Introduction:
This is a tough place to review. There were things we really loved and things we were pretty unhappy about. Our site was different than the other sites in the park. This created huge benefits, but also significant problems.
Click here to read about our criteria for campground reviews.
The Basics:
Overall Rating: 2.9/5
Price per night / Discounts: $44 / We received the benefit of the current U.S. / Canada exchange rate, but there are no other discounts offered.
Campground website: New Glasgow Highlands Campground
Our Site #: 18A FHU (30 Amp)
Privacy Rating (how spacious and private do the sites feel):
4.5/5: Our site, Site #18A, was very private. We were set away from the rest of the campground, though we were right next to a playground and a field that other campers used. But even the other sites were heavily treed, well spaced, and therefore felt quite private. All things being equal, this was a really nice campground as far as privacy goes.
Location Rating (accessibility to points of interest or to major highways):
5/5: The location of the campground was excellent. It was basically in the northern central part of the island, pretty close to the northern coast. While it took us a good 30 minutes to get to Charlottetown, we spent most of our time in Rustico and along the northern shore anyway. There is a lot to see and do in the area, and it's very beautiful. We had everything we needed within reasonable distance and were very happy with the locale.
Site Quality and Big Rig Accessibility Rating (utilities and accessibility of campground hook ups):
1/5: This is where we had all kinds of problems. Our site was apparently added after the rest of the campground was built (the whole campground is small with less than 20 RV sites). We were supposed to have 30 amp service, however, our site had low voltage - so low it tripped our surge suppressor multiple times. Bottom line: we couldn't run our AC, our microwave, or our clothes dryer. Most problematic, our site got full sun in the afternoon, and we were there in August. The owners were aware of the electrical issues, but could offer no solution (other than suggesting we call around and see if another campground had a space for us - which they didn't, since it was August in PEI.....) We ended up pulling forward as far as we could to get our RV close to the tree line and limit sun exposure on our windshield. This helped a bit, but on sunny days, our motorhome still got very hot. We found it unacceptable that we paid $44 USD per night for a full hook up site and did not actually get what we paid for. Speaking of which, they told us not to really expect wifi to work at our site. They said it might work a bit during the day, but in the evening, we would basically be out of luck. To us, this is unacceptable. If you're selling a lesser quality site, you should notify your customers of the problems at the time of the reservation (so they can make other plans if necessary) and you should charge a lesser fee for it.
Generally, the other sites appeared to be level and, assuming things actually worked, the sites would be fine. I would say however, the roads are tight and all the trees make it pretty tough on really big rigs. I don't know that I would recommend it for rigs over 35 feet.
Technology and Customer Service Rating (online resources, reservations, and staff):
2/5: On the one hand, the owners could not have been more friendly or helpful. We talked to both of them at different times and they were as nice as could be, offering numerous suggestions for how to spend our time, and always asking how we were doing. But I take away a lot of points because we came to them with a legitimate problem (that they already knew about) and instead of doing what I think was the obvious right thing - discounting our fee - they just shrugged and suggested maybe we could find another campground to move to (we couldn't). If I am paying for a 30 amp site with wifi, I should get a 30 amp site with wifi. If they know they cannot actually provide a 30 amp site or wifi, they shouldn't charge me the full rate. And at the very least, they should have given us a heads up about it beforehand and let us decide whether we still wanted to stay at the campground at a time when we could have made alternate arrangements. If not for some favorable weather, we would have been completely out of luck. We can't leave our dog in an RV that's 100+ degrees and given that we couldn't run the air conditioner and the site got full sun all afternoon, that's what would have happened had we not gotten lucky with some cloudy weather and cooler temperatures. To us, this is unacceptable.
Internet Availability Rating (Verizon coverage or campground wifi):
2/5: This was another huge problem for us. Not only did we not have access to the campground wifi from our spot, but we had really weak service on our Rogers hotspot. In the other places we've visited during this trip, our hotspot has always worked well. Here it was very up and down.
Summary:
If our site had actually been as advertised, with workable 30 amp service, we would have loved our visit to this campground. It was private, spacious, and relatively quiet. Unfortunately, it was not truly a 30 amp site and therefore, we felt like we paid way too much for what we got. We also found it really troubling that the owners were aware of this problem and said nothing until I asked point blank whether others had complained about this issue before. We had a very friendly relationship with the owners and we were very understanding. Providing good customer service, either at the front end by letting us know about the issue and giving us the ability to find somewhere else to stay, or discounting the rate on the site, would have gone a long way to resolving the situation in a satisfactory manner. The fact that they didn't do either is disappointing. Otherwise, the campground is very pretty and located in a lovely area. We wouldn't necessarily recommend it for very big rigs, but otherwise, it was a decent place to stay.
