Bumps Along the Way: An Ode to the KOA Deluxe Cabin

Richmond, Indiana cabin

Camping was a big part of our travels growing up. We didn't stay in many hotels because with 7-8 of us, we didn't all fit in one room. Camping also tended to be more economical both in terms of cost to rent a site and being able to do all our own cooking. I grew up in Indiana but like any good midwesterner, we drove everywhere (again, 7-8 people = flying expensive). So we'd haul a pop-up camper and drive all over the country, New England states, OBX, Florida Panhandle, St. Louis, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, on and on and on. I still get a little burst of happiness when I see a pop-up camper because of the joy I felt on all of our camping trips as a kid. There was something magical about turning out in the backseat of our van to see the camper behind us, driving down the highway. It meant that we were on an adventure.

Now as an adult and parent, I have a lot more recognition of how much work it takes to travel of any kind with kids and how much work camping was. We spent two weeks on our trip to the Grand Canyon where my parents packed nearly all the food we'd need for the time, managed the ice in the cooler, and I believe the only time we ate out in 2 weeks was for ice cream on my sister's birthday. My youngest sister was 21 months on that trip which surely meant diapers. There was the shuffling of 6 girls through the communal showers (we had to pay to use them in some places!) and managing when we all needed to go to the bathroom. Being an adult has made me even more in awe of my Mom's organizational skills.

1st Michigan cabin

Camping has been a part of my life since I was fairly young but it didn't really enter our adult lives again until recently. Oh, we tried when Luke was little. I had it in my mind that once we had kids we'd switch from flying trips (mostly what we did in our dual income, no kid life) to camping and we did do a rustic cabin at a KOA near the Smoky Mountains when Luke was ~5 months old. That was harder than I expected to manage the cooler and a baby on bottles and trying to bathe him. BUT while we were there we made a discovery. And that discovery was KOA Deluxe Cabins.

It didn't take us long to figure out that THAT was the way to camp. The following year we did our first Deluxe Cabin stay in Michigan. We LOVED it. We had a studio cabin where Luke slept in his pack n play in a tiny bunk room (it just barely fit), a mini fridge, our own bathroom, climate control, an indoor table, electricity. BUT...we were also at a campground which meant a pool, a playground, room to walk, outdoor dining, a fire pit, a store on site, and even a grill. It was like a hotel room but at a campground, capturing the best of each. It was wonderful and we loved everything about that trip besides how hard it was to get Luke to fall asleep (not the cabin's fault).

Alabama cabin by the water

Alabama cabin

For various reasons we didn't stay in one again until summer 2021. We were rethinking some vacation options and I just couldn't find somewhere to go that was warm, had swimming for the boys, and was affordable. Then I remembered our Deluxe cabin and how KOAs always had the things I was looking for. I don't remember ever staying at a KOA without a swimming option and the cabins would be perfect with the ages of our boys (8 & 3 then). We drove 8 hours to get there and it was a hit with everyone. The boys LOVED having their own sleeping loft. We loved the AC in Alabama in July. There was a beach for swimming. Boys could fish right outside the door. It was nearly like a houseboat except with a view of the water instead of being on it. Our boys talked about for MONTHS. MONTHS. Sam still has a family picture from inside that cabin hanging by his bed.

Maine cabin

In 2022 we knew we were headed to Acadia and Maine and I knew we'd be staying at the KOA that I had first looked at staying years ago. They had a deluxe cabin and we booked one nearly 6 months before we left. We were up to our 3rd different layout in 3 stays, this one without the boys' beloved loft but they did have a bunk room that blocked the sun much better! This cabin was bigger than Alabama or Michigan with 4 rooms (counting a bit generously) and a pretty private site with our car parked in it's spot. Our fir epit was nestled back behind that and we did a few fires with the boys in our own little hideaway. A full bathroom, a fridge, climate control (that we didn't need much in Maine in June), a store on site, room for Matt & I each to do a decent run with barely leaving the campground, playground, and even a bay for the boys to swim in (much too cold for Matt or I). We had the BEST time on our Maine trip and as much as I loved our time in Acadia, I was also always delighted to be back at camp too.

We were now fully hooked. We did three more Deluxe cabins in 2022 for a total of 5 in a little over 12 months. We finally hit a repeat layout on number 5 (it was our Maine layout again except with a full size fridge this time). The boys have had lofts 3 times. We did a weekend trip with my sister, BIL, and their adorable little girl in a cabin with 2 bedrooms with Queen beds (plus a loft for the boys that was clearly meant for the kids because it was TIGHT getting up there, although I managed it more than once to make and tear down beds).

Grand Haven, Michigan loft

Grand Haven, Michigan cabin

Our favorite layout so far has been outside Grand Haven, Michigan where the boys had a loft, the living space seemed extra spacious, there was a full size fridge, and the bathroom had a lofted ceiling which just made it feel huge. I know some of our cabins have been different sized and I always end up down a rabbit hole of how much one costs to buy when we are staying in one (I have found no definitive answers). It's just always interesting to see how the space is used on the inside and, really, how many different configurations there can be.

Angola, Indiana cabin

Angola, Indiana cabin (two queen rooms)

Of note, every cabin we have stayed in since that initial one in Michigan has had sleeping space for at least 6. Besides a bunk or loft for the boys and a queen (usually) bed for us, there has always been a foldout couch or futon in the main living area. And the one with 2 queen bed rooms could have fit 8 (although, strangely, there was only dishes for 4, even though we had to pay for 3 extra people).

There are so many things we love about the deluxe cabins besides how well the insides work for us. Having been to many KOAs now, it feels like the deluxe cabins get the best sites. We've always had plenty of space and lots of trees. In Maine, the camper area had them all slotted next to each other with no trees where we had what felt like a private woods with near complete privacy. We've always had either a picnic table or a patio set. Always a fire pit. Always some kind of grill (in Maine Matt remarked that the campground grill was nicer than ours at home). There's always been room to throw a frisbee or toss a ball around. We never have to worry about distance from the communal bathrooms because we always have our own. (And they've all provided toiletries, linens, and dishes as well, less to pack!)

Richmond, Indiana cabin (same layout as Maine)

When we arrive I always do a lot of rearranging of the kitchen area to put what we don't need (there is often a Kerig, which we don't use) up high, grab extra cups to store things in the fridge (or some of my toiletries in the bathroom), and make the space work for us. I never rearrange furniture but I've gotten pretty good at settling into these cabins!

These might not work for us forever. Some day our boys will be too big to share the little sleeping loft (although, they have all been big enough that we could have fit a pack n play up there too). Some day maybe we'll have too many people in our family. But for now, they are PERFECT for all. All the benefits of a hotel (private bathroom, namely, and real beds and electricity and climate control) and all the benefits of a campground (outside space, a grill, store on site, playground, swimming options). We have FOUR more booked for this year and I am looking forward to every single one. There is just a sense of peace, calm, and delight when we are there that is hard to match in any other kind of accommodations at this stage for our family. Plus, campgrounds are just comforting to me and I am so glad my boys are getting to spend part of their childhood being drug between them with their parents too.

Have you ever tried one of these? Or have I convinced you to?

(Note: KOA has no idea who I am other than someone who now books these all the time, if they would like to give me some free stays I would gladly take them...but that hasn't happened.)

Thursday, March 23, 2023

An Ode to the KOA Deluxe Cabin

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