Ocean View Resort Campground

We spent a long weekend at Ocean View Resort- our second stay this season. And it was even better the second time. 

Located about a mile or so from the Garden State Parkway, the campground is easy to find. And with advance check-in completed online, we cruised right on to our site at arrival. 

I said this in my last review, but it’s worth repeating. The site we stayed in(# E26) was enormous. Lots of mature trees provide shade and privacy. Even though we had dumpsters at the end of our site, the length made it ok. Full hookups all worked just fine. Our site was level, included a picnic table and fire ring, and was well maintained. 

We like the tram that circles the park each evening and the paddle boats on the lake. The cafe and camp store are great conveniences. 

We enjoyed our site and our stay for Father’s Day weekend and look forward to coming back again. 

GOOD: 

• Huge site with shade and privacy. 

• Nice campground with fun& clean amenities. 

NOT-SO-GOOD: 

• Kind of expensive(we paid$117/night), but worth the price. 

• I really wish they’d offer delivery for firewood(it’s a long walk!). 

• Wifi and cable services are poor. 

NOTE: I try to review the places we stay based on what they’re trying to be. Resorts with manicured grounds, water parks, and lots of amenities should be reviewed differently than basic campgrounds in my opinion. Every place starts with 5-stars and loses stars for things I believe could and should be better.

We went to Ocean View Resort in New Jersey to kick off the 2022 season in our new Fleetwood Discovery LXE. And we’re glad we did! 

This campground is located less than two miles from Exit 17 off the Garden State Parkway. It’s located a short drive from popular shore towns including Avalon, Sea Isle City, Cape May, and Ocean City. We found the park easy to access and navigate. 

The check-in process was easy and the front office staff was friendly. I appreciate being expected when stepping up to the front desk. 

The most amazing part of our experience was our‘Deluxe 50 Amp Pull Thru’ site# E19. It was HUUUUUUGGGGGGE! See my photos. Our site had full hookups including 50-amp electricity, good water pressure, easily-accessed sewer connection, cable TV with limited channels(some were not clear), and Wi-Fi which was hopelessly slow. Tall trees provided some shade and privacy. The site was covered in gravel and stone, which is great because it didn’t get muddy after the rainstorm we experienced one night. I highly recommend sites E15-E27(E14 slopes too much for my preference). Most sites are seasonal trailers or-park models, but they appeared generally clean and maintained. 

The campground, our site, and facilities we visited were clean and well-maintained. Not all facilities were open as the full season begins in a few weeks. The campground store carries a variety of food and drinks, camping and RV supplies, clothing, pool toys, and souvenirs. This came in handy when I needed to replace a damaged sewer hose. 

It’s a good sign when it’s difficult to think of negative comments. If I’m being nit-picky, I’d share that the trash and recycling dumpsters were overflowing and unsightly. This could be because it was opening weekend. The firewood they sold was nice and dry, but they don’t deliver it to the sites. This meant I could only purchase what I could carry for my walk back to my site.(I believe offering delivery would be a major convenience for campers and result in increased sales for the campground.) 

This was their opening weekend for the 2022 season. While we expected inconveniences or less-than-ideal conditions, we found the place was prepared for the new season and we had no issues. The lake, swimming pool, and cafe hadn’t opened yet, but we’ll be sure to visit those amenities during our next visit later this summer. 

THINGS I LIKED: Site was huge and clean with well-maintained full hookups, gravel, and shade trees. Campground is clean and maintained. Store was well-stocked 

THINGS I’D CHANGE: No delivery for firewood Slow Wi-Fi Limited working cable TV channels

Worst hospitality at a campground I have ever experienced! The staff was beyond rude (story below).  But about the campground first....It's very large and it has a pool and decent size lake you can swim in. It seems to mostly be catered to seasonals (perhaps that is why they treat campers so poorly...) The seasonal fees seemed pretty expensive in my opinion but I usually just camp anyway, only looked out of curiosity. You have to pay to use a shower so bring quarters! For a campground that refers to itself as a resort, I was shocked by this. There is also a unique payment structure for guests (day pass, night pass after 4pm, or day + overnight are all different prices.) and guests cannot come into the campground after 11, so bear that in mind. It's close to the beach but that's about the only plus of staying here, their staff was so unbelievably rude, we will never be back.

Story: My sister was staying here for a week so I came to visit the last day, to sleep in her camper. She registers me as a "guest" (no one mentioned the various guest levels when she registered me, but it didn't matter because the plan was to meet up, drop off my bag + get changed, and head to the beach anyway. I was not planning on staying at the campground for the day).   Morning of, she learns I won't be able to"check in" as her guest until 4pm.  So she just gives me her car pass so I can drop my bag off, change for the beach, and head back out. They stoped me at the gate, began interrogating me, and would not let my car in. I had none of the above information at the time so was extremely confused... They called the office to give a rundown of what I looked like, which was super uncomfortable. Nothing was explained and this is where I noticed the treatment towards me shifted. So then I pulled over to the office parking lot so the line of cars behind me weren't held up getting past the gate and to figure out what to do and that's when I started getting harassed by the employees. One woman started SCREAMING my license plate number over and over again across the lot. The attendant and office workers were not helpful at all, acting like I was some murderer on the loose. I tried to diffuse the situation by saying I'd just leave my car in the office lot& walk to their camper to change into my bathing suit quickly and they said I couldn't do that either! I wasn't allowed to STEP FOOT into the campground AT ALL. Bear in mind, all I was trying to do at this point was change into my bathing suit and LEAVE but they were so busy screaming at me the entire time that I'm not sure they even know what was happening (I sure didn't).  So I did ignore that crazy rule and told the attendant I'd quickly use the closest bathroom to the office to change and be on my way out. He LEFT his parking booth (with a line of cars waiting to get into the campground...) to start to follow me around. Threatening to call the owners, etc. I wish he had called the owners, I would have loved to speak with them!  I changed as fast as I could and honestly felt like a criminal the entire time, and go back to wait for my sister by my car in the office lot.  During this time I heard the same lady screaming at others in the parking lot (the parking lot is HUGE mind you, it's not like space for 3 cars...) Just aggressively YELLING at people left and right!  Everyone was confused and uncomfortable by her screaming, I have never seen guests treated this way.

The license plate screaming lady came back out again to start screaming at me in front of everyone that I couldn't stay here/ park here/ be here until 4. (The office lot is parked outside of the campground entrance, mind you). I said numerous times I wasn't staying, I was waiting to meet with my sister and head to the beach. She did not listen and continued to SCREAM at me that I couldn't park there. Finally I made a snide comment about their AWFUL customer service(perhaps an inappropriate word thrown in because at this point I was upset, uncomfortable, embarrassed and frustrated) in which she said "if you didn't try and cheat us we wouldn't act this way!" My sister was staying there and PAID for me as a guest, I just came too early to CHANGE my outfit - so where was I trying to "cheat them?" How dare they talk to and treat their guests like this. They treated me like I was a criminal the second I pulled up.  

I am still shaking thinking about it. Camping  (especially at a 'resort campground') is supposed to be relaxing and fun, a respite from the real world - not an anxiety inducing experience. Terrible.