Florida Reviews

Okaloosa Island – Destin West RV Resort (August-September 2016)

Check-In: Upon turning into the resort, there’s a steep incline, so be sure to look out for that and take your time. We rubbed the bumper of our trailer upon entering. There’s a pull off for one RV to check-in, but several times there were two or even three, causing the RVers to hang at the entrance. It took about 10 minutes to check in, as there were other guests at the office needing assistance. We received our map and information regarding the pool/trash/etc. We did NOT receive any information regarding s’mores, movie night, etc which they apparently offered throughout our one month stay. We didn’t find out about these until we happened to be walking by the locations two weeks into our stay. We were pretty disappointed about this.

RV Spots: There’s 54 RV spots, a few that have a full water view, although we could see the water from our bedroom window since we had a back in site in the middle of the campground. We absolutely LOVED the length of these pads! They were the longest we’ve ever seen!! We certainly appreciated that as we travel with both cars that we use daily. While we loved the length, the width had everybody walking on the edge of the pad or on the dirt/pine straw to your car or patio area. If you back all the way into your spot, your patio area will be more in front of your RV versus right out your door. All the pads are brick which is a really nice addition. They planted some great bushes that have grown up nicely to offer privacy in between RV spots. We enjoyed having our blinds up looking out at greenery.

WiFi: We didn’t use wifi and don’t have any feedback regarding this.

Amenities: The resort itself has access to the bay for those that want to swim/snorkel there or who have a boat. They have a s’mores night, movie night, and have a small but enjoyable pool. You also have access to the Ramada’s pool, which is NOT next door as one would think since that resort is also Destin West, but is across the street (aka the dangerous Hwy 98). We always used the sky walk to get across the street, but we also saw several people running across 98 to get over there. The Ramada has 2 pools and a great splash pad that we enjoyed numerous times.

Kids/Pets: Aside from the pool and grass around the campground, there were no special amenities for kids or pets.

Staff: Oh boy, where do I start? It was super easy to make the reservation, although I had to ask the prices as the last rate update on their website was 2015 and we were planning for 2016. While staying there, we tried to plan a return trip for 2017 and I could never find their rates posted anywhere, just verbally given to me by the office staff. I went into the office several times and had to wait anywhere from 5-15 minutes just to get a staff member to address me. There were several of us waiting in there as the staff member worked on his excel spreadsheet, answered phone calls, and even proceeded to start opening mail as we were all waiting to be helped!! Sadly this was a habitual problem. Awful customer service. Long story short, you had a better shot at calling the office to get help versus walking over there.

Local Area: The area is GREAT! You’re nestled between Destin and Fort Walton Beach, so if you don’t want to hit the Okaloosa Island beaches, you’ve got others to choose from. We had dinner across the street at The Boardwalk, as well as next door at Wild Willy’s Salvati’s and how could I forget our many trips next door to Yogo Mogos! We highly recommend Burrito del Sol for those looking for fresh Mexican! If you’re looking for some breakfast, check out Asiago Skillet!

We would absolutely go back to stay again, just preparing ourselves ahead of time for awful costumer service. However, you can’t beat the location, fair price of spots, and amenities!

Reason/Rating: Fulltime RV Life 8/10

Freeport – Live Oak Landing (July 2015)

Check-In: The process was excellent! There was space to pull off with the trailer, however they had “no parking” signs which forced us to park on the street. There was no line and the office staff was super friendly. I was provided with a map and plenty of information that I would need throughout our stay. I was in and out within minutes!

RV Spots: 72 sites, 18 of those are cottages, the rest are RV sites. The RV sites are around $43/night. The cottages range from $100-160/night. There are pull-thru sites, as well as back in sites. The website says they have waterfront sites, however I should warn that there is a road between you and the water. Not truly waterfront in my personal opinion. I suggest the back-in sites along the dog park area. There’s lot of space for hanging out behind the trailers, which is awesome, especially for those that have kids or pets! There’s some good trees which provide great shade in the hot Florida sun. The cottages were adorable and had enough space for a family of 4.

WiFi: WiFi was great! They provided us with a password upon check-in.

Amenities: They have a great little playground across from the pool and next to the clubhouse. The pool is screened in and is a nice size with a pool deck overlooking the water. They have some nice walking trails around the park, as well as a gazebo off the water. They rent canoes, kayaks, and fishing boats. This is probably one of my only critiques for this campground: The rentals are pretty pricey compared to other campgrounds we’ve stayed in. It’s about $15-$20/hour to rent one of these boats. That’s about double what we paid for our last canoeing adventure. Needless to say, we didn’t rent one this time around. The campground is on the water, so you can bring a boat (which a lot of people did) or just a fishing pole! There are alligators in the water, so swimming only happens in the pool here.

Kids/Pets: The kids had plenty to do between the playground, pool, and just exploring around. Kids and pets were everywhere, it was awesome! The dog park is a nice size, well maintained, and fenced in.

Staff:The staff was well organized and very friendly!

Local Area: We headed into Watercolor to explore and especially enjoyed Eden Gardens State Park just across the bridge. We could’ve spent all day exploring even in the summer sun! There’s plenty to do over in Santa Rosa, I doubt you’d ever run out of things to see, eat, shop, or visit!

**Special Shout Out: This is a Tents for Troops campground. What an awesome way to thank our military members!

Reason and Rating: Camping Experience and local sights 7/10