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User reviews
June 30th, 2011
(Updated: September 06, 2011)
Overall rating
5.0
Location
5.0
Cleanliness/Hospitality
5.0
Amenities/Facilities
5.0
Value
5.0
Overall Experience
5.0
THE ROAD IS FIXED AND YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO ENTER THROUGH THE SAN ONOFRE STATE PARK ENTRANCE!! California beach camping doesn't get any better than this if you like the beach at your doorstep. It's hard for me and my family to go any place else because it just doesn't compare. If you want a beach front site where you're literally on the beach or if you would rather be back off the beach a little, you have the choice (beach sites go fast). The bluff sites on top have spectacular views of the ocean as well. For as crowded as the facility gets because of its popularity, it's clean. I would rather tell everyone this is a horrible place to camp so it wouldn't be so hard to get in but I just can't. For peak times, you really do have to be right on it if you want a spot. It fills up fast in the summer and on holiday weekends. It's close to EVERYTHING if you want to make a day trip someplace in So. Cal. Commissary is right up the street and so is the exchange and the gas station. It's also close to freeway entrance to the 5 freeway. This is seriously the best military camping spot around if you love the beach. My only complaint is this- The reservation policy is ridiculous at times and very hard to get if you don't call the day you're allowed according to your military status. I hate that you're allowed to sponsor up to 3 spots. I feel this allows too many non-military folks to utilize the park which leaves no space available for the people it was designed for - MILITARY PERSONNEL AND THEIR FAMILIES. I would say 75% of the people in the park camping are not military and are there as a guest. So 2 out of 3 campsites are non military guest most of the time. I am guilty of using the sites for friends as well because you become everyone's best friend once they know you have access to such a great place to camp but we are always on site with them. I don't think they police this policy to make sure the host is actually there with the guest they check in. I would definitely support a change if they did decide to change this policy and allow 1 guest versus 2 like most other military camping facilities still do. This would free up the spots and make the awful task of getting a spot here a little easier. Also, a word to the folks who camp in tents and for those who throw up extra tents on their sites along with your RV. There is a 10 dollar per night fee for each additional tent. I think that is high. So if you have 5 tents on your site, the first one is the main tent and the other 4 you have to pay 10 bucks each for. That's an additional 40 buck per night for your site!!! Most people are not aware of that especially if you have all tents on your site. So, there you have it. I still love this place and go back every chance I get. Love it.
Sept. 27, 2015
Overall rating
2.3
Location
5.0
Cleanliness/Hospitality
1.0
Amenities/Facilities
2.0
Value
2.0
Overall Experience
2.0
The men's and women's bathrooms were filthy when we checked in on Sun. 9/27. There was no toilet paper in any of the stalls, the trash was over flowing, and feces were on the floors. The RV sites, surrounding roads, bathrooms, and laundry facility are in serious need of repair and maintenance. Our power box was surrounded by several large holes and the front cover had been torn off of its hinges. The office staff were very pleasant and helpful and the views and location of this facility are amazing. We paid $35 per night for water and electric but no sewer hook up. This is top dollar for a military facility. The RV park is frequently sold out on weekends creating a substantial cash flow for the MWR fund. Why isn't this money being used to maintain this crumbling facility? Please hire a Camp Host to help supervise the RV park and address after hours issues regarding excessive noise, loose dogs, leaking faucets, etc.
Sept 7-11, 2020
Overall rating
4.0
Location
5.0
Cleanliness/Hospitality
4.0
Amenities/Facilities
3.0
Value
4.0
Overall Experience
4.0
Stayed here starting on the tail end of the Labor Day holiday weekend. No full hook up (FHU) spaces available on the holiday night (Monday the 7th) so we stayed in the "dry camp" section (no water, power or sewer). Since we do not have an on-board generator we "roughed" it. But it was very quiet. We were the only RV in the Dry Camp section. The next 4 nights were in the FHU section up above the beach. Level spot, easy hookups (no cable TV). The entire RV park, and the surround CA State Beaches, are surfer destinations. They pour into the area at 5 am and hit the waves. But the military FamCamp is very quiet at night, no parties or loud groups. Lots of families but very quiet after 10 pm. Each space has a big concrete fire pit and it was nice to sit out in the evening and watch the sunset over a wood fire. Easy walk down to the beach. The base Commissary and Exchange are a 5 minute drive from the Park, with a gas station (Diesel was 30 cents cheaper than the neighboring Orange County). There is also a Sonic Drive-In there for food and ice cream. The Park shower/restroom building needs some work, but the shower water was hot and no timers. Odd, but the pull-through spaces are not FHU, they only have water and power (no sewer). And the back in spaces on the bluff overlooking the ocean are also only water and power, but they have the best view. The FHU spaces are all back in (some are down directly on the beach, we stayed in Space #100, in another section up above the bluff). Office staff is nice and very accommodating. Some public areas closed due to the Covid-19. The California and Amtrak trains run North/South right next to the Park (and adjacent to the Interstate 5). But since there are no stops or crossings nearby they do not blow the train horn. You just hear a quick "swoosh" as the train goes by. You can get on the commuter train in Orange County or Oceanside and travel to downtown San Diego for a reasonable ticket price. In summary, it's a nice park if you like being on the beach, and at $45 it was MUCH cheaper than the private RV parks in Oceanside and Orange County that were charging $125+ per night.
