Chesapeake Bay KOA, Cape Charles, VA

Chesapeake Bay KOA, Cape Charles, VA is located just north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. An anomaly among KOA campgrounds it does qualify as a resort. Perched on a sand bluff overlooking Chesapeake Bay the park is always filled to capacity, and for good reason. The extensive plateau, on which the park is located, is a grassed plain and attracts primarily local residents because of its proximity to urban Virginia Beach and Maryland offering a more relaxed experience without the intense crowds. Entering from either north or south from Route 13 (as well as exiting) is straightforward as one approaches the large office/welcome center. This building contains a well-stocked store, large exercise room, an arcade area, and an ice cream/café shop. After registration the staff escorts the guest to their site and assists them backing in; the turning radii are adequate for a 45’ motorcoach with a tow, however the escort does request you unhook in order to avoid clogging the narrow streets. The sites are all grass and incorporate a unique synthetic foundation embedded into the grass which kept our 27 ton motorcoach from sinking into the grassy sand. FHU was operational and 50 amp service stable even providing a stable 65 amp draw from our motorcoach. Landscaping is minimal and there are no trees to hinder maneuvering. The sites are not level and cantilevered; we saw some trailers and 5th wheels that had to raise one end almost two feet to obtain level. This problem is endemic to the ridge swale that runs down the middle of each campsite aisle.
Amenities include a free shuttle to local areas, i.e. nearby historic Cape Charles; their own private sandy beach with a dog beach, live music on the weekends, and water sports rentals (paddleboard, kayaks, and jet-skis).
And did we mention food?; the campground not only offers ice cream and snacks at the café located in the main building, there is also the Jackspot Bar and Grill restaurant located at the beach and offering good quality burgers, and crab cake sandwiches. A large deck is attached with shade and a bandstand.
The large milky pool teeming with families appears to be undersized for the 316 camp sites. The pool complex boasts a large bathhouse, and an oversized pool apron with 13 cabanas that can be reserved, although they are short on pool furniture. The park also includes several safari tents, park models and camper trailers for rent. The south side of the park is occupied by seasonal/permanent residents in their rv’s. Adjacent to the office/welcome center is a 71 room motel complex and it has its own crystal clear pool (hint-this offers a quiet respite from the crowds at the main pool). So as one can imagine the entire park can become busy and at times lively. Due to the many amenities this is a family resort and one does not have to depart the premises to enjoy oneself.
Historic Cape Charles is a short 12 mile drive north and worth the trip to explore the town and enjoy the restaurants. Wallops Flight Facility, Onancock Historic District and Eastern Shore Railway Museum are all within an hour’s striking distance. 
The buildings are painted pastel color reminiscent the FL Keys providing a holiday spirit to this campground on the shore of Chesapeake Bay. There are 3 bathhouse/shower buildings dispersed among the park; they are contemporary and clean (they also include a kiosk where a guest can register their impression of the cleanliness of the bath/shower with 3 buttons-‘unsatisfactory’, ‘neutral’, ‘happy’). Pictures on their web site and Google Maps are representative of the condition we observed July 2019. 
WiFi was acceptable for retrieving email; it does support streaming music and movies with occasional buffering using our Winegard ConnecT  with signal of 85%-95% and -54dBM to -41dBm. Using our Winegard Rayzor Automatic enabled us to pull in the local tv channels in HD on our OTA. Cell phone service was excellent.

The Takeaway: not the typical KOA this is a popular resort just north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel that is always full. The Jackspot restaurant serves respectable burgers and crab cake sandwiches along with a full service bar bordering their private sandy beach on the Chesapeake Bay. Amenities abound with a café, restaurant/bar, exercise room, arcade room, two pools, complimentary shuttle, etc. Sites are grass and not level with a backyard that is on top of your neighbors, however this is a beach resort. WiFi provides streaming with occasional buffering and OTA delivers local channels in HD. Visited August 2017 and July 2019 Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park,etc.

