This site has proven fairly accurate in the reviews as far as I'm concerned. I also do look at gaps between contradicting reviews and try to see if management/ownership change has anything to do with it (it often does), and plan accordingly. We are about ready to book for August, but I just checked reviews on the campground we had intended to use (and use almost once a year). Right now, we are hesitating because the last six reviews over the past few months are negative and seem consistent. Truly, it is different strokes for different folks, but I would think there are some issues that across the board, many of us use as deal breakers.
As someone who reads and processes many of these reviews, I think that the sort of "trend data" you have noted is one of the most important things you can learn from reading reviews of a park. When you see a sudden change in ratings for what had been a highly rated park it immediately makes you wonder "what changed?" Sometimes it's a change in ownership, other times it's a new manager. But regardless of the specific cause it's pretty obvious that if a succession of reviewers aren't pleased then the park's overall quality isn't what it once was.
With all that's been said on this topic, it's apparent that there is a wide variety of RVers and we all have our likes and dislikes in parks or campgrounds with regards to amenities and the way they are set up and run, etc. I've camped in a popup tent camper in dirt and dust and had a blast doing so. We had the kids with us and we would get so dirty and grimy after a couple of days we had to jump in the river to wash off as they wouldn't allow us to go into the shower building. Now that we've become "senior citizens" and have a motorhome, our love for dirt and dust has for some reason gone by the wayside and we enjoy parks and campgrounds that are clean, free of dirt spaces and roads, and that have hookups that work and are also clean. A water spigot stuck inside an old wooden box full of leaves, misc. trash and capped off wiring, etc. doesn't exactly make us want to stick around very long. Bottom line with us for a park is to tell us/show us what is offered and then stand behind it and have it as stated in the pics and copy, etc. As hopefulone just stated above, "there are some issues that across the board, many of us use as deal breakers". That's how we feel about it and how we use the reviews on this site also.................... Regards, BankShot...............(aka Terry)
Management has a big effect on a campground. You will find a park I have rated in Gallup , NM that was good then the owner probably started to suffer from dementia and became mean. I rated him poorly but when new management came in I stayed there again and rated them highly. I find the rating and comments helpful . Example there is a park in Corpus we used to stay at every year , things changed and a series of bad reviews have come forth. This year I commented about that and a reviewer replied in a helpful manner that things have changed again. So we are planning on trying them again. As with many things they are in a constant state of flux . Some of our favorite places are out of the way with friendly hosts. Attitude is more important to me than a lot of fancy doodads . Still working on getting a smart car for the roof though
When I am reading reviews, one thing I look is the type of rig/camping equipment the poster has. Someone in a tent or small trailer might be very happy with a campground and give it a much higher rating than I would. For years I struggled with rating "rustic" campgrounds because they lack the amenities that we prefer. That does not make it bad, it just makes it less desirable to our "camping" style. If there are several high ratings, then one low one, I read the post. Frequently it is something like---it rained so the kids had nothing to do---sorry, it is not the parks fault that it rained!
