Saturday, May 21, 2016

Novato RV Park, May 11 to May 18, 2016

Overall Rating: 1 on a scale of 5


Location: Novato, CA, is about 20 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. We wanted to spend a week in San Francisco and there were not many RV park options that received decent ratings. Because the location of this RV park was just what I was looking for, I book the reservation here. It proved to be a great home base for sightseeing in the area. It was very close to CA Route 101, although the traffic on that road is very congested during morning and evening rush hour. 

Lot size: This (along with cost) is the reason I gave this park an overall 1 rating. We were in a pull through site (130). Our neighbor had parked his large 5th wheel at an angle (so they could fit it and their two vehicles in their site). Our rear slide out was merely inches from theirs. We have never been so close to another RV. Because we had to accommodate the location of their RV, we ended with virtually no room to sit outside next to ours. Additionally, the vehicles parked along the road made it very difficult for us to pull into the site. One woman came out to move her car when she saw us arrive saying that she her car had been hit 3 times by RVs trying to pull into their site. 



Below is a photo of back-in site #143. I think this site would have been much easier to get into and there would be much more room on either side of the RV. In this park, the back-in sites were nicer than the pull throughs (although that is not usually the cas).


Amenities: Cable TV and wifi is included in the cost. We did our laundry at the on-site laundromat (9washers and 4 large dryers) at $2/wash although it is a long and narrow room that seems crowded if more than two people are doing their laundry. It worked out fine for us. 


There is a pool, but the gate was locked. I was not interested in using it so I did not inquire as to when it was open.  


The pet area was located through a gate a short distance from our site. It was great to have a grassy area for our dog as the rest of the park is paved with gravel. There was a broken down picnic table there. Apparently this was also the location of a horseshoe pits that are now in disrepair. 



A nice deli is located on-site (not too expensive). Since our ice-maker is on the blink, we were able to purchase ice at the deli, too, which was very convenient.


Cost: $486 for one week stay

Management: The office is very nice and our check in was quick and efficient. A packet is provided to guests with lots of information about local attractions, location of nearby stores (grocery, hardware, etc.) wifi access information, cable TV channels, etc.  Brochures and maps are available for guests that were helpful as we were figuring out what to do and how to get there. 

General Comments: It appears that most lots have full-time residents (that have vehicles that do not fit on their site). While the park publishes lots of strict rules about what is allowed on each site, they are not adhered to by the residents. The primary reason I rated this park so low is because of the cost and the small lot that was difficult to pull into due to neighbors and their vehicles in the access road. 

We will not be returning to this RV park, although I will reiterate that the folks in the office were great.


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