Jan 15 2011
(Updated: January 22, 2011)
Overall rating
1.8
Location
5.0
Cleanliness/Hospitality
2.0
Amenities/Facilities
1.0
Value
1.0
Overall Experience
1.0
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
June 23-25, 2017
Overall rating
3.9
Location
5.0
Cleanliness/Hospitality
3.0
Amenities/Facilities
3.0
Value
4.0
Overall Experience
4.0
Stayed at the San Onofre RV park, Camp Pendleton, with our 5th wheel toy hauler the weekend of 23 - 25 Jun 2017. Excellent location with older facilities that are showing a bit of wear, tear, and age. Check-in personnel were helpful and polite. Although the park was almost at capacity, nearly all of the RV sites on the beach (45-72) were closed (temporarily??) due to excessively high tides and beach erosion. At high tide ocean water actually washed across the paved portion of the road into some of the occupied RV sites (1-24). They've dumped tons of grapefruit sized rocks on the beach to control erosion. What I've been told used to be a nice, sandy beach is now half covered in these rocks. For those that use Google Maps or Earth (in satellite mode), note sites (73-91) at the SE end of the park that are on the immediate NE edge of the long, grassy area (which runs NW to SE) are actually on a large bluff/knoll about 30-40 feet higher in elevation than the beach. If you're able to backup a toy hauler into these sites and open you're ramp door, you'll be treated to quite a view! Be prepared to inhale a bit of smoke during your stay. Most sites have large concrete fire pits which are very popular, especially during the weekend. The exchange, commissary, and gas station are only 5 minutes away. Overall it was an enjoyable stay. If you're into surfing bring your surfboard!
November 2015
Overall rating
2.2
Location
4.0
Cleanliness/Hospitality
1.0
Amenities/Facilities
1.0
Value
3.0
Overall Experience
2.0
The amenities at San Onofre Beach are adequate and well placed allowing all campers to enjoy the beach setting. What was very disappointing is the apparent lack of efficient management, state of repair of laundry/restroom facilities, and overall cleanliness of the campground. Several times prior to arriving I called reservations asking if any full service sites had become available as my reservation was for water and electric only. I was told during all calls that no full service sites were available. Upon arrival, the assigned site was too small for my RV and I was reassigned a full service site which I remained at throughout my planned stay. I also noted that several full service sites were always available during my stay; very puzzling. Unfortunately the entire campground is littered and unkempt with several washers/dryers and toilets out of service. It seems that no one is caring for the amenities, landscaping, and enforcing campground rules. San Onofre Beach could be a real gem conveniently located to many local restaurants, activities, and beaches but considering the state of affairs and depressing condition, it rates an overall two stars at best. Somebody at MWR needs to step up and return the campground to its former condition.
May 8, 2012
(Updated: May 08, 2012)
Overall rating
2.5
Location
5.0
Cleanliness/Hospitality
2.0
Amenities/Facilities
2.0
Value
2.0
Overall Experience
2.0
Being right on the beach is a huge plus. The employees are friendly but the reservation system and policies are ridiculous. I can guarantee that ANYTIME you call for reservations, you will be on hold for 10 to 45 minutes & don't try to reserve a site even 1 day before your alloted lead time. Check in is at 1 pm for camping, 3 pm for the "cottages". DO NOT try to check in even 5 minutes early even if your site is empty. Of course, you won't know if it is empty as they'll not tell you what site you are in until you check in. If you have to move from one site to another during your stay, you may not be able to find out where you will be moving & have to check out at noon but not be able to move into the next site- even if empty- til 1. This has happened to us numerous times. Once we moved 1 whole space & that space had been empty the entire time we were there so we could have been in that one to begin with & not had to move. We have been coming here for 6 years, & my parents came her over 30 years ago. There has been very little maintenance or updating in the last 30 years. In the last 6 years, they have put a nice childs' play area on the beach and on one the bluff. They have not done any road repair & the roads are in horrendous shape. The blacktop sites are very old, unlevel, have large holes & cracks. There used to be gravel between the hardtop sites, now there is mostly weeds. It is obvious that they have not done any weed abatement or cutting this year. The weeds are full of foxtails which is not good for the dogs. There is no grassy area for dogs or kids & dogs aren't allowed on the beach. There is a large dirt/weed field that is called a ballfield. Dogs are not allowed on the field but on summer weekends, it is filled with tents. We've never seen anyone actually play ball on it. Note that they say they have 23 camper/tent spaces & some overflow. What is not mentioned is that they have a couple group camping areas plus the ball field which are often rented to non military groups and add at least 100 additional tents on busy weekends. A couple years ago there were some extremely high tides & much of the beach was washed out at the north end of the campground. The large shade covers on the beach were all removed & have not been replaced. The main road was washed out at that time & has been closed off & on since (it's closed now) so there is no direct access to the base. Of course, the rates continue to increase with no improvement in the facilities. With the exception of the beach location, this place is an embarrassment to the Marine Corps.
