Myakka River Motorcoach Resort Website

DashCam Video – Arrival

General Information
Myakka River Motorcoach Resort is set on 40 acres on the Myakka River with boardwalk access and awesome views of the Myakka River. Big rig friendly with full paver sites ranging from 3300 to 7700 square feet. The three man made lakes create a water view from nearly every site.

There are three types of sites, Nature (lots 1 – 29), Lake Front (lots 30 – 88) and River Front (lots 89 – 99). Rates range from $90 to $130 per day with weekly and monthly rates offered. Sites are either pull-in or back-in, no pull thrus available here, all with full hook-ups (50 amp electrical, city water and city sewer). Some sites even offer 100 amp service. Electricity is included for daily and weekly stays. They do currently offer a Stay and Play deal – stay 3 nights, get one night free during non peak season (April 1st – November 30th).

This is an ownership resort so sites are available for sale ranging in price from $97,000 to $230,000. Ownership includes common share of clubhouse facilities and other resort amenities covered by the $250 monthly Owner’s Association Fee. As of this writing only four sites have been sold.

Overall impression – 5/5

Our first visit and wow, were we impressed! When we arrived we were greeted by the owner/developer, Ralf Gruenewald, originally from Germany, who took us on a tour of the resort by golf cart so we could choose a site. He then took us on a tour of the clubhouse, pointing out all the amenities, then escorted us to our site where he guided Rob into the site. Super friendly guy! Obviously very proud of his resort.

The resort is relatively new, only opened two years ago (2013) and is a beautiful example of an ownership type Class A only destination. Since it is so new, the plant life hasn’t reached the same level of maturity as some of the other Class A resorts we have been to, but I’m sure it will over time.

Safe and secure, gated resort, totally fenced in to keep both creatures and undesirable humanoids from wandering into the resort area. Ralf and his wife, Amber, live in an unobtrusive house within the resort so he is usually available to resolve any problems and takes a very active role in resort operations. For example, we saw him making trash runs and performing other maintenance tasks. Also, he and Amber tend bar at the Friday Meet and Greet (free beer, wine and soft drinks).

Very impressive, 2 story clubhouse with awesome views of the river. What we really liked about the clubhouse was the upper patio deck complete with a covered area where a bar, couches, and chairs were located as well as outside seating on the balcony overlooking the pool and with stunning sunset views of the Myakka River.

Great place just to sit and relax or to socialize during one of their many offered activities. If you want to relax even more, downstairs there is a relaxation room, plus a separate massage room if you care to schedule an appointment with a local masseuse. There is also a fully equipped exercise room and Pickleball and Tennis courts.

Great attention to detail by Ralf is evident in all aspects of the construction and decor. For example all sites are laid with dry fitted pavers and have high quality marine style power posts. The site markers/site lamps are another feature we really liked. Instead of the usual tall lamp poles with glaring lights, these posts were stubby about 2 feet high so when sitting outside, no bright lights hitting you in the face and shining in your eyes. Then there is the boardwalk and pier that runs along the waterfront and juts well out into the river where a cooling breeze seemed to be ever present.

Only four of the 99 sites have been sold as yet so it is mostly comprised of transients. Ralf promotes the resort as laid back,  friendly, active and healthy – we agree. Sure, there were a couple of Newell’s and other high end coaches here, but there were also many rigs of a more modest pedigree. Everyone we met here was very friendly and the vibe was not in the least cliquish or snobbish – quite the contrary. That could be attributable to the fact that there are very few owners at the moment, but somehow we don’t think Ralf would put up with that sort of thing should it develop in the future. We stayed here the beginning of April so many of the snowbirds had already left and it was relatively quiet. Even so, there were always activities going on, so despite the declining population there was still a strong community feel to the resort.

Sites:

Size – 5/5
There really isn’t a bad site anywhere in this resort – your preference would depend on what you want to look at and sun/shade preference. All sites are pavers and range in size from 3300 to 7700 square feet, have full hook-ups and each has a patio table and two chairs. Outdoor fires are allowed if you have a raised fire pit.

Plenty of space between sites so you don’t feel like you are right on top of your neighbor. If you want to pay the llowest rate but still have a view of one of the lakes, then nature sites #4-9 may be your best bet as there are no sites opposite. These sites are also facing north and well positioned for afternoon shade. Sites #26-#29 are nature sites also but are pull ins so the front window of your coach overlooks a large grassy area.

Be aware that there is a pathway leading to the boardwalk between River Front sites #95 and #96. If you don’t like people trooping by your coach you may want to avoid these two sites.

Privacy – 4/5
There is vegetation between sites but it is fairly immature still so it doesn’t offer much screening. Probably over time as more lots are purchased, owners will make additions so eventually this aspect will improve.

