Santa Rosa RV Resort

Navarre, Florida

First, let me say that nearly every campground we visit has the absolute best staff.

Welcoming you upon arrival. Friendly and helpful during your stay. Wishing you safe travels as you leave.

So, it really stands out when you come across the bad eggs — the employees who’ve perhaps forgotten they’re in the service business in the first place.

In part 1 of this blog series, we told you about pink Vespa lady at North Sandusky Campground in Sesser, Illinois. She chased us down — recklessly — to tell us not to drive through the group campsite loop.

Weird, right?

Now, we’re back with part 2 of the series. This time, we take you to Santa Rosa RV Resort in Navarre, Florida.

At $99.60 for just one night, you’d expect a great location, great facilities and great staff. They deliver on two of those.

Great location — check. It’s a waterfront resort in the Florida panhandle. It has a beach for people and a separate, smaller one for dogs.

Great facilities — check. There’s a pool, clubhouse, fitness room, playground, fenced dog area and a pier where you can fish without a license.

Great staff — meh.

There’s annoying, then there’s crazy

First up on our list of crazy sh*t campground employees do at Santa Rosa RV Resort: Clean the bathrooms and showers at 9 a.m. So, maybe this is merely annoying, not crazy. But, cleaning the bathrooms at peak morning time? Why?

We’d already enjoyed a long walk on the beach with the dogs — we had three at the time. After breakfast, we were ready to hit the showers and then the road. Except, the showers were closed.

So, we waited for them to open again.

After my shower, I met golf cart lady.

Walking back to the van, I started to cut through an empty site to get there sooner. That’s when she rolled up saying I couldn’t walk through an empty campsite.

No greeting. No, “How’s your stay?” Just, don’t walk through empty sites. What?

I confusedly said something in reply, and she told me she was joking. Just trying to help me get more steps in, she said.

It was a strange interaction.

Back at the van — yes, I took the long way home — J-Wo had blown a fuse. Turns out, you can’t use the hair dryer in the same outlet that’s running the space heater.

It was our first blown fuse, and it took us a bit to find both the fuse box and the extra fuses. But, we got it changed.

Just in time to hear a knock at the side door.

Golf cart lady again, this time telling us it was 11 a.m., check-out time, and we needed to be on our way.

She didn’t knock at 11:05 a.m. Nor at 11:01 a.m. But, 11 a.m. on the dot.

She must’ve been lying in wait outside the van, waiting for the top of the hour to strike.

Again, there was no asking how our stay had been. No pleasantries. Just, leave.

Truthfully, we had lost track of time while changing the fuse. The closed showers didn’t help our schedule either.

But, we were on the road before long, chatting away about the curious encounters.

Does golf cart lady have something against camper vans? People with blue hair? We’ll likely never know.

Maybe they wanted us gone because we had broken one of their policies — on accident, of course.

They allow two dogs per site. We had three.

Problem is, they don’t state their policies on their website or during checkout. I reserved the site and paid, only to find out afterward from the confirmation email that the resort wasn’t a great fit for our family.

Whoops.

We stayed anyway, getting there after dark and setting up quietly. And, hey, three small terriers are the equivalent of one large dog, or perhaps one-and-a-half.

All good, right?

I guess not, given that golf cart lady seemed to want us gone ASAP.

We’ve stayed gone, with no plans to return.

Especially now that we’ve discovered nearby Fort Pickens Campground on Santa Rosa Island. It’s cheaper and prettier, and we didn’t get harassed by the staff once — yay.

Santa Rosa RV Resort

Santa Rosa Sound
Navarre, Florida

Site #34

Overall rating ★★★☆☆

3 of 5 stars

Campsites ★★☆☆☆

2 of 5 stars
We were in a site right by Highway 98, which is quite loud. If we had been at a waterfront site, this rating would likely be higher.

Recreation ★★★★★

5 of 5 stars
Fish, swim, relax, paddle board. This is a great spot for outdoor fun.

Staff ★☆☆☆☆

1 of 5 stars
It would be nice if they cleaned the bathrooms in the 2 hours between check-out and check-in times. And, just be, you know, nice.

Bathhouse ★★★★★

5 of 5 stars
Don’t get me wrong, I may complain about the timing of the bathroom cleaning. But, I do appreciate them being clean.

Noise ★★☆☆☆

3 of 5 stars
The neighbors were quiet. The highway was not. Consider bringing earplugs.

Grounds upkeep ★★★★★

5 of 5 stars
It’s a well-maintained resort. They even come by to pick up your trash once a day.

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