Fort Myers / Pine Island KOA

I just started camping and could not compare this to any other KOA’s or designated campgrounds. I’ve only camped while hiking in AR and GA and am accustomed to more space. I booked a tent site at this KOA. I thought the nightly fee was on the high side ($ 35/​night) I’m used to a much lower fee for a tent. I paid in advance and it not refundable. My GPS could not locate the place, so I called them. They could not give me directions. When I finally found it (by asking a local), it was clear that all they had to say was that they were located at mile marker 3. They are on an 8 mile stretch of road with only local streets. Kind of weird that they don’t know where they are located.
Once I arrived, I was told that I would be billed a $ 4 resort fee + tax per night, so my daily fee was close to $ 40. At check-​in (I arrived as they were closing) I was given a map with my site circled and told not to drive the wrong way on the one way streets. While driving, I stopped some RVers to ask where to go. They were Super friendly and helpful!
I must say this place is crowded. The RV’s looked like they were packed in like sardines. I was placed at a site right across from a grassy area which everyone used to walk their dogs. Luckily they all picked up after them or it would have been smelly. The only good thing about this was that I was able to talk to or say hello to all the nice dog /​RV people.
One long term RVer who had been going there for 18 years told me they pack more RVs in every year and it looked as if all the camp sites were being turned into RV sites because they can make more money. He was giving up his site and not coming back. I spoke with another couple who was at this location for the first time and they said they reserved a concrete slip and got a muddy slip with no concrete. They also commented on the overcrowding and the fees. They were traveling the US and said there were not many places as expensive and crowded as this, most were less crowded and less expensive.
Needless to say:
1) I don’t think the staff is friendly or helpful
2) the resort fee should be stated up front before you book your site
3) the showers are clear on the other side of the tent area — about an 8 minute walk
4) a single bathroom was close by (good thing)
5) there were too many lights so it was like daylight all night long
6) I probably won’t be coming back and only marginally recommend this place.

We were traveling through and needed a place to stay the night. They provided us with a 30 amp site even though the were pretty booked. KOA has taken over this campground and is in the process of upgrading all the sites to 50 amps. Even though we were only here for the night we were very impressed with the improvements KOA is doing. We will be coming back in the future.

I want to thank all the staff at KOA, you guys did a great job. Last week I spontaneously booked five days at Pine Island KOA. Two adults one child and two dogs. August 1^st till August 5^th. We reserved a Kabin, by coincidence I was very interested in Kabin 3 due to the shade of a big tree that covers the Kabin while looking on the web site and when I arrived that was the Kabin that was given to us. Now that is GREAT guest expectations. From the booking till check out everything went smooth. During the check in process we were provided with a wealth of information about the area and all the amenities that pine island KOA provides. They even send a staff member to help with taking my wifes electric wheel chair out of my pick up truck, I even offered to give him a tip and he would not except it and asked if i would give it to the cancer foundation at the office. I gave the staff member the money and he actually did place the eight dollars in the container, I saw it. The staff at the office was very helpful during our stay. Thanks for helping us with the chair during check out. I loved that we practically had the park to our selves. I recommend this KOA site.

This RV Park has some really bad qualities, including:
— Lack of 50 AMP Spaces: The KOA website showed the spaces as ³⁰⁄₅₀ AMP, so I assumed we would have 50 AMP when we arrived. As it, turns out there are a small number (10%) of spaces that have 50 AMP and all occupied when we checked in so we had a 30 AMP Space.
Suggestion: Charge $ 3 more per day for the 50 AMP space. Save the extra income and start rolling out 50 AMP to spaces.
— Resort Fee: This RV park is part of Encore, we were already spending $ 50 a night and had prepaid via
. Upon arrival, I had to pay an extra $ 3 per night for our stay for a ‘Resort Fee’. In Las Vegas, a Resort Fee covers the TV and WiFi but here it covers … I do not know what because we only had 18 TV Channels and the WiFi…
— WiFi: They used TengoInternet for Internet, which means we had to pay to use it. The cost for a week is $ 16.95, however it was unusable. Facebook would load in 2 minutes, uploading an image to the blog would take 30 minutes. Basically, unusable as is most TengoInternet at RV parks.
— Customer Service: When we arrived, there was a sign by their propane saying «No Propane Today.» I asked why that was and received a lecture by their employee before finally coming to the point, only certified people can fill tanks and they only work Monday-​Friday (we arrived Sunday). I did not need Propane that bad, but I also did not need a lecture on why your RV park does not have enough staff to fill propane. I asked what the Resort Fee cover and did not get a straight answer either which jaded me.
We spent six days here and the park itself was standard. Our space was spacious and the RV parked on a level concrete pad. A few times, we heard a jet fly overhead, but it was not loud enough to disturb us.
The location on Pine Island was relaxing, there was minimal traffic and we found ourselves slowing down during our visit.
This RV park had water, sewer, electric and cable hookups. There was a laundry room, which was clean but more expensive than most. There is a dedicated dog walk and a «playground» which was basically a set of swings.
Would I recommend this park? Maybe. Would we come back? Maybe, the annoyances listed above are a huge no-​no for me. This could have been a ‘good’ experience instead of a ‘meh’ experience.
Informational: We travel in a 36′ Class A RV.