Del Mar Beach Cottages and Campsites

I would like to say that we have stayed in Military Campgrounds all over the U.S.A. The key word being Military. When we use these facilities were are always grateful and deeply humble that service to our Nation, in our case Vietnam and 30 years of service have given us the benefits such as this Ocean front park. This Park either does not enforce rules or has none. A Limit on the number of guests, number of vehicles, number of tents etc cannot possible be within in any reasonable guidelines. As an example my "neighbors" have around 10 folks, two tents and three cars, some in their party are sleeping in cars and they decided it was ok to "party" until almost midnight before I asked them to please shut up and go to bed. Since they set up their camp two feet from our motorhome it was impossible to sleep, even with windows closed. I am wondering who the Veteran or Military Person is who sponsored these folks here? and if that person is actually here? I intend to ask. You might be thinking ah an old person just wanting to complain, but I will tell you we like to laugh, drink and swim as much as anyone, however we would never dream of making others miserable for our antics. I also noticed a "tent" on a car, have never seen anything like it very unique custom made sleeping tent with a ladder for access, much like a storage compartment but actually collapsible tent, I love that idea, but when you have one space with a motorhome, tents, folks sleeping in and on cars its too crowded. I would like to know that our Benefits such as this "Paradise" on the Pacific Ocean can be preserved for future "warriors" but without some rules and limits I am not hopeful for Del Mar RV Park.

Camp Pendleton Del Mar Beach is one of the best military RV parks in the country. The park is staffed 24/7 and are very friendly and helpful. The fee for row 1 with full hook-ups and 50-amp service, closest to the ocean and right on the beach is only $43/day. If you have small children, you will want the south end. The north end is very noisy due to amphibious marine training early in the morning. Best to try to get an RV lot in the middle numbers 13-19. The commissary and Exchange are huge and worth the visit. Great restaurants in downtown Oceanside such as Joe's Crab Shack. There are some very good restaurants in Carlsbad also. If you go, DO NOT use the the GPS guided gate near the ocean. It is closed and you'll play hell trying to turn around. Follow the street signs to the main gate. Security is professional and very polite. Watch your speed on base.

We stayed in one of the one bedroom cottages on the beach. I have to say it's the best deal going!! I think the $50 campsites are a bit pricey. But $85.00 for a cottage right on one of the nicest beaches in Southern California is the best deal around! I was expecting a studio type apartment, but these have a separate living room/kitchen and bedroom with closing door. The couch in the living room folds out into a small double bed. So you could easily put an adult or two children on that (there are extra linens provided). Plus there is enough room for an air mattress in that room too. The family next to us had 3 adults and 2 children and they said they were comfortable. I just mention all this because they say it only sleeps two, so I was expecting something smaller with no fold out couch. And then the best part...the beach!! Our cottage was right on "Kids Cove", which is protected by a jetty so there aren't really any waves. It was perfect for us and our toddler! There are fire rings (almost enough for each cottage to use one), and grills and picnic tables. It seems that there was only one picnic table for every two cottages, which seemed strange. But there was one right out in back of ours and nobody else wanted to use it. My one complaint was how stocked the kitchen was...they say that it has everything you need for cooking. But apparently not for the way I cook! There were: 2 pots, 1 pan, 1 spatula, 1 mixing spoon, 4 plates, 4 bowls, 4 forks...you get the idea, the BARE minimum. The things I needed but didn't have were: can opener, measuring cup, mixing bowls, cutting knife, dish towels. There weren't even any paper towels. Luckily I brought a roll and I used a bath towel to dry dishes. So if you're going to do any of your own cooking, bring everything you might need except the pots, pans and dishes. Also, the floors are all tiled, there's not a rug in the place. It makes sense being right on the beach like that, rugs would just get ruined. But it means that you're walking around on hard tile that's always a bit sandy. Doesn't feel too good on the feet. Next time I'll bring a couple of our camping rugs for by the door and the kitchen. And maybe a pair of slippers. But that might just be my pet peeve, like I said, I wouldn't want carpet in there. It would be impossible to keep clean with all the sand, etc. Oh, and they are currently remodeling the cottages, so it seems they will only get better with time! The newer remodels seem to have wind break walls around the patios, and maybe they'll each have a picnic table in there?? We can't wait to go back and see!!

Stayed here during the worst covid time in CA but being able to spend the holidays on the beach sure made it easier to deal with. We had reservations at multiple CA state parks on the coast that all got cancelled due to the virus and we were able to make additional reservations at Del Mar when that happened. The price is a little high for a military RV park but it is CA and $43 for a front row space and view of the ocean along with sunsets are priceless. The showers/restrooms are in dire need of a major makeover. Customer service tries to please but they are hamstrung by the reservation system they use. Having some type of waitlist for people who would like to move to the front row would be great. I along with many people had to go to the office each day to check if a site was open. I also saw many of the same sites open for multiple days but people could not move into them because the reservation system did not allow for it.

