Our First Test Run - Bar Harbor Oceanside KOA Holiday, Maine
While you haven’t heard from us in a while it doesn’t mean that we have given up. On the contrary, we have been flat out getting ready for our departure. We will update you more on that shortly, but in the meantime, we wanted to share our first trip in our new RV.
About a month ago now, we headed out for our first dry run trip in our new RV. We have spent a good deal of time since we got back from bringing Georgie home from Georgia to get to know her, make her ours, and prep her for our big trip. After years of thinking, planning, and dreaming, we wanted to see if we could do this, even on a short-term basis. So we headed out to the Bar Harbor Oceanside KOA Holiday, in Bar Harbor Maine for a long weekend.
Bar Harbor Oceanside, is as it states, right on the water and has multiple campsites with direct water access
We know Bar Harbor well. It is about two and a half hours from our house and is an area we really enjoy. One of our favorite beaches is on the way there and we spend a lot of time in the area. But it was convenient and a good way for us to try things out. Bar Harbor Oceanside KOA Holiday is located just past Ellsworth Maine and is just over the bridge to Mount Desert Island where Bar Barbor is located. The campground is about 15 minutes from both Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. The location is great, both as it is beautiful as well as the fact that during peak season traffic can be a bear around Bar Harbor and Acadia.
This was our first stay at a KOA, while we just purchased an RV they also do offer tent sites and cabins. We were not sure what to think about them, they are quite popular but also can have a bad reputation on forums and other various groups. If this weekend was any indication of what our future stays will be like we can’t wait to visit even more of them. It was truly a fantastic stay.
From our first interaction to our last, we couldn’t have been more impressed. Check-in was a breeze, and once complete you get an escort on a golf cart to your specific site and they ensure that you get all settled in. We had a pull-through 50 Amp site with patio. The patio comes with a table, four chairs, and a grill.
50 Amp Pull Through site with Patio
While we were not able to secure a waterfront site, we had a water view right from our Window and it was only a very short walk to the beach.
Our view out our front and side window
The beach was only a short walk away
Our location was lucky enough to be directly across from the center of the action. The Lobster Trap Cafe was tantalizingly close. The cafe is open from 8:00am to 7:00pm and served a simple breakfast, ice cream and a variety of salads, alcoholic beverages and treats all day long. Their real specialty though is lobster dinner and the Sunday morning pancake breakfast. This adorable cafe was made out of an old Airstream trailer and was constantly staffed by friendly staff who couldn’t stop smiling.
Right next door was the white tent where they held a variety of daily activities from tie-dying to make your own whoopie pies and the Saturday Night Movie (Red in our case). It was a hub of activity for all the kids. Speaking of kids, the park is completely kid and pet friendly. There were kids and dogs everywhere you looked. This made us feel at home as we were traveling with six dogs and never felt uncomfortable. Our neighbor even had a cat outside on a runner that they also walked from time to time on a leash.
Next to that was Krustacean Station, where a kids train departed daily for it’s trip across the park. While we didn’t take a ride it looked like the kids were having a blast.
At the entrance they also had a fully stocked store where you could buy anything from milk and butter, to bug spray, or a new sewer hose. Want firewood? They will deliver it to your site. Wake up and need bacon and eggs? Send them a text and they will deliver it to your camper. Say what?
The sunsetting on my walk down to the beach to take some pictures of the beautiful site
The sunsets were downright stunning
The crowds waiting for sunset on Saturday night
It was a fantastic trip and we loved every minute of it. This was somewhat surprising as it is a place that we know well. However the location was fantastic and the people could not be more accommodating. At the end of the weekend, all three of us said the same thing, if this was any indication of what lies ahead of us then we will be thrilled and can’t wait to get started.
