The tale of 2 different reviews
We were so excited to get to Swan Bay. Its ratings are very high, its ammenities great, and its location excelllent. First impressions were excellent. The sites are pristine. Flat, cement paved pads, brick paver patios, perfectly groomed grass, trees and shrubs surrounding the sites. The picnic tables and stone enclosed firepits are in perfect shape, and the general appearance of the campground is beautiful. The water, electric and sewer hookups were easy. The wifi in the park is pretty good - as wifi goes these days in campgrounds. There were only 2 air channels accessible with our antenna. That was a bit disappointing - but our Roku that we accessed from the wifi kept us entertained. The camp map is excellent. The 2 pools are clean and clear, the waterfront is quite pretty, and the tiki bar is a nice added attraction. There is ample seating around the pool area. The entire campground is entirely flat, so walking, running, dog walking and biking are welcomed activities. The camp store is plentiful with all kinds of items that any camper might need or want, and, at the far end of the park, there happens to be a full supermarket right next door. It is an excellent, pretty location. In fact, the views of the sky during sunset and dusk are impecable. When we checked in, the front desk seemed kind and knowledgeable. And, during our stay, the interactions we had with the maintenance staff were excellent. THIS part of my review gets a 5 star rating.
Swan Bay promised a free shuttle bus service, available several times a day, into Alex Bay or Clayton. This services allowed us the opportunity to not have to rent a car to see the sights. Perfect. When we pulled in, we immediately inquired how things work. The young lady at the desk instructed us to call the day before we wanted the service, as they have to "reserve" it. Fine. About an hour later, we called and reserved the shuttle for 11 a.m. on Wednesday, the 13th. Fine.
The next morning, we went up to the office at 10:15 to wait for the shuttle. We asked TWICE if we were in the right place and if everything was set. The answer, both times, was "yup". Fifteen minutes AFTER the time we were supposed to leave, there still was no shuttle. It was at that time they discovered that the girl who took my information for the 13th wrote down the 12th. What? So, their mistake. They then scrambled, and found a fabulous maintenance guy to drive us in. We lost some time in the city, but it turned out fine. Immediately upon returning, we went into the office and reserved shuttle seats IN PERSON, on the 13th, for the 14th, at 9 a.m.
We went up to the store the next day, at 8:55 - and I sent my husband in to confirm (I was running out of patience). They told him the girl wrote down 11 A.M. - not 9 A.M.! I mean...HOW MANY mistakes can ya make?? Again, maintenance had to rush down and take us into town. The guy explained that much of their regular staff was disrupted by the pandemic. Okay, understood - but can you just do your job? The driver was excellent - and all ended fine.
We were supposed to be picked up at 3:15. At 2:55 we found ourselves on a boatride that was being detained. I made a pre-emptive phone call to the camp office, to explain the situation, and to ask the driver to just give us 5 minutes of wiggle time. I explained that we were Swan Bay campers. I wanted to say that we were in a situation beyond our control, and just wanted to be polite and explain why we might be late. I was put on hold....and after SIX MINUTES of hold, I just hung up. No one ever got back on the phone. I think that's the 3rd strike by this office staff. The story ends fine - we got to the bus stop with 2 minutes to spare, and everything worked out. The driver had no idea we had even called - and that was fine. So, the office staff at this campground gets, unfortunately, a rating of "2". I am sorry, for such a high class campground, whose cost is commensurate with its amenities, the office staff should know what it's doing. So, averaging the 5 rating for the grounds, and the 2 for the staff, I end up with a 3.5. In this rating, I rounded up. I'm not saying that I wouldn't come back - because I surely would. But, I would know NOT to depend on the office staff for much of anything, as they really aren't super responsible - and might need more training to make this campground the excellent place it most definitely could be.