19-22 March 2010
Overall rating
3.9
Location
4.0
Cleanliness/Hospitality
4.0
Amenities/Facilities
3.0
Value
4.0
Overall Experience
4.0
This was our 1st stay here. Location: Right at the beach and near (less than 2 miles) from Basilone Gate PX facility (PX/Commissary, gas, etc.). Clean/Hosp: Camp and beach well kept, sites clean, mowed, trash free. Rest room/shower facilities are typical beach style, open roofed and of course sandy with the one on the top of the bluff being a bit cleaner. The staff is great. Amen/Fac: Lots of options and site types. Many mobile home style cabins including some set up for wheelchair accessibility and one 3 bdrm. Most RV sites required minimal leveling and almost all are asphalt. The South bluff sites are designed for backing in, so for motorized RV's, need longer connections or have to step out of unit onto the grass, but they have a beautiful view. Area has a rec field and small playground and there are numerous area/base bike trails and surfing spots. NOTE: Although this is a military facility, local surfers have access to the beach to surf and usually walk through the camps lower road. Value: Given the beachfront and southern California location, overall a very good value. We enjoyed our stay and think this is the best of the 3 Camp Pendleton parks. NOTE: The beachfront sites tended to be a bit noisy (people noise) at night and the bluff sites have road noise (I-5) and AMTRAK/commuter train noise.
May 2012
(Updated: May 18, 2012)
Overall rating
3.7
Location
5.0
Cleanliness/Hospitality
3.0
Amenities/Facilities
3.0
Value
3.0
Overall Experience
4.0
Just left there a few days ago. The previous reviewer is absolutely correct about all their comments. We were there for 2 weeks & were lucky enough not to have to move, but several of our neighbors did. The couple next door had to move 3 spots over, but no one ever occupied the spot they moved from while they were there. The views are beautiful, but the beach itself is nothing to brag about. There are tons of rocks- if you want to go in the water bring some kind of shoes that can get wet. The road from the base is closed & you have to go thru the State Park entrance, It only takes about 10 minutes to get to the Basilone Rd gate at the base. There is a small commissary & exchange there. The main gate is about half an hour from there & it has a huge commissary & new exchange. Take the freeway. The roads on the campground are a disgrace. There are so many potholes & if it rains or there is a really bad tide, they stayed filled with water for a week. We didn't use the restrooms, but did use the laundry. It's $1 for a wash or dry. It was clean & there are 3 of each. The people in the office were very nice every time I stopped in there. The sites with the palm trees are definitely not level, most people had the front of their RVs on blocks. They are also quite narrow, so if you have a big rig with slides, you'll have to put the picnic table at the back of the site. I'm not sure about the ones at the north end, didn't really look at the leveling. They were also narrow tho. The previous reviewer was right, the grounds definitely need some attention. We were on the East Coast last year, stayed at plenty of military beach locations & this is by far the most expensive military site we have stayed on. Yes this has a nice view, but so did they & I really can't see any reason why this would be so much.
5-10 March 2019
(Updated: March 15, 2019)
Overall rating
4.3
Location
5.0
Cleanliness/Hospitality
3.0
Amenities/Facilities
3.0
Value
4.0
Overall Experience
5.0
Our site (#35) was just across the road from the surf. The views and ocean surf sounds were phenomenal. The regular entrance was closed, consequentially the entry into the park was a bit of a mess, however is was workable with our 65' motorhome and TOAD. We seen seals, dolphins and a daily groups of surfers. We very much enjoyed our stay, wish had stayed longer. There is a good bit of renovation and construction on-going while we were there, they are replacing some of the "cottages" and working on some of the beach-front sites, removing old trees, etc. The showers were a bit of a mess, (although we never use them) all-in-all the location makes up for the other short-comings. A Marine Exchange, commissary and gas station (with diesel) is a short trip to the east-side of Interstate 5. We took a day-trip to San Diego via the rail system from Oceanside, economical @ $12 regional day pass, which allowed use of virtually all the public transportation for 24 hours. We'd certainly return.
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