Amenities – 5/5

Beautiful two story clubhouse (open 24 hours a day) with stunning views from the patio and bar area, a TV viewing area with full surround sound theater, 80″ LED flat screen TV and satellite (Direct TV), kitchen area, pool table and bar area, games and library area, dance floor, washers and dryers, a community stainless steel commercial BBQ, washroom and showers, well equipped fitness center, pool with 75 foot swimming lanes, whirlpool spa, tennis and pickle ball courts. Second story is handicap accessible via an exterior elevator.

A 10,000 foot boardwalk along the river culminating in a pavilion for fishing or relaxing. Stairs down to the water make a great place to launch a canoe or kayak.

For people with pooches, there are two healthy sized dog runs. Trash pickup at the site is provided daily (have trash out at curbing by 10 a.m.) and there is easy access to the onsite dumpster/recycling facility.

Lot of activities even during non peak season. While we were here, there were various activities going on – Easter pot luck dinner, a weekly movie night, a progressive supper, complimentary Tuesday morning light breakfast, exercise classes and the weekly Friday night Meet & Greet with free beer, wine and munchies provided by the owner/developer, Ralf and his wife, Amber. Probably a lot more going on during peak season.

Location:

Convenience – 4/5
Grocery stores and other retail stores, restaurants and services are within a few miles of the resort. As this is a high population area, expect lots of traffic (and traffic signals) on the primary roads. Because it is less than an hour south of Sarasota, located halfway between Tampa and Naples on the Southwest Florida Gulf Coast, there are a lot of sightseeing opportunities. It is only 15-20 minutes from bike trails, Englewood’s world renowned beaches, Boca Grande, and the amazing Myakka and Charlotte Harbor State Parks. If you are interested in golf, there are several great golf courses, a PGA rated course, and the world famous 99 holes at the Rotunda Golf & Country Club. There are also several historical areas nearby with opportunities for cultural events such as theater, concerts, and art fairs. A marina is located just a mile away for serious boaters.

Physical Surroundings – 4.5/5
Although it is not a natural “state park” environment that we tend to frequent, it does feel like you are in a subtropical resort setting. Nature is all around – reported sightings of an eagle behind one of the sites, a turtle that lives in one of the lakes, jumping fish in the river and lots of birds. There are allegedly even some small gators in the lakes.

The direct frontage on the Myakka River is a big plus. Perfect spot to watch beautiful sunsets and go kayaking or fishing. This part of the Myakka River is just minutes from Charlotte Harbor to the south. To the north, many other adventures await by heading upstream toward Myakka River State Park.

Maneuverability and Roads – 5/5
This resort was built with big rigs in mind! Roads are paved and very wide so very easy to maneuver.

A two coach staging area in front of the clubhouse is provided for hitching/unhitching and all the roadways are as wide or wider than a typical residential street so there are no issues backing in or out and no one-way restrictions. This is an exceptionally well laid out and spacious resort.

Peace & Quiet – 4/5
It is located close to SR776 so at times there is some traffic noise depending on the time of day and which way the wind is blowing. But most times barely noticeable.

Utilities – 5/5

• Sewer – well placed, correct elevation, screw in 4″ cap.
  
• Satellite – we had no problems with our rooftop DISH Network reception. It is unlikely that any sites here would present any problems.
• Over the Air TV (OTA) – our OTA antenna picked up all the major TV networks with no problems..
• WiFi – free through Tengo Internet. Very well deployed throughout the resort including both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz access points. Performance though was just fair to middling compared to our Verizon LTE. Performance was only 1-2 Mb/sec download and even less for upload. There were times for us (even in the middle of the day) where it became unusable and we had to revert to Verizon – and that was just light HTML traffic. We suspect either Tengo throttles performance or the pipe feeding the campground has inadequate bandwidth. We would speculate useability falls to zero when the campground is full. This is probably the only item we could site as needing improvement here.
• Cellular signal – we had no trouble with our Verizon 4G LTE service here with or without a booster.
• Power – no problems with power during any of our stays here. Power poles have 50 and 20 amp outlets only. Bring an adapter if you have a 30 amp rig. Some sites have 100 amp service.
• Water Pressure/Quality – Water pressure is excellent at about 45psi. Quality was good with just a slight “swampwater” odor typical of Florida. No turbitity was noted. The utility pedestals have two high quality faucets with 1/4 turn valves. Renters for a month or longer can wash their coach for free, for short term renters there is a $20 charge for coach washing.

What we liked
– Everything!

What we didn’t like
– Need more vegetation between sites but this is a minor issue. Over time this will improve as the existing vegetation matures and as sites are sold and owners make improvements.
– WiFi performance, it was iffy at best even during the day in a park that was less than 1/4 full.

More photos…..