Very nice beach. Great for boogie boarding and Surfing. The Life Guards are there doing their jobs making sure swimmer and and boarders stay on there side and surfers stay on there side. The Beach and Marina have activities for the young ones. My older daughter went to Surf Camp and younger one went to Sailing School for a week. Both classes impressed us and the girls had a great time. Now for the negative. The Restrooms are horrible. I feel sorry for those who have to use them. The rules are posted at each camp site. 1 RV and 1 tent or 2 tents if no RV. 8 person max per site. 2 Vehicle limit. These rules are not enforced. Sites were crowded with multiple tents and vehicle and over the 8 person max. So much that they even protruded in to the streets making it hard for two vehicle to pass. I had heard that nothing was enforced prior to coming and now I have seen it first hand. I don't plan on camping there again. But I will visit the beach for a day and use the nasty restrooms. Fortunately, I'm a man and don't have to get too personal with them. I just pray I don''t have to go #2. :)

We had requested to arrive 30 Mar, but was told there were no spaces available, so we moved our arrival to 1 April. IF they had a tent area, they would be able to accommodate more RVs. It is a shame to take up "full hookup" sites for tents, which we saw many. Also, did not see oversight of how many vehicles were parked on each site. Some had as many as six or seven, making it quite crowded. As to the review and complaint of Amtrax driving through, as said before, it is a MARINE Base. We are allowed to stay there as a courtesy. Those kids driving through are helping maintain our freedom and we enjoyed seeing them AND hearing them.

I have gone to these cottages for a few years now and have consistently watch the price go up, the cottages get changed every few years to make you think your getting something for your money, but it is a joke. This time when we went we could only get one cottage on the beach side the other was in the back 616B, cost $85.00 a night. What a dump! The back area was filled with trash all over the place, sand had not been ranked in who knows how long, my grandson went to open the back door and the door handle came off, tried to wash the dishes but had no soap, only one TV in the sitting area none in the bedroom, back table was filthy with sticky syrup all over it. Your neighbors are right out for everyone to see what everyone else it doing. The view, well you get to look at a lot of old fencing materials that have just been left there and the electrical equipment that they are trying to grow a plant around. And they have the nerve to charge $85.00! Next night we got to move into the $129.00 room. Whoopeee! The room was fine, but no coffee, and as you walked out the door you could smell the sewer, very nice. The prices for both rooms was ridiculous. First off the young military men and women cannot afford this and they need a place that they can get away with their families. Whose ever idea this was it stinks. Everyone is out to make a buck. And on top of that when did we start letting civilians use military services another joke, yes especially when their families and the ones who work in the offices save spaces for them that hard working military members deserve! I have no intentions of going back until the prices go down. A resort? Really......head to Oceanside or Carlsbad I bet you could get a "Real" resort for that kind of money!

Two words, BED BUGS! My children had bites all over them and woke up with in an hour complaining of itching, we lifted their shirts and they were covered. TOTALLY GROSS! We left and dropped our key off at 11 pm. I will be calling in the morning to make sure I do not get charged. I will not be returning ever. Very upsetting:(

Im a SSG retired and I do not know who to contact about Del mar RV park and san onofre RV park and soon Coronado RV park CA First I am by no means rich and not Bill Gates, but you must be to use those RV parks $50.00 dollars a night and $350.00 a week is way out of line for retired and active duty military it is for military personnel to use not civilians that are rich. This was a benefit but not no more. The rv parks do not have a hot tub, swimming pool on site no cable, and no hot showers that are inside with a roof. So why compare it to the high dollar ones We drove there the 2ND week of Jan and left, it is way out of sight on pricing. That is probably why it was empty. What happened to support our troops, it is now screw our troops. PLEASE BOYCOTT THESE RV PARKS! THANK YOU SSG Richard Kinney

