Review Detail

4.1 83
California 157060
July 1-21, 2014
Overall rating
 
3.1
Location
 
4.0
Cleanliness/Hospitality
 
1.0
Amenities/Facilities
 
2.0
Value
 
3.0
Overall Experience
 
4.0
There are some important things to know about this otherwise beautiful place on the CA coast: While there are no "homesteaders" at CSLO, there are people here who, for years, have hosted entire caravans of their non-military friends and family, so the odds are that you, the military member or retiree, are competing for space against groups who have a long-standing relationship with the post. In the span of one week, I witnessed this twice, with both military sponsors using 3 or more spaces for their group. As the reviewer below states, these civilian guests often do not know about the expectations on a military installation. This lack of understanding appeared in the (obvious) civilian guest who ran his extremely loud generator non-stop throughout July 4th weekend. The relief in the park when he left was palpable. And if you read below (August 2013) he was here last year too!! But who was going to tell him? His host didn't bother. Likewise with the folks who left their 3 dogs to bark all day long while they went gallivanting. There is no camp host here. There needs to be. The other thing that is going on in this otherwise beautiful place is that there is apparently no rule that says RV sites must be full before overflow is used. Overflow, which is situated to the left and right of the RV rows, was used, in one case, by a guy who appears to live in his truck, showers in the facilities here and who hangs his laundry on the trees. A CSLO staff member went through, stopped to chat, and apparently approves, but this feels very UN-family friendly to most. Again, without a camp host or camp rules that are consistent with other military Famcamps, not good. The Billeting Manager appears to turn a blind eye in certain cases. The Post Commander has very likely been told by other visitors that the serpentine entry to the Post main gate, which is admittedly important to have in place, is poorly designed. The barriers are placed dangerously close together and at weird angles such that large pickups or longer vehicles are in danger of damage. It's nothing short of harrowing. RVs, however, do not use that entry and are ushered through a nice wide gate to the right of the serpentine entry. Here's my last complaint, and then I'll tell you about what's great about CSLO. The laundry room has 7 washing machines. Four (more than half) of them did not work when I arrived. I also spent 10 minutes picking up the trash blowing around both outside that bldg. and within. The floors were filthy. I had to conclude that there had been a party there the night before, perhaps enjoyed by the young CA Cadet Corps trainees. There's no way to know. But the good news is that Sarah, who works in the Billeting office, met me at the laundry room, returned my quarters, apologized profusely and said that she'd call the company responsible for cleaning the facilities. She was also very nice and well-informed about the post itself. We ended up laughing and talking, and I enjoyed meeting someone who clearly cares about the experience of CSLO campers. Here's what's great about CSLO: The shower and laundry facilities are new bldgs. The RV sites are level and include a nice concrete pad, FHU and a large fire pit. There are animals everywhere: deer, wild turkey, rabbits as big as a dog, squirrels, coyotes, and (what I did not see) a mountain lion are all present. Without a stray insensitive camper, it's blissfully quiet. It's just a few miles north of SLO on Hwy 1, where there's a Costco, Target, and every other store you could name (except Walmart). Camp SLO also hosts young CA Cadet Corps leadership academy trainees, who march to cadence throughout the base in fatigues that are too big for them and colorful baseball caps. They're just plain cute. And I love the sound of cadence. The staff in the Billeting Office were also very kind and friendly, and I'm sure they will do all they can to improve things identified here and below as much as they are able to do so.
Report this review Was this review helpful? 4 2

Comments

To write a comment please register or
Cron Job Starts