Our Secret Spot on the Emerald Coast

SANTA ROSA RV RESORT REVIEW

OUR SECRET SPOT ON THE EMERALD COAST

Finding a campground with available sites on the Emerald Coast can be difficult. As a popular tourist destination with it’s emerald waters and pristine white sand beaches, sites book up fast. Here we share our review of a lesser known campground on the Emerald Coast that gave us all the beauty and amenities with none of the hassle.

CAMPGROUND CONTACT INFO

Santa Rosa RV Resort
8315 Navarre Pkwy
Navarre, Florida 32566
850-936-4791
https://www.santarosarvresort.com

 OVERALL RATING

4/5

 PRICE

$

 BOOKING

Online booking is available. We stayed in early January, booked 1-2 weeks in advance and were able to get a waterfront site. 

 CANCELLATION POLICY

Strict. If you give less than 14 days notice you will lose the entire cost of your stay. This campground gets mixed reviews online, however, nearly all the negative reviews pertain to the strict cancellation policy.

While we agree it is the most strict cancellation policy we have encountered, it’s worth noting they make this very clear on their website, during the booking process and even after you submit to book online. You are required to sign a document about this before they will confirm your reservation and send you the confirmation letter. So in all fairness, they warn you and are completely transparent about it. 

If last minute cancellation is something that may affect you, we would recommend considering trip insurance.

 LOCATION

Santa Rosa RV Resort is located in Navarre, FL on the Santa Rosa Sound. Waterfront sites are available which include a small section of walkable beachfront. It is important to note that this is not direct access to the waters or beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, but is a short drive away.The campground is a short 10 minute drive to Navarre Beach with its pristine white sand beaches and emerald waters, perfect for a day at the beach. It is also in close proximity to both Destin and Pensacola with each being about a 40 minute drive. Just north of Navarre, you can also find the small town of Milton with its local restaurants, shops and historic charm. 

SITES

The Santa Rosa RV Resort offers 88 total RV spots with full hook ups including 30/50 amp service, water, sewer and cable. Pull through sites and back-in sites are available with a full row of waterfront sites. The concrete pads are large, level and in good condition. The sites are of an average distance apart with light privacy and well landscaped with grass and palm trees on each side.

AMENITIES

This resort style RV park doesn’t disappoint. Though it is a little pricey, it’s easy to see the owners take pride in their park and strive to keep it in tip top shape. The pool area is expansive, spotless and modern. The pool itself is heated and very clean. The beach area did not have any trash or debris. The bathhouses were private and cleaned multiple times per day. They organize social activities throughout the week. Every time an RV pulled out, an employee promptly arrived to clean and leaf blow the site for the next guest. Every day employees were visibly out and about working to ensure the campground stayed pristine. 

Amenities include free wifi, heated pool, multiple outdoor seating areas, fire pit, beach access, fishing pier, playground, dog park, laundry, fitness room and organized social activities. Good for kids

Yes. The resort is kid friendly and amenities such as the beach, playground and heated pool ensure there is plenty to do to make their stay enjoyable. 

 GOOD FOR PETS

Yes. Definitely pet friendly. In fact, we observed the majority of guests had pets with them. The campground itself is flat, level and good for walking a furry friend. There’s also a dedicated dog park which is even equipped with a small doggy playground and slide!

GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

If you’re coming from the north driving on Highway 87, Google maps may lead you astray in terms of where to turn onto Highway 98 and into the campground. There are actually two options for turning right onto Highway 98. The first is a soft dedicated right turn lane prior to arriving at the traffic light- this is how Google would advise. 

The problem with this is that this brings you further down the road to a very short turning lane with a sharp left turn into the campground. This might be possible if you have a van or a very small camper, but you physically can’t make this turn with most rigs. If you can’t make the turn, you will be forced to proceed down the road several miles before there is somewhere you can pull off that is big enough to turn around. We made this mistake. 

Don’t be like us! Instead, when you’re on Highway 87, go ALL the way down to the actual traffic light and THEN make the right. This will take you to where you will have a very long turning lane and plenty of space to swing your rig into the RV resort. 

WOULD WE STAY AGAIN? 

Yes. Overall, we were very pleased with this RV resort. Though it wasn’t technically on the Gulf of Mexico, we still had a waterfront site with beach access. In return, we had a spot that was less crowded, less touristy, quieter and overall more enjoyable. Not to mention the Gulf side beaches were only a 5 minute drive. We appreciated how well the resort was maintained and enjoyed being so close to Destin and Pensacola. Our daughter loved the heated pool and swam in it every day. Next time we visit the Emerald Coast, we will be back at the Santa Rosa RV Resort!

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