We went on a camping trip to Crown Villa RV Resort in Bend, OR. We stayed at site 473.
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The Campsite
Now, I have to start out by saying that this campground is not for us. We like camping at state parks and places where you feel like you are in nature. We don’t want to camp in a parking lot and had never considered camping at a “resort.”
While we were in Bend our plan was to camp at Tumalo State Park. Unfortunately, all sites were booked so we had to figure out a plan B. We decided to go with the Crown Villa RV Resort.
As you read this review remember if you enjoy camping at a resort you may disagree with a lot of what I’m saying. If you like being in nature and aren’t scared of dry camping then you’ll probably get more value out of this review.
Our campsite (#473) was a back-in site and we had no issues parking our 20 foot rig. The parking space had paver stones, it was level and looked nice. However, they didn’t allow you to park your tow vehicle on the paver stones. Instead you had to park it at one of the spots near the road at the end of your site. Now, the spots weren’t far, but they were shared so there was no guarantee you’d get the spot closest to your site.
We chose one of the sites on “the hill.” Our site was advertised as having “the most privacy of any site.” I found it very difficult to understand why they describe it like that. Of course, I wasn’t expecting much at this place but our site didn’t seem any more private than anything else. There’s just rows of sites with slivers of lawn to separate them.
The amenities at Crown Villa were very nice. There weren’t as many as I would have hoped. At a “resort” the kids were expecting a pool. There was a hot tub, tennis courts, and a laundry room. The bathrooms and showers were the nicest we’ve seen at a campground and were kept clean.
The sites had full hook-ups. They had a bistro table but no picnic table. This made it not ideal for a family. We used our own tables instead. And campfires were not allowed. It really didn’t feel much like camping and to us, that is not a positive trait.
The biggest downside to us about Crown Villa was the cost. It was over $100 per night to stay there. This is by far the most expensive campground we’ve been to. People there were rude, there were lots of unusual rules, and it was very expensive.
To end on a positive note, it was a nice location. It was right in Bend and it was very easy for us to go see what we wanted to see in Bend.
The Weather
We were there in June and had great weather. It was high 70s to low 80s during our visit.
The Activities
Since the campground is right in Bend there are lots of activities to do not too far away.
We went to Worthy Brewing. The food was good and there was live music. They also have a “hopservatory” which is a research-grade telescope that they allow the public to look through. We tried to do a late dinner so we would be there when it was dark enough to use the telescope. The kids really enjoyed getting to go up the tower to use the telescope.
We also visited the Farewell Bend Park. There was a nice paved path right along the Deschutes River. There was a playground. And there were picnic tables for a nice lunch. The kids really enjoyed hanging out there.
We knew we wanted to check out the Deschutes Brewery while we were in Bend. It was too busy for us to sit indoors but they had some seating out front and served us there. They had a few different beer flights to choose from including some beers that you could only get at the brewery.
We wanted to check out as many breweries as possible so we also went to Sunriver Brewing. This brewery was fine but out of the three we visited in Bend it was the least favorite. To be fair, the beer was pretty good but the food wasn’t great.
The kids wanted to dip their feet in the river one of the days. There was a swimming hole on the Deschutes River at Farewell Bend Park but that seemed a little deep to send our young kids in on their own. We decided to go to Shevlin Park.
Shevlin Park was fun. There were teepees set up that the kids could explore. There was also the Tumalo Creek for them to walk through. The only complaint was the water was freezing cold. After a little while that wasn’t much of a concern to them though.
The Dog-Friendly Hiking
Though our campsite didn’t have any trails there are lots of dog-friendly hiking opportunities in Bend. We chose to do a hike starting at the Farewell Bend Park. The hike was the Deschutes River South Canyon Trail.
The Deschutes River Trail is pretty long and when you start at Farewell Bend Park you can go either North or South. The stretch we did, the South Canyon Trail, had us heading South from Farewell Bend Park. The trail follows the river for about a mile and a half and then there is a bridge to cross the river. Then the trail follows the river on the opposite side for a total of a three mile hike. The entire trail was dog friendly and easy enough that it was no problem for our young kids.
The Beer
There are so many different breweries to try in Bend! That was one of the big reasons we wanted to visit. I already outlined the breweries we went to under the activities section. Out of those, Worth Brewing was my favorite. They had good beer, good food, and an overall great experience.
Bend does have what they call the “Ale Trail.” There are 30 breweries and you can track your progress in the free app or get a paper passport. We would have done this if it was an adult trip but it didn’t seem appropriate for kids.
The Recap
Crown Villa RV is expensive and not worth it. It doesn’t feel like camping at all. Bend, however, was a fun place to visit and made the experience worthwhile.
Campground Details:
Crown Villa RV Resort
60801 Brosterhous Road, Bend, OR 97702
Can reserve online at sunoutdoors.com.
