Introduction:
This private campground, located in St. Augustine, came under new management about a year before our visit, and they have been working hard to upgrade it. As private campgrounds go, it's pretty nice, but it's still a private campground which, in our experience, means more money for less space.
Click here to read about our criteria for campground reviews.
The Basics:
Overall Rating: 4.4/5
Price per night / Discounts: $56 / AAA and Good Sam are offered
Campground website: Compass RV Park
Our Site #: 82
Privacy Rating (how spacious and private do the sites feel):
2/5: We were upgraded to a premium back-in site. We had a neighbor on either side and only about 15-20 feet between the rigs with no natural barriers. You are basically parked right next to each other and looking into one another's windows. We did have a decent sized patio, but really, there's no privacy. And most of the other sites (the non-premium ones) seemed even tighter than ours.
Location Rating (accessibility to points of interest or to major highways):
5/5: If you're exploring St. Augustine, this is about as good as it gets. It only takes about 10 minutes to get downtown to the main historic district, and it's only a couple miles off I-95, so for accessibility, it really can't be beat.
Site Quality and Big Rig Accessibility Rating (utilities and accessibility of campground hook ups):
5/5: This was a full hook-up site and everything was well placed. The premium sites all have large cement pads, picnic tables and fire rings. There was a bit of landscaping at the front of the pad to demarcate the space further. The sites were large and level. Other sections however, were closer together and had smaller sites, so there is wide variability in the park. The campground's website has a description of each individual site, so it's worthwhile if you're booking here to spend the time checking out the different site descriptions. The roads into and out of the campground were fine, with only one somewhat tight turn, but nothing we couldn't handle.
Technology and Customer Service Rating (online resources, reservations, and staff):
5/5: Their website has all the information you could need and you can book your own reservation online. Everyone we dealt with at the campground was very friendly and helpful. They escorted us to our site and made sure we had everything we needed. On Christmas Eve day, our key card randomly stopped working, so I called the number taped to the office door. Someone came over immediately and re-programmed our card to get us on our way. They are definitely working really hard to upgrade everything, provide good customer service, and make your stay as nice as possible.
Internet Availability Rating (Verizon coverage or campground wifi):
5/5: Verizon worked fine. The campground offers wifi, which we also used and it worked pretty well most of the time. On our last day at the park, we got an email indicating they had just upgraded their wifi, so it should be even better now.
Summary:
We were upgraded to a premium site from the one we booked because the one we booked was not available, but to be honest, we wouldn't be willing to pay what they're asking for the premium sites. Since privacy is the most important thing to us, and these sites afforded so little of it, we'd just as soon save the extra cash.
Otherwise, as private campgrounds go, this one was really nice. Our site was level, generally spacious, and the hookups were conveniently placed. They are obviously working very hard to upgrade everything and everyone we dealt with was very friendly. We appreciated the small area of trails at the back of the park where we could walk the dog, and the campground's common facilities (laundry rooms and such), were clean and in good condition. Unfortunately, however, it was emblematic of several things we like to avoid in campgrounds. It was extremely pricey and we were basically on top of our neighbors, even in the most expensive sites. Given how convenient it is, we would certainly stay there again, and would recommend it for people trying to check out St. Augustine, but it's not our ideal campground.
