Before heading to Baja California Sur, we decided to stay a few days in San Diego. While camping in this sunny city offers pretty limited options, we had a fantastic stay at the San Diego Metro KOA in Chula Vista, Calif.
I should preface this by saying we haven’t always been huge fans of KOA in the past. At least, Steven isn’t. While we haven’t stayed at many KOAs, you can bet that it might feel more like a parking lot than true camping. But you can’t argue with the amount of amenities that these campgrounds offer.
After coming from a less-than-stellar campground in Bonita, Calif., the San Diego Metro KOA is like vacation camping! We rolled into the campground and immediately the boys lit up with excitement. A pool! A big playground! Lots of other kiddos! And if you’re coming for the big San Diego attractions, this campground is only 20 minutes from most everything this SoCal city has to offer.
The Campsite
Our campsite was fantastic. There were plenty of restrooms and showers nearby. Speaking of showers, save your quarters! A hot, refreshing shower (with a steady stream) is totally included with your stay. Score! The facilities were always clean during our two-night stay as well.
Back to our campsite. Unlike some of the other KOA locations, we didn’t feel packed in like sardines. Our spot was flanked by large shrubs that gave us a bit more privacy. When we arrived, we were a bit bummed to see that our site didn’t have a fire pit — but after a quick call to the head office, we had one delivered ten minutes later! And even with all of the people staying here, it was always relatively quiet during the day, and absolute crickets at nighttime.
Amenities
Remember that I said staying at the San Diego KOA is like a camping vacation? Here’s why. First, there’s a huge swimming pool with not one, but two hot tubs! It’s open year-round and is heated. The pool area also includes a lot of lounge chairs, some with large umbrellas for shade. There’s also a few cabanas available if you’re feeling extra fancy.
One of the biggest benefits from staying at a KOA is the amount of things for kids to do! There are barrel train rides around the entire campground once a day, and two playgrounds. Towards the back of the KOA, there are two large jumping pillows for the kids to burn off some energy. If you’ve never seen these, it’s 3,500sqft of bouncing fun — like a trampoline, but safer. There’s a game room and movie nights, as well as a climbing wall. During the day, it’s perfectly safe for the kiddos to ride their scooters or bikes all over the grounds. And at night, the colorful glowsticks are looped into the bike spokes and little bicycle gangs ride around until their heart’s content. So much fun!
This location also has a cafe, where you can purchase meals, coffee and local craft beer. The hours are a bit limited, but we ate some delicious pancakes and french toast sticks on our last morning here.
The San Diego Metro KOA is also super dog-friendly. The paved roads in and around the campground made it easy to take walks with our dog Ruby.
For an additional fee, there is propane, firewood and bike rentals available.
As this was our last stop before crossing the border, we needed one last package from Amazon delivered — a battery charger. The timing was going to be close, but the front office was kind enough to allow us to ship directly to the campsite. Most campgrounds won’t do this, so we were appreciative of this small but helpful perk!
The only amenity that wasn’t that great is the WiFi. We had issues connecting and ended up using our phone hotspots. (For the record, I’d gladly pay a fee for better WiFi!)
Cost
Our site costs $60 on weekdays and $65 on weekends. The rates may vary depending on the season, and the type of campsite you’re looking for. BTW, there really are a ton of options as far as campsites go. Whether you want to keep it rustic and pitch a tent or want an RV site with patio and grill, there’s something for everyone. Don’t have any camping gear but want to explore? Go glamping and book a cabin! Even in the realm of glamping, there are multiple options to choose from.
One final note. I didn’t take a ton of photos while we stayed here. We ended up just enjoying the moment and let the kids run wild. ?
In the words of Harvey and Levi: “This campsite is AWESOME!!!!” Whether you’re a first-time camper or a seasoned vet, we highly recommend the San Diego Metro KOA for your SoCal camping trip!
To book your stay, visit koa.com/campgrounds/san-diego/.
