RV Parks Vs. RV Resorts | Episode 11

posted on : October 15, 2020 posted by : Melina 0 Comment

In today’s episode, we talk about the differences between a Campground, RV Park and RV Resort. In Canada we don’t have many “true” RV Resorts – you know, the luxury type properties with the amenities you could expect from a 4-star resort.

Campgrounds

The way we look at it, campgrounds are where the focus is on nature. Think Provincial and State Parks or National Parks. In these campgrounds you likely will not have full hook-ups and if you’re very lucky, you’ll get a site with electrical (and maybe water..woohoo!!)

At the end of the beautiful day, campgrounds are focused on conservation, wildlife education and enjoying God’s glory with outdoor pursuits. This is where we spend the large majority of our time, and the way we like to camp the most.

RV Parks

RV Parks are the middle of the road option. Prices are moderate, usually between $40 and $65 per night and you’ll most likey receive full-hookups. Sites are not much more than a concrete pad, and if you’re lucky a strip of grass (real or artificial) with a picnic table on it. You may have a firepit, or you may not.

Amenities at these parks are fine if you go into it with an “it is what it is” attitude. Some are really well kept and show pride of ownership throughout, some not so much. You’re pretty much guaranteed a basic pool, playground and maybe a bandshell or area where there are some coordinated activities. These are pretty good for sightseeing vacations and we love staying in these types of RV parks – for instance, the KOA Holiday in Niagara Falls is a good example of the type of RV Park we’re talking about.

RV Resorts

This is where the fancy begins, folks. When we talk RV resorts, we’re talking luxury amenities such as:

Waterparks
Massive Pools
Adult-only areas
Mini-put
Arcades
Community Halls
Pizza deliver by golf cart
Restaurants
Bars
Rentals
Nature Centres
Activities
Gatherings

Essentially, they are the properties you just want to throw the kids a few dollars to go to the arcade while you relax with your toes in the sand (if not the real sand, then an artificial beach at the edge of the pool like we had in Las Vegas)

These are more expensive in terms of RV pricing, say $70-$100+ per night, but they are destinations in themselves, and much cheaper than a comparable hotel-resort which may literally be next door.

The only thing you’ll want to watch out for is maybe some restrictions that some of these “luxury” resorts may have in terms of rig size, age and site rules – listen to the podcast to discover what we mean.

That said – and Dan says this is super important – you don’t need to be a fancy-pants (or wear literal fancy pants) to hang out at one of these resorts (at least not outside a restaurant). And TRUST US when I say Dan is NO fancy pants! Here he is in his typical RV resorts duds:

Roadtrippers

We also talk trip planning (again) and Melina waxes poetic about Roadtrippers Plus (again) – we just love it so much and are really excited about some of the new features that Roadtrippers is working hard to include in future releases. And as promised, if you want to get Roadtrippers Plus and all the waypoints, reviews, offline maps, live traffic, partner discounts, estimated fuel costs and more, SIGN UP HERE and use the exclusive discount code just for RV Canucks listeners: BTR5QTP