Old Orchard Beach KOA is the nicest park we’ve stayed at in the KOA network, and also, by far, the most expensive.
We Paid: $70 per night for 2 nights
Discounts Used: KOA Membership
Address (GPS Link): 814 Portland Road Saco, Maine 4072
Website: http://koa.com/campgrounds/saco/
Amenities List: Power, Water, Sewer, Camp Store, Games Room, Rec Room, Pool, Jacuzzi, Playground, Field Games, Wireless, Cable TV, Bathrooms, Showers, Laundry, Cabins, Tent Camping, Propane, Restaurant on site, Dog Run, Splash Pad
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Best Features
- Pretty grounds
- Great amenities
- Amazingly friendly staff
Worst Features
- Super Expensive
There were lots of nice decorations around the park, especially of Moose.
The Details
We both really liked Old Orchard Beach KOA. Like many in the network, it has very pretty grounds, thick with beautiful trees. They really know how to create a feeling of camping in a manicured parkland. Unlike a lot of other KOAs, everything at Old Orchard is incredibly well maintained giving the park a very professional and welcoming atmosphere. The owners clearly care very much about making every inch of their park as good as it can be. I have a lot of respect for that.
While we were here, the park was packed with kids having a great time with all the cool stuff the park has for them to amuse themselves. The pool isn’t big, but the kids were making full use of both it, and the “splash pad” which is sort of a water-sculpture park for running around in. They were also riding around on trikes and bikes and romping on the playground equipment.
We have never encountered more friendly staff than those at this KOA. We were greeted with great enthusiasm and guided to our site immediately. Every other interaction left me feeling upbeat and cheerful because their enthusiasm and friendliness was so genuine and infectious. The store had a nice selection of the usual treats and fun stuff as well as locally produced goods from Maine.
I loved this fire pit and chair circle next to the Merry Moose snack shack.
Our site was of ample size and had well-ordered hook ups. Wifi and Cable TV were free of charge. All the facilities were in good order and very clean, especially considering all the kids in the park. We decided to take advantage of their in-camp restaurant, The Merry Moose. They serve both breakfast, lunch, and dinner items including Maine Blueberry Pancakes, which are really a treat.
Really, just about everything is great at Old Orchard except the hefty price tag. Our peak season site set us back $70 a night, after our membership discount! Aside from an RV park on the beach at the Florida Keys, it’s the most we ever paid for parking. This is the only reason I didn’t give them five stars. Maine is pretty steep all around but it is a hefty price tag. Despite that, I give it a solid recommendation for a short stay, vacation park, or if you don’t mind paying extra for a premium park. We would not stay here more than a few nights, but I would stay again if I was in the area.
2 Comments
OK, I gotta ask after following your paths among some pretty gnarly (and costly) RV parks, WHY? Are you not able to explore BLM sites at all? Being from the northwest, you have an interagency pass I’m sure. Is this the only option for your Airstream? Is there a specific reason you are choosing RV ‘parks’? I know BLM is ‘boondocking’ but you seem to be missing some of the best out there and paying a tidy sum as well. I truly want to Airstream but rig mine so that I am not as independent and away from RV suburbs as much as I like. Is this not truly possible? This would be a really valuable blog post should you choose to address the topic.
Thanks for the question Irene.
There are a couple of reasons. They boil down to liking the full hook ups we get at RV parks.
The most essential are our two cats. We want to keep the Airstream air conditioned or heated while we are away. Thus we need 24-hour power to keep the climate control running when we are not there to monitor the temperature. In many cases, they would probably be fine, but we want to do all we can to ensure they are.
We are also pretty fond of having electricity, water, and sewer more or less on demand rather than needing to ration them out during a stay.
A lot of folks boondock very successfully and very happily. So if it is the type of RV living that appeals to you, I think it is totally viable. Pet’s are the only real wrinkle I can see in that. But if you have the type of pets that can simply come on your trips with you, that’s not so much an issue. And if you go to a park where they were not allowed, then you could stay where you can have reliable electricity at a minimum to keep them comfy while you are away.
I haven’t written much about boondocking as we rarely ever do it. On some topics, I’ve written mostly based on research, but I try to have at least some experience in the area before I give advice. Still, I think it would be good for us to go and have that experience so we could understand it better and then write about it. Thanks for the suggestion!