Jennifer M.
Yelp
We were very disappointed with our stay at Camp Fimfo in Waco. We booked a Mammoth Cabin near the pool, paying extra for the location, but the air conditioning did not work properly. The bedrooms never got below 75° with very little to no air movement, making it very difficult for our young children to sleep comfortably. We had the maintenance person come take a look and he was unable to make any difference, he basically just checked to see if the air filter was dirty. He agreed there was only very faint air movement coming out of the diffuser and it was not cold. He also told us a lot of the units around the Site were not working well and needed maintenance. Although I appreciated his honesty, the management of the property was much less genuine. It was a red flag when we initially got into the cabin and there was a sign saying the thermostat couldn't be set below 72 degrees without freezing out the unit and shutting it down altogether. This is basically an admission that the units don't work properly, in an transfer the blame to the guests if it wasn't cooling the cabin....not that it came close to 72 degrees anyway.
When we complained, we were told that 75° is "acceptable" and that it was just our "preference" to want it cooler. At $350+ per night, I expect a cabin that can actually cool to a normal sleeping temperature.
Because of this, we had to pack up all of our belongings and move to another cabin on the opposite side of the property, losing our entire first day of activities in the process. The replacement cabin wasn't ready and we were told to wait 15 minutes while it was cleaned -- though it clearly wasn't cleaned well to say the leastMy kids' socks were black within minutes of walking inside, the shower had mold and soap scum, and floors didn't appear to be mopped.
To their credit, they did offer us a golf cart for the inconvenience of being so much further from the amenities, but the new cabin's AC was only slightly better. Ultimately, we had to abandon our cabin altogether and stay at a hotel nearby, costing us hundreds more on top of the $1,000+ we had already spent. When we spoke with management again the next morning, they we were told we would be refunded fo the first night since the whole ordeal cost us all our time that first day that should have been spent enjoying the amenities. At that time, the rest of the stay was "under review" by management and they would let us know the outcome as the manager wasn't authorized to offer any refund or compensation for more than that. Each day we had to track them down and ask for an update and each day it was still "under review". It was still left unresolved by the time we were heading back home while they assured us they would follow up until it was resolved.
Conveniently, once we were back home and no longer able to ask them in person, the verdict was in that they were not going to refund anything, not even the first night the manager had already told us we would get originally. The whole process was very shady and disingenuous.
Our kids did enjoy the activities for the most part, especially the splash pad/water slide area and the mini-golf. Overall, however, it was a big disappointment and unnecessarily stressful for our family. We went to Fimfo based on so many great recommendations for the location in the Hill Country. In speaking to other guests while there, all shared the sentiment that the experience at the Waco site was FAR inferior and a big letdown after previously going to the Hill Country location. The only ones comfortable in their accommodation were staying in their RVs, which were far cooler than the cabins.
Other issues included:
* Multipleattractions not working and in need of maintenance. Most notable was the arcade which only had 3 or 4 working games with the rest out of order.
* Random nails sticking out of the interior wood paneling inside the cabin.
* Master bedroom curtain hung 3 feet above the floor, offering no privacy from the road no relief from the early morning daylight which made that room unable to be used for our toddler's pack and play or for naptime as it was way too bright for sleeping.
* Bunk beds very unstable and unsafe. This was mentioned to one of the maintenance people and he just laughed uncomfortably....because he had to stand on the top bunk to access the inside AC unit and it was a wild ride.
* Mold and grime in the bathroom, as well as curly hair stuck on the shower walls...we never used the shower...
What was supposed to be a fun family trip turned into a frustrating, expensive disappointment. Between the lack of working air conditioning, poor cleanliness, safety concerns, and unhelpful management, I cannot recommend Camp Fimfo Waco. If you must Fimfo, try another location and hope it is better maintained and more customer friendly.