KOA Carlsbad

Kind of a dump. Not sure how they claim to have a KOA Holiday Rating. Girl during checkin was rude because she seemed annoyed that I arrived prior to checkin time, even though there were tons of open sites. She charged $10 early checkin fee and put me in a site without a swing, even though I paid extra for one. This was not the way I wanted to start my vacation after driving 9 hrs. Never been... Kind of a dump. Not sure how they claim to have a KOA Holiday Rating. Girl during checkin was rude because she seemed annoyed that I arrived prior to checkin time, even though there were tons of open sites. She charged $10 early checkin fee and put me in a site without a swing, even though I paid extra for one. This was not the way I wanted to start my vacation after driving 9 hrs. Never been treated this way at an RV park. Next day I went to office to inform them I was assigned wrong spot and don't have a swing. I asked if I'd be refunded partially for being in wrong site, girl told me she'd text the manager. I asked for manager and girl told me no manager on site. I asked when manager would be in and she said she didn't know. I asked her to tell the manager i want to talk to her and she told me she texted the manager. I never heard from anyone after that. Unreal. The grounds are not well kept at all. Grass is all infested with stickers and goad heads. The req room is very nice. Pool looked like a swamp. Location is pretty far from everything! Bring plenty of food and water if you stay here and plan to drive 30+ minutes to get to anything and about 1 hr. for the parks. Not the fault of the KOA, but it's very dusty and windy, so be prepared. I wish I stayed at one of the other camp grounds for much less money, which are basically parking lots with hook ups, but I'll bet they are kind to their customers and don't nickel and dime you. KOA needs to do a better job of managing who gets a Holiday rating.

This rating is in no way aimed at the staff as they are very friendly. The campground is definitely not what I expect from a KOA. The water is more or less useless. We were told upon arrival that it is very hard and would curdle the milk in your coffee. This would not be a big issue if the location was closer to town. Unfortunately you have to drive 30 minutes to Carlsbad to buy water. The facilit... This rating is in no way aimed at the staff as they are very friendly. The campground is definitely not what I expect from a KOA. The water is more or less useless. We were told upon arrival that it is very hard and would curdle the milk in your coffee. This would not be a big issue if the location was closer to town. Unfortunately you have to drive 30 minutes to Carlsbad to buy water. The facilities are mediocre at best and only somewhat clean which might be due to the bad water. The owners did make the campground look cute and the dog parks are ok. If it wasn’t a KOA without KOA prices I probably would have rated it 3-4 stars. We will definitely not be back. We visited Carlsbad 15 years ago and were excited to come back. Unfortunately the town has changed from picturesque to dump. Unless you are staying here to visit the surrounding areas don’t waste your money.

We stayed in the Deluxe cabin for 6 people for 3 nights. The room was clean when we arrived until we opened the cabinet below the stove for pots and pans. One of the pots had dirty food left behind from previous people that was dried up. The worst part was seeing all the pots and pans available for us to use were sitting in a cabinet full of rat poop! See the picture below. We were disgusted! On... We stayed in the Deluxe cabin for 6 people for 3 nights. The room was clean when we arrived until we opened the cabinet below the stove for pots and pans. One of the pots had dirty food left behind from previous people that was dried up. The worst part was seeing all the pots and pans available for us to use were sitting in a cabinet full of rat poop! See the picture below. We were disgusted! On the positive note, the staff from the front lady names Cat to the service people were very nice and friendly.

Regrettably, the location is quite quiet and situated far from any grocery stores in all directions. The area is characterized by a significant amount of dust due to the gravel surface, and it would be beneficial if the road were paved. Additionally, there is an infestation of spike seed heads that can be quite painful and pose a potential danger to pets and children. It is imperative that the cam... Regrettably, the location is quite quiet and situated far from any grocery stores in all directions. The area is characterized by a significant amount of dust due to the gravel surface, and it would be beneficial if the road were paved. Additionally, there is an infestation of spike seed heads that can be quite painful and pose a potential danger to pets and children. It is imperative that the campground address this issue promptly.