pay attention otherwise you'll find yourself circling the block.

This resort costs around $40-$50 per night, which is about average. The after hours arrival was simple. We picked up our envelope and backed into the spot.

Features: paved sites, cable TV, wifi, 30/50 amp electric, water, and sewer. There is also a club house with rec room, pool, and laundry room. Up to 2 pets are allowed per RV. The wifi is slow, but it should work OK for email.

The phone call to book was very pleasant and the whole campground was clean. I'd stay there again.

Summary:
The P.S.L. R.V. Resort is a nice place to stay, and I recommend it.
I give it seven out of ten stars.
Port St. Lucie R.V. Resort (Official Site)

P.S.L. R.V. Resort
3703 S.E. Jennings Rd.
Port St. Lucie, FL 34952

Phone: 772-337-3340
877-405-2333

Web: http://portstluciervresort.com

Map: PSL RV Resort on Google Maps

Review: Two Rivers Campground, Nashville, TN

Bottom line:
Northeastern Nashville, Tennessee, close to the river, clean, shady, and close to Opryland and lots of retail.

Two Rivers Campground is right off Briley Parkway in Northeast Nashville. It's located off exit 12 on Music Valley Drive. We stopped here on July 9th, 2014. Nashville is a great city to visit, so there is plenty to do as long as you have a tow car or a small RV.

Two Rivers Campground is an averaged priced campground. It's around $45/night with a 30 amp hookup. Some of the sites are 30 amp, water, and no sewer. When we were there it was very full and all of the neighbors were really nice.

Features: 30/50 amp, cable TV, water, sewer, pool, game room, playground (very small), free wifi (at the office), propane service, and bath houses.


Overall, the service was good and the whole campground was clean. I'd go there again.

On a side note, we had lunch less than a mile up the street at Santa Fe Cattle Co and the food and service were both amazing.

Summary:

The Two Rivers Campground is a nice place to stay, and I recommend it.

I give it seven out of ten stars.
Two Rivers Campground (Official Site)

Review: Meteor Crater RV Park (AZ)

Bottom line:
Near Winslow, AZ with easy access to I-40, very clean, excellent customer service, good price, and nothing to see but the meteor crater.

Meteor Crater RV Park is on I-40 between Flagstaff and Winslow AZ. It's located off exit 233 which is where the meteor crater is located. This whole area is unpopulated, so there is nothing else to see here. We stopped here on July 7th, 2014. Even in July, the weather was gorgeous.

I made the reservation for this RV park via telephone and was surprised about how good the customer service was. I also had to call and postpone the reservation by one day during the trip. When we arrived, it was confirmed that the staff here are super nice and really on the ball. They do have a Good Sam discount, which is a nice little bonus.

The park itself is gated with code access, and an emergency/off hours exit. The grounds and bath house were well groomed and clean. Actually I believe this was the cleanest RV park I've ever seen to date.

The RV park has no cable TV, but there is 30 and 50 amp electrical hookups as well as water and sewer.

On a side note: the meteor crater itself is a bit expensive for what it is. The crater is huge and beautiful, but there isn't much to do. Even with $4 off, it cost around $50 to get  2 adults and 3 kids into the exhibit.

Summary:

The Meteor Crater RV Park is a great place, and I recommend it.

I give it nine out of ten stars.

Meteor Crater RV Park (Official Site)

Review: Fort Amarillo RV Park & Resort

Bottom line:
In Amarillo, TX with easy access to I-40, well kept, clean bathhouse and restrooms, good price, good service.

Fort Amarillo RV Park is very close to I-40 on the immediate outskirts of Amarillo Texas. We drove through and stayed on June 30th, 2014. We had planned to continue to Albuquerque, NM but the broken generator needed service and the Cummins service center had an 8 AM opening. We have another stay scheduled for July 8th, 2014 and just happened to be there.

Being in Amarillo, the RV park is not green. This is the panhandle of Texas and everything is gravel, dirt, and a few trees to liven it up. Still, everything was level, the park was well laid out and it was about 2/3rds full. There are right at 100 RV sites in the RV park, and each site has 50/30 amp hookup, water, cable, and sewer. In the center is a gift shop called Lizzie Mae's, bathhouse, rec hall, and a duck pond with about 8-10 ducks. The shop has a lot of odds and ends. Mostly art, it also has some local hot sauce, preserves, snacks, and the kinds of things you'd see in a community art of co-op store.

The pool, hot tub, and rec hall #2/storm shelter are off to the side. Everything was well maintained and clean and the office service was super friendly. The price was under $40.

On a side note, the Cummins service center in Amarillo did not honor the appointment we had with them. We waited about 90 minutes before I started messing with the generator and got it started. Likely there was nothing but basic service needed, but they said that their generator tech had to do a quick job on a semi-truck that was there for a week before starting on ours. If we had not called the day before and confirmed the 8 AM appointment I could understand the delays, but we had delayed our entire travel schedule for this appointment. The service desk was apologetic, but they could have earned high praise and a paycheck by just getting us taken care of quickly.

Summary:

The Fort Amarillo RV Park is a good place, and I recommend it.

I give it eight out of ten stars.

Fort Amarillo RV Park & Resort (official site)