As we were looking for places to stay in the St. Petersburg area, we consistently were seeing high priced hotels and condos. Sadly for a short five day, four night, family vacation we weren’t able to stomach paying seven or eight hundred dollars just for an eighth story room without a view of the ocean. Although we would have loved to be able to see the ocean from our room, we decided to look away from the beach for an affordable place to stay. 

As Molly searched, she found a local KOA campground that was only 10 minutes from the beach. The pricing was reasonable for a cabin, and we decided to book it because it looked nice and roomy. When we finally got to the location and the cabin, we were excited to see that our decision for a cheaper accommodation came with a ton of benefits! We had chosen one of the KOA campgrounds deluxe cabins that was also on the water side of a calm bayou. So the view was still beautiful each morning, even though we weren’t right on the beach.

What we loved about the KOA Kampground

• We enjoyed their cabin setup. It made for an effortless time with Blake, and she loved playing outside on both the patio and the deck. The cabin stayed cool, and the shower was always warm (They provide shower amenities such as shampoo, body wash and such too!)
• We loved being by the water! In the cove, right in front us, we saw otters and manatees which we wouldn’t have been able to see on the beach! 
• Blake was overjoyed with the opportunity to go to the pool each day as well. She’s been taking swim lessons and was excited to show off her skills in their large pool. 
• Although we didn’t use them it was cool to know they offered bike rentals, kayak rentals, mini golf and more. Their amenities didn’t end! 
• The people were friendly, and there was always someone riding around on a golf cart ready to help.

What we didn’t love about the KOA Kampground

• As I said earlier, we weren’t thrilled to not be on the beach. But being on the water side of the bayou was great! 
• We weren’t thrilled by the bugs. It rained a few times while we were there and after the rain, there were tiny bugs that would not stop biting. We could only spend about half our time out back on the porch because of this. 
• Our cabin was close to the end of the grounds so the walk to the pool was pretty far. 
• The drainage was pretty crummy, so when it rained, the roads filled up for a short while and made it hard to walk through and even hard to drive through.
• Their wifi was almost impossible to use. I was planning on using it to work some each day, but had to use my hotspot because it wouldn’t load any web pages.

Pro Tip: We spent a small amount to get the yearly membership to KOA, and it saved us over $50 total! The membership is well worth it even if you don’t plan on stay at KOA again. Also, the membership provides a great set of benefits beyond the campground too.

So overall we’d give the campground a rating of 4 out of 5 stars and would highly recommend it if you are looking to save a few dollars and have a family-friendly stay in St. Petersburg! Check out their website here and get your trip planned.