Rhiamae L.
Yelp
I have always yearned to go on a road trip with my friends for a very long time. However, while all of us are out of high school and can take care of ourselves for the most part, many of us are poor college students with a limited amount of money. Therefore, me being the main event organizer for our group, I had the challenge of finding a vacation spot destination that required little to no spending money. Luckily, upon talking with an internet friend, I was able to remember Avila Hot Springs, which was a resort that my family frequently stayed at whenever we visited Pismo, and it was because of this, that I was able to choose this as our first vacation spot!
In total, for a three day and two night trip, and for two reserved camping spots it would cost $260. However, divided by eight people it only cost each person $32.50 which was an amazing bargain if I do say so myself. As a result, I notified all my friends and I booked our reservation for the campgrounds one month in advance from June 9 to June 11th.
Service: 2/5
The people I talked to at the front desk were extremely relaxed, but unprofessional. Though friendly, I felt like they did a very mediocre job at addressing my problems and fixing them, especially during phone calls where none of the workers were able to give me an accurate time I should come over to check in or check out. I felt like I was talking to a bunch of teenagers that were just doing a summer job, and it's because of this that I could not take them seriously. There were also times when I felt like they were obviously annoyed by my presence and that I was just wasting their time, so I was overall very disappointed with the service they provided.
Campgrounds: 3.5/5
As I have mentioned before I've visited the campgrounds several times previously and all those times we were camped at the grass area in the front of the lobby. However, can you imagine the disappointment I had when I realized that our camp spot was on a dirt and gravel lot that was a mile a way from the lobby! I was so confused and annoyed, that I had no choice but to walk one mile to the lobby to voice my complaint. There I was greeted by a woman who was a little rude and nonchalant when speaking to me where she told me straight that we had to settle for the gravel and dirt road as our camping spot. I came back to the camping spot annoyed and disappointed, however, at the end of the day, we decided to make the best of what we got, and tried to see the positives.
Positives:
- a large tree offered our camping spot tons of shade
- the camping spot was nice and large to fit two big tents
- we didn't have to smell the sulfur
- it was actually nice and quiet for the most part
- large camp grill provided
- two porta potties that were not too far from the camp grounds
- two large trash bins to put trash
- we had access to water through a hose that was near the campgrounds
Negatives:
- we always had to take a really long hike just to get to the main building
- dirt and gravel is not a comfortable place to sleep in
Hot Springs & Pool: 4.5/5
My friends and I greatly enjoyed the pool and hot springs that were kept clean for the most part. It was also really spacious and there were lots of seats available for people to come and just watch their loved ones play. It's a very friendly area to just sit and enjoy yourself. There are also a lot of friendly locals that you could talk to. Of course, though, most of my friends were looking to the hot springs the most which they found hard to get into at first since it was extremely hot. Ultimately though, they enjoyed it the most, and spent most of their time at the Springs vs the pool.
Bathrooms: 5/5
Avila Hot Springs did an amazing job at updating the bathrooms from when I previously visited. At first, the bathrooms were extremely cramped and small and it proved nearly impossible to shower comfortably. It was also really unsanitary and dirty for the most part. However, when I visited this time, the bathrooms and changing rooms got a new makeover. This time, it was large, spacious, and clean. The shower room was most impressive because it offered a bath bench, two shower heads, clean curtains, and a large drain. The changing rooms were immaculate because it offered several changing rooms and bathrooms to do your business.
Conclusion: 4/5
Avila Hot Springs will always have a close place in my heart, and I'm happy to say that it was well worth the visit. Despite the several bad reviews this place was given, I think it is an amazing Hot Springs that any regular family or a group of friends can enjoy. But I cannot stress this enough, please do not visit this Hot Springs expecting some five star resort because you won't get that. It's run down and there are a lot of facilitates that are out of use, like their kitchen and snack bar. But if you just want a place that is affordable and to enjoy yourself and make memories, I cannot recommend this place enough.