86271 User submitted reviews online!!
07/2009
rating [ 6/10 ]
We've stayed here before and came back because we enjoy the awesome beach this campground sits on. However, the price has gone up significantly since our last stay. In fact, it borders on ridiculous. With tax, it cost us $85 per night for a 30 amp pull thru, 4 rows back from the dune. And that included a 10% KOA member discount. So for 2 adults, one teenager ($7 per night per kid!), one dog ($5), 30 amp, cable ($3 per night), and WiFi (slow!), without a KOA card, this campground will charge you $93 per night!!! I am have no problem paying for quality, but this is obscene. Also, the management expects everyone to wear a yellow wristband all week long - in the water, at your site, walking around the campground, wherever. This is a measure to reduce the freeloaders who have been using the facilities. It seems to us there should be a better method to do this then wearing a wristband all week. For the record, we blew it off and no one ever questioned us. As for facilities - great beach, really windy (never could put our awning out all week and you get sandblasted sometimes on the beach), and lots of bugs at night. For the price, I'd say this KOA is not worth it. But since the choices are limited on OBX, there's not much you can do about it.
06/2009
rating [ 7/10 ]
This is an average campground. It was an adequate place to stay while sightseeing around the area and was OK for the price. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The facilities are a bit sub par. No cable, Wi Fi only at the office, very rough and rutted interior roads, and a lot of fill dirt on the sites to repair some erosion. I imagine it must be a muddy mess when it rains. I will say it is a beautiful setting and one of the quietest campgrounds I have ever stayed in. Also be advised that the road up the mountain from Boone is very steep and winding. We did fine towing a 38' fifth wheel, but the more faint of heart in a big rig should be aware of this. Also, I have an electicial monitoring system and the electrical issue noted by others is definitely fixed.
06/2009
rating [ 9/10 ]
Beautiful campground! Very peaceful. Though the comments about the steep roads are true, I made it all the way up to the top sites pulling a 38 foot, 14,000 lb fifth wheel with no problem. The view and peace and quiet are worth it. Very friendly and helpful staff. Nicely equipped for a small campground - game room, fitness room, laundry, book and movie checkout, horsheshoe pits, and only minutes from most of the sights near Asheville. A pool would be nice, but not sure where they could carve it into the mountain! Families with small kids that need pools and playgrounds may not rate this park quite as high. One note - not a lot of sites are suitable for big rigs. Some of the pull-thru sites could handle a 40' Class A, but 36' and above 5ers might have some issues parking their truck on site -and it's a steep hill down to the parking near the office. Choose your site carefully! No issues with trees or overhangs for big rigs.
06/2009
rating [ 8/10 ]
Very tough not to give this park a 9 or 10 based on its cleanliness and the awesome and friendly owners who take obvious pride in their park. My only issues with this park that others should be aware of: the big rig pull throughs are very narrow and there is a lot of noise of off US 321 next to the campground. The back in sites looked fairly wide, but the pull throughs are so narrow, that there is not even enough room to put the picnic table or a lounger next to your rig without blocking access or sloping up the hill toward the next site. That being said, I would definitely recommend this park if you are mainly planning to use it as a base for exploring the area.
04/2009
rating [ 8/10 ]
This is a very pretty campground, though off the beaten path a bit. We did drive into Pinehurst to see the golf courses and clubs. We visited here as part of a sales pitch for Coast to Coast (we did not join). The sales pitch was informative and not the least bit pushy. I would have given this campground a 7 due to the condition of some of the roads and grounds, but it is very obvious they are working hard and working quickly to upgrade the facilities. The landscaping they have done so far on the lake sites is excellent. They have added 50 amp and sewer to many sites and are adding more all the time. The lake sites are a bit close, but the main area is nicely wooded and fairly spread out. The lodge is very nice, with a library, Wi-Fi (slow), and a couple of fireplaces. The staff is very friendly and helpful, whether you are a member or not. We will definitely return to use the rest of the free passes we got as part of the tour.
