Review Detail

Patrick AFB's Manatee Cove in the summer, like most Florida campgrounds, is not crowded...but it was especially uncrowded after the base had been evacuated a couple of weeks earlier for an approaching hurricane. Probably only eight or ten rigs in the whole place when we arrived just before sunset, Sunday afternoon. The off-duty host saw us peering at the signage by the closed office and came right over to help. He immediately took us to a prime spot, and checked us in. That included taking our credit card info as payment. In the not-too-distant past, the host was not allowed to take payment, but instead would direct you to pay at the office in the morning. This is a GOOD change! And speaking of the host, he was friendly, courteous, and above all, there to help, even though he wasn't officially on duty at the time. Great guy! We were there only for the overnight, since we were at Patrick this time to catch a ride on the weekly rotator bird down to Antigua (a lovely Caribbean island out in the West Indies chain). The physical condition of the CG hasn't changed much since we were last there for a night shuttle launch at Canaveral last year. It's still a great camping spot on the Banana River (intracoastal waterway), whatever the season or your reason for being there. Regarding internet connections, if you don't want to use the plug-in connections in the laundry room, the base library, about a mile away, has a WIFI zone, and also PCs you can use during normal hours. Another wifi zone is in the lobby of the billeting office which has much better hours than the library. They also have three PCs you can use. If you're staying for a while, the library has a pretty good dvd collection, and last year issued me a library card even though we don't live in the area. If you're in the tourist mode, go to ITT down the street from billeting. They might have some good deals. They certainly got us a great resort to stay at in Antigua with a military discount. They also do cruises, and local attractions. The only reason for the fours in my ratings, is that they still have dirt/gravel roads that can be less than wonderful under the wrong weather conditions, especially when you're walking to the bathhouse, or anywhere else in the campground. It would be good if they used some of those flow-thru pavers to pave the roads which would still allow the rainwater to seep into the ground. Food for thought for MWR. It would make for some happier campers, too.