 |
| $135 for IPop and I to camp here 2 nights |
Turns out the sites themselves are quite nice and the grounds crew were busy caring for the property cleaning up leaves and such. The site were clean and spacious, with ample parking, a picnic table and firepit. There was way more room than we needed for our two small tents, the Jeep and the trailer. It was silly to have to pay and not use a second campsite. I went back to the owner after we set up our tents telling here that we clearly did not need 2 sites, but she waived me off saying 2 tents means 2 sites, that is "their policy". I guess if a family of four wanted to stay there with the 2 kids in their own tent, the family would be required to book 2 sites.
The bathroom that is there to be shared among the 20 lots in our section of the campground left a lot to be desired. It had 1 grimy shower, no stool for people to sit on to put on socks or shoes, or sit and wait in what I assume must be a busy place during busy season. Entering and exiting the campground proved to be a bit of a pain as well thanks to the gate that guests going in and out has to physically open and close which is tremendously annoying.
After fishing in the rain for most of Saturday, we had a lot of wet clothes we wanted to dry and their laundry was also not working. Apparently that should not have been a surprise given the reviews they received on their pool. Facilities maintenance doesn't appear to be one of their priorities. One of the ladies from the kitchen noticed us checking the laundry and was very kind to let us dry some clothes in their dryer. Thank you very much for that.
All in all I would say the staff that I had seen at the Enclosure campground do an excellent job but due to management and their policy of caring more about how much they can take in versus the customer experience I can't imagine I'll ever go back.
Sad reflection and not representing Miramichi well "Enclosure"....must do better because we are so much better than that.
ReplyDeleteMiramichi seems like a wonderful community and those who I have met from there are all very welcoming to us fishing tourists. I certainly do look forward to coming back annually!
Deletewe use sunrise campground in lower Newcastle very clean and an they don't charge for the xtra tent been camping their for about 10 years now.camped at enclouser about 18 yrs ago see things haven't changed much over the years
ReplyDeleteWow I understand if you didn't like your stay but the title should be changed. It's not Miramichi fault
ReplyDeleteHi, the title was intended to reflect one location within Miramichi, not the city or region itself. I certainly do not hold any negative thoughts towards Miramichi.
DeleteWhen I was young it was the place to go , it was government funded back then and I always loved recommending it as a good campground to people passing though ,too bad it has sunk to this low status .Considering all the money our government wastes on unnecessary programs (bilingualism) in a province where the French and English had lived happily side by side ,a few provincially funded parks would only be a drop in the bucket and would foster fond memories of our Miramichi region by tourists .The Enclosure is a historic site as it was in this area the first settlers came and there is no reason why we couldn't have it provincially or federally funded.if this was Quebec or Ontario the federal government would probably be picking up the bill.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I honestly do not know any of the history behind the campground, though I did hear that it has been around for a long time. I assumed it was always privately owned. I am sure if it were a provincially run campground it would have the potential to be one of the nicer ones and most heavily used ones in the province.
Deletethe campground is not a historical site. Wilson's Point however is, which you have to go into the Enclosure ground to get to. The Enclosure used to be a provincial park, but due to cuts it is now privately owned. However no excuse for it not be up to par for welcoming visitors , and with the bass tournament coming up- what a way to pick up some business and great reviews
DeleteI'm from Miramichi & the title didn't reflect Miramichi at all. Just where not to stay when you're here.
ReplyDeleteI'm from Miramichi & the title didn't reflect Miramichi at all. Just where not to stay when you're here.
ReplyDeleteAs you say never go back to that site.
ReplyDeleteBut keep going to the miramichi and surrounding areas..
My favorite is the tabusintac river..
Options of chalets or camping..
Miles of kayaking amongst other activities..
But Miramichi is one of the best places to giver on the river...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletewe have been seasonal campers there for 6 years ,,lots are huge and well kept ,beautiful mature trees with the river just 5 minute walk away ,, In the owners defense the park doesn't usually open until May 24 weekend therefore the staff are still things to organized and get ready for the summer season ,,ONE should check park policy beforehand ,,BUT I do welcome and invite everyone to come on in for a stay ,,,
ReplyDeleteHi Mr. Hoekman,
DeleteThank you for your feedback. I agree the lots are quite big and well maintained and there is space to park at the lots with your boats in tow. I certainly hope I didn't give the impression that i was less than satisfied with the efforts the staff are taking to prepare the part for the busy season.
That being said, forcing 2 people in 2 tents to purchase 2 sites when we only used one is simply not good policy. This is a bad policy that could affect any number of small groups looking to visit the area to go fishing as John and I did.