03/2009
rating [ 9/10 ]
We stayed here on a shakedown cruise for our new 5er. We had stayed in the Wilmington NC KOA (same owners) several times, so our expectations were high. We were not let down and will definitely be back. This is a very clean campground with some very nice, level, long pull through sites with large patios, patio furniture, and fire rings. The sites near the river have a view of the river, though it is a few hundred yards away. There is a large dock and boat ramp on the river as well. All of the hookups were as advertised, with good water pressure and very fast Wi Fi (great reception and we were the farthest spot from the office) The staff was fantastic - even helped me hookup when I pulled in. All of the staff we came across were very friendly and helpful. The only reason this park is not a 10 is that the sites next to the entrance are subject to a fair amount of highway noise. While we could not hear it in the back, it might be an issue for those that stay up front.
05/2008
rating [ 8/10 ]
This was our third trip here in 3 years. We use it as a quick getaway on weekends. As far as facilities go, this KOA is average, though our dogs love the bark park. What makes this an above average campground is the fact that the staff goes above and beyond to make sure the customer is happy. They are very friendly and helpful, which is why we will keep coming back to Wilmington KOA.
03/2008
rating [ 7/10 ]
This is a nice park, only 30 miles from Skyline Drive. It is very wooded and sits next to a small lake, which is within a short walk from the sites. The sites are good sized and fairly level. The only draw back is that the campground is hilly, so those with small children or pets may want to be aware the there are some steep drop offs right next to many of the sites. The resort is very nice with many activities. The indoor pool and hot tub were very nice, though a bit crowded. The staff did a good job of keeping the under-16 crowd out of the hot tub. My only complaints were that the Wi-Fi did not work at our site at all, and we were not very far from the antenna. Also, there is only one cable box for every 3 or 4 sites. We would have needed over a 40' cable to reach the outlet. 3 days into our stay, we saw management bringing extra cable for one camper, so maybe we should have asked earlier. Also, be aware, this resort is expanding rapidly - lots of construction going on close by, so on weekdays you will here lots of trucks and heavy equipment going by.
07/2007
rating [ 7/10 ]
This campground is the "standard" beach campground - a large parking lot with narrow sites, no shade, and lots of sand. But, we go to these type of places for the close access to the beach and that is exactly what you will find here - lots of beautiful, uncrowded beach a two minute walk from your site. Overall, the staff was friendly and very responsive to our needs. We had a few complaints however. First, the smell of sewage was overwhelming when we got there. Every time a southerly breeze would blow, we'd almost gag. Finally, we figured out it was coming from a large sewage vent in the southeast corner of the park, at the end of our row. We asked management if they could do anything about it, and the vent was covered within 10 minutes. No problems after that. Also, most of the dumpsters were overflowing and smelled horrible. Management came by and told us it was the refuse company's fault for not emptying it on time and that they were working to get it solved. Within a day it was remedied. Finally, and this may be out of the staff's control, but this is the worst place we have ever been when it comes to dog owners not cleaning up after their pets. We love dogs and take our two mutts with us everywhere we camp, but always clean up after them. The KOA has ample walking areas and plenty of bags, but for some reason people choose to be inconsiderate about cleaning up. I think the management needs to be more aggressive about enforcing the rules and ask the offenders to leave if necessary. Overall, this is a great place if you are looking for a place to park your camper while you enjoy some of the greatest beaches on the East Coast. There are enough activities to entertain the kids, the beach is awesome, and best of all - no golf carts!! Final note - do bring awning tie downs, bug spray for the evenings, large/several mats to cover the sand at your site, and keep an eye on your kids in the water because there are no lifeguards and there is a fairly rough shore break at all times.
06/2007
rating [ 7/10 ]
We've been here before and like this campground a lot. The smaller size makes it more enjoyable than the other "mega" campgrounds immediately to the south. The best part of this place is the beach. Though narrow, it is clean, relatively uncrowded, and the water is very warm. The rest of the campground is nice too, though it is basically a standard beach campground - a big parking lot with no shade and lots of sand. Expect to be up close and personal with your neighbors as well. The only reason this place doesn't warrant an 8 or 9 is the standard reason - out of control golf carts. I know these campgrounds nearly double their revenue with $45/day golf cart rentals, but that is still no reason not to enforce the rules. They are truly a nuisance. If the management would simply kick the underage kids off them and slow down the rest of the drivers, all would be well. Other than that, expect a great stay at Pirateland.