Chesapeake Bay KOA, Site #615

Chesapeake Bay KOA

Chesapeake Bay KOA

Chesapeake Bay KOA, Hotel Pool

Chesapeake Bay KOA

Chesapeake Bay KOA

Chesapeake Bay KOA, Welcome Center

Chesapeake Bay KOA

Chesapeake Bay KOA, Evening Storm Clouds

Alliance Hill 50 Plus RV Resort, Marianna, FL

Alliance Hill RV Resort is located in Marianna, FL 9 miles South of I10. There is some confusion as to the name as it is also listed as Alliance Hill 50 Plus RV Resort on their own webpage and by Yelp; nevertheless same great rv park. Returning home after 7 months on the road we stopped at Alliance Hill RV Resort as Highway 98 hugging the shoreline along Florida’s panhandle was closed.  Hurricane Michael had slammed the panhandle with 160 mph winds. Even North on I10 the devastation was visible as we approached Marianna, FL. Areas like Mexico Beach, Panama City, Port St. Joe, Blountstown and Marianna were especially hard hit. So we would have not found Alliance RV Resort since we usually travel Highway 98 East and West; what a great little rv park!
What a delightful surprise to find this relatively new rv park out in the backwater 58 miles west of Tallahassee, FL. This is not a resort, however it offers the basic amenities in a pastoral setting. But don’t misunderstand, there are things to do in this area; Blue Springs County Recreation Area & Park, Florida Caverns State Park, and Panhandle Pioneer Settlement  to name a few. The park had suffered from Michael’s winds knocking down and snapping large trees like matchsticks. However by the time we arrived November 5, 2018 the owner Glenn, a congenial fellow, had managed to clean up the debris and the resort was up and running.
This is a small rv park, very neat and clean and relatively new. The bathrooms, showers and laundry rooms are all very clean, neat and tidy. The clubhouse is well appointed with a pleasant in-ground pool behind it. At 45 feet with a tow vehicle we did not experience issues pulling into our site. I was apprehensive about the ground as the dirt and grass path to the cement pad was saturated from previous rains. However, the owner had taken care to prep the ground with good compacted gravel and at 27 tons we did not sink into the ground. Good FHU with stable 50 amp service, and the concrete pad is level and accommodated our 45 foot length. There is no cable tv at the sites, however there is cable tv in the clubhouse. WiFi is available in the clubhouse and not being available at the sites we consider a drawback as we deem this to be a requisite amenity. We used our phone as a hotspot to access the internet and stream movies. We did receive a number of local tv channels on our OTA (over-the-air tv antenna). Their website does include a reservation page however it is just a dated contact form to submit and we suggest calling.
This park demonstrates what thoughtful and proactive park owners can offer and we encourage this type of entrepreneurial spirit in the rv park industry. It need not be a resort, just basic amenities, well groomed grounds, clean facilities, clubhouse and a pool makes the stay enjoyable and relaxing. We would return again due to the level of service, amenities, and maintenance of this little gem of an rv park in Florida’s northern panhandle.
The Takeaway: a small well maintained and landscaped rv park, somewhat off the grid in a bucolic setting. The owner is an affable fellow and accommodating. The sites offer level concrete pads, FHU, and no cable tv. Cable tv and WiFi are accessible in the clubhouse. The park and buildings are only a few years old and provide clean, modern conveniences.We stayed here November 2018. Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park,etc.

Alliance Hill RV, Site #3

Alliance Hill RV

Alliance Hill RV, FHU

Alliance Hill RV, Clubhouse

Alliance Hill RV, Clubhouse

Alliance Hill RV, Pool

Camp Hatteras RV Resort, Waves, NC

Camp Hatteras located in Waves, NC straddles both sides of NC Hwy12 with the largest part of the park oceanside and the smaller number of sites soundside on Pamlico Sound. This campground has been here a long time and as we understand from talking with several guests initially sold time shares for a 25 year period and these are coming to an end in about three years. All sites provide FHU with stable 50 amp service (in fact the electric handled our 70 amp draw with no issues). The concrete pads are level and include a small concrete patio thus avoiding the necessity of laying down a patio rug. The grounds are well maintained, especially considering that the OBX is a sandy beach island 20 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean from the mainland. Ocean side sites are surrounded by a thick green carpet of grass and many back into huge backyards. The park also offers a sprawling pristine private beach on the Atlantic. The soundside sites are sand and grass and provide unparalleled views of Pamlico Sound and guests engaging in various water sports. Buildings are well maintained, there are three pools: one large sparkling outdoor swimming pool, a heated indoor swimming pool, and an indoor hot tub. The bathrooms and laundry buildings are dispersed among the campsites and are reasonably clean considering the heavy usage (they clean them twice a day). Access into the park off Route 12 is wide and uncomplicated; even the u-turn to exit and cross Hwy 12 to the soundside sites was possible in our 45’ motorcoach with tow. All streets are paved and wide with good turning radii. The brochure states that they provide WiFi and at the welcome center they caution you that it may not be reliable; we found the contrary and using our  Winegard ConnecT were able to stream movies with little or no buffering. Speed was 5.81Mps download, 0.23Mps upload and signal strength was 87% at -49dBm. We did experience the internet going down several times however they were quick to reboot the module whenever we called. The Winegard Rayzor Automatic enabled us to pull in the local tv channels; since this is the OBX there are a limited number of over-the-air channels available in SD; cable is provided at each site which we did not avail ourselves of. Pictures on their web site and Google Maps are representative of the conditions we observed July 2019. 

The Takeaway: vast sandy stretches of beach on the unparalleled OBX offer a inimitable vacation experience. The park stretches from oceanside to soundside in a quiet area of the OBX away from the vacation dense populations of Nags Head to the north and Avon to the south. Level concrete pads with patio, FHU, strong 50 amp electrical, and cable. WiFi is good and supports streaming. There are some very good local restaurants and seafood markets in Waves, Manteo and Avon; all worth driving to. And there are 5 lighthouses from Oracoke to Corolla to explore and climb. We visited September 2017 and July 2019.Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park,etc.