$135!!!!!! Holy crap! There is no place on earth I would pay that kind of ransom to tent camp. Ludacris! I'm from the 'chi and now I spend my time camping in Washington state where I live. The max I ever have to pay to tent camp is $8.. maybe $13 at those ritzy tenting campgrounds... sad story to hear from my hometown.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you censoring my previous reply? If you don't post it I will email it to the owner so she can defend you accusations and let everyone know your are censoring the contradictory responses.
ReplyDeleteJR
JR
I have not censored anything that I am aware of,I have not deleted any comments. There are a few different responses on here from 'Anonymous', I am unable to tell which may be yours. Of course the owners are welcome to provide any feedback they wish on here or the Facebook page.
DeleteAs far as I can tell I did not make any accusations, only reported my factual experiences and personal impressions. I have the banking receipt should I need to prove the cost if you think that may be questionable.
Third try...
ReplyDeleteWOW, please don’t judge the rantings of someone who can’t get the facts correct or chooses to distort innocent comments. Flo & John (owners) have been privately operating the Enclosure Campground for over 20 years – I can attest that the seasonal and regular customers appreciate all the hard work they go through in maintaining a pleasant and inviting environment for a certain target market.
I have been camping there since the 70’s and have seen the transformation from a provincial run park that catered to families later transformed in the 80’s to a campground laced with partiers (I know; I was one of them) before it went private. Since then, I have evolved into a client that prefers a large, private and quiet site where I can enjoy a peaceful getaway with my family and friends in a natural setting.
To my delight, the policies and pricing are reflective of maintaining a quality clientele for which I can respect that.
Let me point out a few clarities to the blog:
1. Price per square foot on each site is likely cheaper than anywhere else. These sites are beautiful, large, wood settings that provide privacy…with the exception of the occasional bunny hopping by. If you prefer a site where you hear your neighbors snoring than this is not the campground for you. Although you may not realize it, maintaining these sites cost more than mowing a field. Come camp in the spring and watch John and his team work endlessly from daylight till dark cleaning fallen trees and branches left over from the winter snow and ice damage. I sure wouldn’t want to be responsible for the maintenance of this campground. With that in mind, there is obviously a premium for camping at a campsite of this nature.
2. Site price has a lot of expense that the camper does not see. For example, beyond the maintenance costs there are property taxes that have increased significantly in New Brunswick over the last decade. This goes for all small businesses that own property. Look at all the businesses in Miramichi that have shut down over the last decade. For a campground and other seasonal businesses, they have 2 good months at best to cover all their costs providing the weather cooperates.
3. Limiting adults and tents per site is a GOOD thing…it keeps the noisy tenants out. I noticed the family posted on Facebook that this is only the case when you are not part of the same family. 2 parents with 2 kids would not have to pay for 2 sites. Hotels charge for extra adults so why not campgrounds? When I go to Vegas, they even charge extra for my children beyond 2 people per room. It is a mechanism the hospitality business seems to employ to maintain control. You knew the policy and made a choice, don’t condemn them for having a policy.
4. As mentioned by someone above: the campground is pre-season so you shouldn’t expect it to be running at full service. Perhaps you should be thankful you had a place to camp?
5. The price for firewood – do you really think they are getting rich off of selling firewood? Calculate in the cost of gathering, chopping and bundling it.
6. So to be clear, the $135 for 2 sites for 2 nights (taxes in?) is under $30 per site per night?
This is to all the Miramichiers out there commenting about being associated with this…what happened to defending your own. I live out of province and I have no concern with standing up for them.
See you this summer Flo and John - look forward to more great memories!
JR
Ah, the comment as well as your initial one went into the 'spam' folder, possibly because of the length. I hadn't noticed the blogging site do that before. Apologies for that.
DeleteSomeof what you state here in regards to the sites themselves I agree with and mentioned as much in my initial post. I also gave credit to the staff for the work they do.
#3 and #5 however I have an issue with. There are no conditions I can see that 2 adults in 2 tents with 1 vehicle should be forced to pay for two sites. This does not limit noise in any way as we both spent our time together on the same site anyway. If we were a group of 6 or 8 people, then certainly multiple sites would be needed, but for 2 people how can that be justified?
If we brought an 8 man tent to share versus a 3 and a 4 man tent to use separately only then would we have been charged for one site? Why on earth does our choice of tents play into the number of lots we are force to pay for?
As far as the different rules for families, if John and I were bothers, father/son, uncle/nephew, would the policy be applied differently? What difference does relations make to providing a good value to the guests for their stay.
Anyhow, I appreciate your feedback and commend you for your vigorous defense of the campsite which you clearly feel strongly for. I do urge you to consider my position. Whether you agree with it or not there are other groups who may be considering staying at the Enclosure and would be negatively affected by this policy.