Citra, FL – Grand Lake RV & Golf Resort Review

Date(s) of Stay: November 13, 2015 arrival; November 14, 2015 departure

General Information

Located just four miles from I-75 between Ocala and Gainesville, Grand Lake RV & Golf Resort is owned by Sun Resorts, has been given a five star rating by Woodall’s and has been rated “One of the Top Nine Resorts in the United States” by USA Today. They have a total of 361 RV sites, offering both pull thru and back in sites, either concrete or grass. Big rig friendly accommodating rigs up to 65 ft. in length. In addition to the RV sites, they also have one and two bedroom cottages available for rent.

Site Map

Rates:
Daily, weekly and monthly rates are available here. Note they offer Passport America but it is not valid January thru March or during holidays and special events. We paid the PPA rate of $18.50 which was a bargain. The long term rates here also seem very reasonable for a FL location.

Overall Impression – 4/5
What a lovely RV resort! We were only there for one night so didn’t have a lot of time to explore this huge facility, but it was very clean and seemed to be very well maintained. Our concrete pad pull thru site #81 was long enough to accommodate both the rig as well as the van and had well placed utilities. Adequate space between sites, but no privacy screening of any kind. However, the pads were angled slightly so it didn’t seem like you were on top of your neighbor. Some of the sites have “permanent” occupants who have added “improvements” like storage sheds. Our neighbor had some of said improvements and although it didn’t interfere with us in any way, it did make our site seem a little less spacious. Definitely a place that we would return to for a future, perhaps longer, stay. Usually when we are in this area we stay at Williston Crossings. In our opinion this resort trumps Williston, particularly if you can get the PPA rate.

Sites

Size – 4/5
Big rig friendly. Our pull thru site #81 was a cement pad, surrounded on both sides by grass, and long enough for both the rig and our van without unhitching. Well placed utilities. Adequate spacing between sites. Back in sites looked fairly long as well. Picnic table was on a cement pad as well. Staying here during rainy weather would not be an issue.

Privacy – 3/5
No privacy between sites but they were angled so it didn’t feel like you were right on top of each other.

Amenities – 4/5
Lots of amenities here: Wi-Fi, Cable TV, dump station, 2 laundry facilities, propane, heated outdoor swimming pool, 9-hole executive golf course, driving range, putting green, golf cart rentals, pro-shop/convenience store, fire pit area, tennis courts, shuffleboard, bocce ball, horseshoes, billiard tables, ping pong tables, dart boards, 2 clubhouses, rally house, exercise/fitness room, restaurant/cafe, and lots of planned activities.

Location:

Convenience – 4/5
Only about 8 minutes from the interstate. We weren’t here long enough to explore the surrounding towns but it appeared that the nearest major conveniences (grocery, WalMart, restaurants, etc.) are located in Gainesville which is at least a 30 minute drive. There is a small cafe that serves dinner in the resort.

Physical Surroundings – 4/5
Lovely setting with lots of trees and well manicured grass bordered on one side by Orange Lake and on the other by a golf course.

Maneuverability and Roads – 4/5
Easy access from I-75/ Fairly wide primary interior paved roads. Site access roads were narrow but one way and the sites were angled so maneuvering was easy.

Peace & Quiet – 4/5
Located far enough away from highway and main local roads so we didn’t hear any road noise.

Utilities – 4/5

Sewer – Very well placed for our mid-coach wet bay. Threaded cap. Raised fitting but still low enough to achieve a proper slope.
Satellite – Most sites here should not have a problem with satellite reception but it will be site dependent. We were able to hit all three satellites in the DISH Western Arc (110/119/129).
WiFi – Very good, one of the better campground WiFi’s we have tried. The Acces point antenna happened to be right on our site.
Cellular signal – Good. Adequate Verizon 4G inside and outside the coach without a booster.
Over-the-Air (OTA) TV – Received all major networks OTA.
Power – Good. 120+ volts. 50/30/20A
Water Pressure/Quality – Good pressure, no notable turbidity or off odors.

What We Liked
– Just 8 minutes from I-75
– Well maintained resort on lovely grounds
– Long pull thru cement pads
– Low PPA rates (except JAN – MAR) and very reasonable daily and long term rates otherwise.

What We Didn’t Like
– Can’t think of anything