Camp Hatteras, Site#383

Camp Hatteras

Camp Hatteras, Pamlico Sound

Camp Hatteras, Pamlico Sound

Camp Hatteras

Camp Hatteras

Camp Hatteras, Pamlico Sound

Fine Dining at High Cotton, Charleston, SC

High Cotton Restaurant located in downtown Charleston, SC has been and continues to be an iconic landmark offering consistently good food. Dressy casual attire matches nicely with the casual Southern décor. However, the fare takes main stage coupled with fine service and plate presentation. Our brunch included she-crab soup, thick, creamy and flavorsome. The entrees were Crab Cakes Benedict topped with perfectly poached eggs with a barely runny yoke; some of the best lump crab cakes (I rank them with the crab cakes at Turtle Shack Café, The Bayside Inn & Restaurant, and Sunrise Seafood) with no filler and just enough binder to hold the cake together. My wife’s entrée was the Lobster & Bacon Omelet; moist egg omelet folded around a generous amount of lobster meat augmented with lobster bisque provided a succulent seafood accent to a perfectly cooked omelet. Both entrees came with cheddar grits, soft, thick and creamy; my only critique being their blandness, a hint of jalapeño would be my personal choice to turn them into a tongue tangy delight. 
The Takeaway: Well crafted Lowcountry cuisine offering fresh local ingredients of high quality consistently presented. Charleston is a foodie paradise with numerous varied quality experiences, however consistently tasteful meals from the High Cotton kitchen makes this our place of preference for over 30 years.
We last visited June 2019 for brunch. Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review,etc.

High Cotton Restaurant

High Cotton Restaurant

High Cotton Restaurant, Entrance

Inn at Huntingfield Creek, Rock Hall, MD

Inn at Huntingfield Creek, located Rock Hall, MD is a premium B&B. A personable fellow, Jim, and his charming and talented wife Joann preside over this impressive gentleman farm/guest house in the heart of waterman country on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Since we travel in our motorcoach we are not exposed to the hospitality industry. Nevertheless years of corporate travel and vacations prior to our motorcoach days has imbued us with what a good overnight experience should entail.
The entrance to the property is down a long drive, lined by trees, to the main house, circa 1855, rebuilt 2001 after a terrible fire. The property and grounds are well kept and surrounded by acres of soybeans as well as sunflower fields, sassafras groves and lavender fields. However it is the attention to detail and commitment to the visitor’s experience that Jim and Joann should be proud of. From the various gardens swarming with dancing butterflies to the trees so arranged as to orchestrate a beautiful landscape it is evident that care has been taken to create an experience not to be forgotten. The sparkling clear salt water pool, with an enjoyable 7.5’ depth, offers a welcome respite from the warm Maryland summers offering comfortable lounge chairs with thick padded cushions; luxurious guest towels are provided pool-side. The main house contains the owners’ living quarters on one end. The remainder of the house is kitchen, dining room, guest rooms upstairs and a large relaxing living area and library with complimentary beverage bar. The warmth and comfort of the furnishings present is one of welcome and serenity. There are four outbuildings providing private guest accommodations; all furnished with kitchen, dining area, and full baths. The bedroom and lounge area are open plan. There is also a large hall for weddings and other events. The dogs, Java, Maggie, Bayla, and Rosie are all friendly and welcomed our standard poodle as part of their group. The included WiFi was outstanding providing a 92% signal and -37dBM; phone service was 4G on our Pixel phones.
The extensive grounds provide room to roam and walk down to the pond or take the path to a cove looking out at Chesapeake Bay. The walk to the bay is thru lawn, then walking trail (don’t miss the bottle tree) to a small dock and kayaks which one can use to explore the Chesapeake Bay estuary.
Breakfast was a treat with Joanne’s made from scratch bread pudding with condiments of berries from their garden. The sausage, bacon, and scrambled eggs, with melted cheese was prepared, again, as homemade. Of course coffee, tea, and juices were present.
The pictures on their website are representative of conditions and actually do not do justice as to the clean and neat accommodations and premises.

The Takeaway: a splendid gentleman farm/guest house located in the pastoral waterman country on the Eastern Shore of Maryland is identified by superb food and meticulous grounds keeping only surpassed by convivial hospitality. We stayed July 2019. Go to  www.rickpicks.com for other reviews, critiques and essays with links to area attractions and a more detailed review of this park,etc.

Butterflies in Garden

Butterfly Garden

Inn at Huntingfield

Lawn to Path to cove on the Chesapeake

Bottle Tree

Cove on Chesapeake Bay

Inn at Huntingfield

Salt Water Swimming Pool