After recently retiring and not taken a vacation since my husband and I got married over 14 years…read moreago, we looked forward to a long awaited vacation. We selected the Cambria, Pismo Beach area. The KOA located in Santa Margarita offered the simple amenities that we were seeking. We booked from August 25th to August 29th, 2025.
Upon arrival, the campground was as promised. (someone online had indicated that there was a trash bee problem, so in anticipation of that, we purchased a trap)
After unloading our vehicle, I went to use the Ladies room. I opened the door and caught a quick glimpse of a rodent-thinking it might be a rat, although I did not see it for more then two seconds. The following day, I asked my husband to go with me and check it out. When we opened the door, we immediately saw the rat-this time, getting a good look at it. We reported it to the office and Michele, the clerk, responded immediately, sending the maintenance guy out. A few minutes later, I saw him leaving the restroom area, I asked him if he was taking care of the rat problem. His response was "I did not see an indication of a rat problem." Moments later, my husband overheard that same man and another man speak of getting a trap for the restroom. I was hopeful that they would take care of it asap.
The following day, I opened the lady's restroom door, noticing a huge gap at the top of the door (about 2") which would allow for a rat to enter. I did not observe any traps set. I did find rat droppings on the counter, near the sink. Which we snapped a photo of.
Maintenance was driving by, and I asked them about the plan for catching the rat. The man who, the very day before had suggested a trap, said that "there was no evidence of a rat." When I told him there was rat droppings on the counter, he said that he could put poison down. I agreed, even though we had our three dogs with us. (they remained on leash the entire time and were safe) The poison was never put down, so we again went down to the office. A woman was standing on the porch, turned to the cashier, asking "when does "23 check out"? The 29th? OK" Clearly she was inquiring about our unit, although we had never met. She turned to me, and I introduced myself. She interrupted me and abruptly asked "What is it you want? "What do you want from me? Everyone wants money, do you want a refund?" At that point, I wanted to present the problem to her and discuss a plan to resolve it. She continually interrupted me, over spoke and talked in a condescending tone. Clearly, she wanted to make her point over listening to my concerns. She said that "rats could get in because they leave the door propped open, did you leave the door propped open?" I was appalled at her accusatory tone. I would never leave a door propped open while using the restroom. I told her so. At this point, she indicated that 'There was no evidence of a rat." (clearly this is a predisposed "go to" comment when people have a complaint of rats) After seeing the picture of the rat droppings, she hammered me about where I saw the rat. Her tone continued to be disrespectful and condescending. When I called her on it, she placed her hands on her hips and said "REALLY? REALLY?" My husband intervened with the conversation. She suggested that she would lock the door to the lady's room. Since we were the only campers in the area, I mentioned that I would continue to use the men's restroom, which I did, with my husband being a lookout for me.
The following day, a van drove up and two people got out. One being Karen, the owner, and another lady wearing a KOA Uniform. Karen could not wait to inform us that they had "disinfected the lady's room and thoroughly cleaned it and it was now open." I asked, "was there a trap set?" No, she responded. I then asked if they had killed the rat? Again, her response was 'no'. She diverted to the questions of 'where did you see that rat?" I explained to her again exactly where the rat was. My husband confirmed the location. Since we were leaving in the morning, clearly this was damage control and of no benefit to us. She also suggested that it was not a rat we saw at all, but likely a possum. Seriously? Either way, to ignore it was not resolving the issue. I know what possum and rats look like. The woman in the uniform agreed with me, adding that "the toilet brush had been chewed, so it must be a rat."
There are certain expectations when you visit an establishment. Rats in the bathroom are not on the list. Further, when an owner is presented with a problem, I would expect that owner to offer a solution. Locking the bathroom door was not what I had in mind. This was not an acceptable solution.
My reason for writing this is to inform others of how this campground is managed. To her, it is all about money. Not about the safety or wellbeing of your family.
Before you book with this location, take this review seriously.