Campground Critique – Southern Aire – Florida


OK, This is my first shot at a CG review, so I will try to put the pertinent information in a simple to read format.  By this I mean, pertinent to me as a 60-something, married, owner of a Class-A RV, who wants to get a good deal for my money, but at the same time have all of the appropriate comforts provided by the RV Campground.
And, I want to state that, these are my own personal views and impressions, and someone else might feel totally different.

Reservation process:

I made reservations for a months stay in January, back in the August time frame, as I was planning my winter in Florida.
THE First months rent was required up front, and in full, and was non-refundable.

Warning:
This CG is a Wilder Resort, and the pictures that they show are over ten years old and possibly even older.
They show open fields that now have elbow to elbow converted tag-alongs and fifth-wheelers with sun rooms added. And they have not moved for many, many years.

Check In:

Once I got over the shock of how the CG looked, I checked in, and two guys escorted me to my assigned site.
This was necessary because they had to direct me into the site very carefully, as my 38-foot RV actually only had one foot behind my RV, and 3-feet between the front and the street, as well as two feet betwen the drivers side and the RV.  Tight to say the least.

Site Status:

The site, and all sites have a concrete pad.  Or at least what is left of a concrete pad.
It was around ten-by-8, and the edges had been driven over so often that only the center was solid, while the edges were all broken away.
The concrete itself was so old that it had been worn down to the stones.
I could open my slides on both sides.
The electric was on a meter, and they required a $25 down payment for the month and they read the meter when I checked out, and had to pay another $9.
The water was palatable and had good pressure.
Also, we had no problem with the Sewer connection and usage.

Streets:

The streets were at some time, long ago, in the far past,  hard surface streets.
But, they had been patched so many times, and also had so many bare areas, that it actually made it a little dangerous in places to walk. And I walk daily, weather permitting.

Laundry:

We used the Laundry regularly, and compared to other CGs, the equipment was in average condition, and a broken Washer or dryer was fixed promptly.
Some of the equipment is very old, one lady stated to me that she had been staying there over ten years , and half the existing machines were there when she moved in.

Pool and Jacuzzi:

The Pool was heated and kept cleaned, and functional for the whole month we wer there, and the Jacuzzi was also functional.
The pool area was kept clean.

Club House:

The Clubhouse, includes the Gym (old equipment), the Mens and Womens Bathrooms (only ones at CG), the Office, 2 pool tables,  and the social area for all events.
There is another small building that houses a nice little Library of books.
There are lot of planned activities, and they all happen in the one building.
This was a nuisance to me because if you wanted to use the Gym equipment, you had to plan around the social calendar for the people who reside there either full time or seasonally.

Summary:

They are actually an old trailer park with a number of open sites that they rent to the unknowing RV traveler.  The only advantage of this CG to me was that it is relatively close to Tampa, off of US-4 and is thus near a lot of entertainment and activities.  After my stay, and basing my decision to reserve there on their pictures on the web, I will have doubts that any other Wilder RV Resort is any better than this one.  What a shame!  Great location, but an old, worn out CG.  And—- Not that Cheap!

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