I have worked on delmar for several years and have seen changes good and bad. The good - great location, close to exchange, easy access from highway, safe. Bad - terrible customer service from mccs which is typical for them, then they wonder why they fail, just like the new exchange that is being built, great location and long overdue, but they will screw it up by putting items in there that your average marine can't afford. Good luck with that one. Enough bitching about mccs, I think you get the point they are worthless and marines in general do not support them. Getting back to the beach. They are trying to make the delmar beach the hale koa of the west coast, which will raise prices dramatically. The bathhouses are simply disgusting, always dirty and I'm not talking sand dirty. There is a lot of construction going on with the cottages, they look nice from the outside, but haven't seen inside of one yet. What they need is a smaller exchange on the beach, not a trailer, which can sell beer, soda, ice, etc, etc. The other thing they are missing out on is the center piece of the beach should be the middle center stage beach area. They need to turn that into an outdoor beach club where people can order food or beverages. Fire pits are nice. On the south end of the beach, they have fenced off a large area because of the endangered birds, what a joke, do they really think that will last. The food trailer is terrible, you might as well heat up mre's in the microwave and eat them. Bottom line, I've been going to this beach years not because of mccs, but because it is on base, it is big and safe. Don't waste your money by buying anything from mccs, take a cooler full of drinks, bags of chips, food and you can cook your own. If mccs wasn't involved with this beach, it would be top notch, but because they are involved, don't waste your time in supporting anything they do, bring your own stuff. If you have an rv, you might want to look elsewhere, they raised their prices and they aren't worth it.

Arrived 24 Dec 13 and stayed till 12 Feb 14. In the Cheap Seats (Long Term #98), don't think you can find a better value considering the location. Holidays were more crowded, but during the week you could see the ocean very well. There was PT every day, and the track vehicles came thru morning and nite. This is a USMC base so what would you expect. Sites down toward end of the park may not be so quiet, but I doubt that they are un-liveable, if they are I'd bet changing sites would not be a problem, staff was excellent. Only Negative I could find was the laundry area, it needed help, a GI party was long over due. As has been said, I SHALL RETURN...................

We stayed in the second row ($40/night) the end of June/early July and it was a disaster. We have been going to Del Mar for about 8 years and this was the worst experience we have ever had. The site next to us had four sleeping tents and a cook tent with at least 10 teenagers and another site had an RV and 3 tents with 12 people. The staff is not very helpful and they don't enforce the rules. The bathroom and shower facility were disgusting and did not appear to be cleaned very often. The dumpsters were overflowing and not emptied often enough. The so called "Resort" is not worth the $40/night and we don't plan to stay there again.

This was our first visit and have put on our favorite list. We are returning again in March. We were in beachside site 8. Since we have a class A we wanted to face ocean. This sites are designed for back in, but not a problem since we carry extra lengths for dragging under motorhome. This is a very peaceful campground and evening sunsets awesome. Enjoyed seeing the amphibious vehicles going through the campground enroute to training exercises. My only negative is lack of attention to laundry room. Needs good cleaning on regular basis. Staff very friendly and helpful. Exchange and commissary convenient. Exchange is one of the nicest.

This review is for the Beach Trailers only. These are the 6 or so, three room trailers they have that are in the back area of the parking lot. DO NOT STAY IN THESE TRAILERS!!!! The trailers are in such disrepair that they should not be rented. The one we were in was old, outdated and worst of all FILTHY. Not just Marines having a good time type wear and tear. But dirt and yuck in numerous area's. Stuff on walls, air vent covered in filth, crud stuck to floor, filthy mess under furniture, I could go on but you get the picture. This trailer had not been cleaned properly for a long time. When I booked the trailer it was because it was all that was available. I did not see any reviews or any info on the trailers. So I could not make an informed evaluation. So I want to make a post for families who may be considering the trailers. DON'T DO IT. After I arrived I was told that these trailers would be removed soon. I think the sooner the better. By the way the staff on property was wonderful. The Manager and front desk clerk were especially helpful.

I'm rating the RV location only. I have used this location many times over the years and the price is the highest of ALL military campgrounds. I wonder what they do with the $40 plus dollars a night. They sure can fix, upgrade the bathrooms which are old and rusted. They can at least replaced 30 amp and 50 amp plugs that are so loose your cable will fall out by gravity. They can at least control and manage large tent groups from not running all around others trailers. They can repair all the leaking water valves that look like they were there in the 1960's. I love the location. I love the base! But this is the biggest ripoff in the nation and they should be ashamed. Where is the money going? Take some time and invest in maintaining and upgrading and we may come back.

Location is the only positive about this RV Park. Bathrooms are disgusting, showers only have cool water and very little privacy. Staff are not easy to deal with, very short. There are no so called amenities at this "resort" other than water, sewer, electricity. $50 a night for front row, $40 for all other rows. We camped over the holiday weekend and the place was a zoo. Rules were not adhered to and no one was checking on the sites. Many sites had RV plus 3 or 4 tents. Rules state only 8 people per site. Site across from us had at least 16 people each night. If they are going to call themselves a Resort, they have a long way to go.