05/2007
rating [ 7/10 ]
Very pretty campground - lots of trees, rolling hills, and hiking trails. The camping loops themselves were OK. I thought the sites were a bit close, considering the size of the park. Though too close, the sites were nice and deep, very level, and had a large picnic table area with a fire ring, a grill stand, and a charcoal grill. Unless you have a boat, there is not a lot to do at the park, but we just enjoyed hiking and lazing around the campfire. As noted, the bath houses are a good hike away. One last note - we had an electrical issue and the ranger was extremely helpful in aiding me in trouble shooting the problem. He even followed up the next day to makes sure we were OK.
07/2005
rating [ 7/10 ]
This was our third trip to Myrtle Beach in the past 3 years and our third different campground. I'd rate Lakewood better than Ocean Lakes and on the same par as Pirateland. Check in was quick and they accommodated our request to get our group of three rigs together in adjoining spots. The spots are adequate width, but the roads are very narrow and required the guy across the street to move his truck so we could back in. The sites are very sandy and made quite a mess of things, even with a large area rug on the ground. We also thought it was odd not to have fire rings or designated fire pits. The resort has plenty to offer and all of the facilities were clean and in working order - except for the Marble Slab Ice Cream vendor, which was a disappointment as temps hit the upper 90s!! The beach was nice and clean, as were the pools. We were glad to see the management wasn't a bunch of rule-Nazis - no one seems to enforce the alcohol ban, everyone shoots off fireworks on the beach at night, and a few other rules are bent, but nothing too excessive. However, the youth on golf carts speeding up and down the beach front road were a bit out of control. I always wonder where the parents of these kids are and why the parks in MB allow this annoyance to continue. Overall though, a very nice campground and we'd camp here again.
04/2005
rating [ 8/10 ]
We found this to be a very pleasant campground. Our site was a nice and wide pull through that required no leveling of the rig. There was some shade at almost every site. All sites had a fire ring. Check-in was quick and easy and we found the staff to be very friendly and on top of enforcing the rules, while not being overbearing. We camp with our dogs, so we especially enjoyed the large enclosed dog park. Though there was some minor road noise from highway 17, we didn't really notice it most of the time. We found the convenient location to Wrightsville Beach and downtown Wilmington to be a big plus. We plan on going here again when it's beach weather!
06/2004
rating [ 8/10 ]
We tried Pirateland after a bad experience at Ocean Lakes. We were much happier this time. While the campground doesn't seem to have quite as much to do as Ocean Lakes, we were happy not to be nearly run over by golf carts every time we stepped outside our door. Also, we enjoyed the beach more at Pirateland. It seems wider than Ocean Lakes beach, hence there was no issue with overbearing lifeguards trying to keep everyone back against the dunes. The highlight of the park was the lazy river - especially the "adults only" float they had periodically. It was a pleasure to see the staff enforce the rules in the river and in the park in general. We enjoyed our short stay, but had one minor compaint - we wish more places in Myrtle Beach allowed campfires.
06/2003
rating [ 5/10 ]
This was the first Myrtle Beach park we stayed in and we'll never go back. While the park was generally clean, the spots reasonably large, and the staff was friendly, we found two major problems that convinced us never to return. First, unrelenting waves of golf carts racing around the campground made just walking our dogs hazardous. The management seemed not to care about the teenagers, and even many adults, racing up and down the lanes at speeds well above the limit. The second issue we had was the beach. It is extremely narrow. To make matters worse, the lifeguards are the most whistle-happy bunch I've ever seen. They won't let you put your blanket down even one foot in front of their stands, which means everyone must crowd onto a narrow strip of beach that virtually disappears at high tide. The only way I'd ever return to Ocean Lakes is if they banned golf carts and took away the life guards' whistles!
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