Reviews aren't all that trustworthy either. I've been in many parks that I would not have recognized by some of the reviews. I guess it really depends on your requirements and expectations. My requirements are low.
I don't do "destination" parks or 55+ parks. I just want a fairly level spot with decent W/E/S hookups. I don't care about landscaping (except that the tree limbs are cleared from creating damage), not interested in swimming pools, hot tubs or spas. I have zero interest in clubhouses, potlucks (NO!) and other get togethers. A clean fenced spot for the dog to be off leash for a few minutes would be nice, but not a requirement as I can look for a nearby dog park online. I can walk the dog on the interior park roads so I don't need a "pet walk". I have my own bathroom and laundry facilities which I prefer to use.
I'm also not really interested in a one night stay in a cg/rvp unless I need to dump or need an electric connection. I tend to set my campers up for traveling and overnight in parking lots for several nights in a row before I need to dump waste tanks/refill fresh tank. So much more convenient to pull into a parking lot, walk to a nearby restaurant for supper, and possibly breakfast the next morning, before heading down the highway. And I try to refuel close by before stopping for the night.
The worst park I have ever been in (one month only, 11/2009, it was memorable) was an all age destination type park with very good reviews in Rockport, TX. They had the pool, spa, organized activities. Had a nice laundry (I didn't have a washer/dryer back then but that park is a great deal of the reason why I have my own now). Had several pool tables in the club house. Filled with the meanest, nastiest people I have ever run into outside of a 55+ Adult Golf Community (I grew up in FL and people in those places didn't like the sight of local kids). The guy across the street from us beat the **** out of his wife almost daily (horrible language). She would show up wanting to chat with big fresh bruises and never said a word about it other than she "tripped". Their place was far from the only "loud" place in the park. Lots of drunks there. We did not fit in at all. My husband and daughter went to shoot a bit of pool while I did laundry when we first got there. My daughter was 23yo at the time and looked like she was 14yo. A group of guys came in and informed my husband that he was playing on "their" table. There were at least 5 other tables that were empty. After they got nasty and threatening, my husband and daughter just left. The women in the laundry made nasty, snide remarks about the laundry detergent I used, my age (at 49yo I was "too young"), my daughter's apparent age (the park didn't allow kids - which was a lie since kids much younger than my daughter looked were living there and a school bus would stop to pick up and let kids off), my clothes (we all wore jeans - I had "too many" jeans). And I needed to wear more jewelry (what?). This was all in the first week we were there. We decided it wasn't a safe park despite the glowing reviews. We found a little place in Corpus Christi to stay for the rest of the winter. It didn't even have reviews. We liked it. People were nice. Of course it was filled with people like us, working class in older RVs. Neat, clean, quiet, no drunks stumbling around the park, lots of "permanent" older RVs and mobile homes. Public laundromat next door. Close to the beach. We could walk to the public library. Perfect for us.
That was when my husband and I really noticed that so many "RVers" were getting meaner.
