Honest Review of Our Stay at Redwood Coast Cabins & RV Resort in Eureka, Humboldt County

Our family was planning a Labor Day weekend road trip to the Eureka area of Humboldt County and I began the search for a place to stay. Our goal was to escape the 100+ degree heat in Sacramento and head to the cooler coast of Northern California. Unfortunately so many other people seemed to have the same plan because there was very limited availability, despite the fact that I was booking months in advance. The prices for an overnight stay during Labor Day weekend was also incredibly expensive!

While searching I came across a low budget accommodation called the Redwood Coast Cabins and RV Resort in Eureka. The prices were very reasonable, we ended up booking Saturday and Sunday night of Labor Day weekend for a little over $200. For a coastal spot in California, those rates are practically unheard of, especially on a holiday weekend! But of course I did have my hesitations when I read some very mixed reviews online about the experience of others. Read on to see how it went for us!

Booking the Cabin

I always search for the best hotel and stay deals on Booking.com, and this is where I can across the Redwood Coast Cabins bargain. I could see that it was a cabin stay, and it did say that it had shared bathrooms. But I couldn’t get any more information on what came included in the booking. I figured that there was at least a small kitchenette set up, and a sink with water. Boy was I wrong!

Price of Our Stay

Our total charge for a two night stay during Labor Day weekend was $221. Considering this is a California coastal location on a 3-day holiday weekend, I would consider this a steal! I would still book this stay again, strictly for the price only. As you read on, the accommodations were far from luxurious and even a little less than what I would consider basic.

Location of the Redwood Coast Cabins

Probably the single best feature of the Redwood Coast Cabins is the location. It is very centrally located to many of the top attractions of Eureka. It was a short drive to Old Town Eureka, downtown restaurants, convenient stores and not too far to the beach. Nothing was in walking distance, so you definitely need a car to get around.

The Shared Bathroom Situation

I have been camping before with shared bathrooms, so this was not something new. We were lucky that our cabin was the closest to the bathrooms, but for others they would have a lengthy walk. I did see the staff clean the bathrooms at least once during our stay, but with all the heavy usage by so many in the camp, I feel like it should’ve been cleaned a bit more. The smell in the bathrooms was particularly gross, it smelled like porta potties.

On our second day, the staff completely closed all the showers for a “septic issue,” and they remained closed the rest of our stay. So we came back from the beach all sandy and sticky to find that showers were not an option at all.

Cabin Accommodations

Let me be clear, I did not expect any kind of glamping situation for the price we paid. I expected the bare basics like a sink, a fridge and maybe a microwave. Inside our cabin there was one double bed and bunk beads. There were mattresses with bedding and pillows. There were electricity with lights and outlets, but that’s it. There was nothing related to a kitchen or vanity sink.

Inside the cabin there was no water, no place to keep food cold and no way to heat or cook food. They had signs up inside the cabin that no hot plates or electric cooking of any kind was allowed. The only option was a fire it outside for BBQ style cooking.

We brought our large ice chest to keep food cold and we went to the nearby Target to buy charcoal. You can also buy basic camping food like hot dogs, ingredients for s’mores, etc. at nearby grocery stores.

I believe there may be other cabins that come with more amenities, but those would cost more. Again, it was very unclear what the booking options were.

The front office does sell firewood bundles for $10, and they have a microwave and very basic coffee served. These are only available when the front office is open, which is not a lot of the time. They have regular business hours posted, but the staff was often not there and the office was locked.

Kid-Friendly Perks

The Redwood Coast Cabins is very child-friendly and the kids had a blast. There was a playground, a pool, outdoor checker and chess games, and even a swing on our cabin front porch. During our downtime between daytime excursions, the kids kept busy with all the on-site activities.

Dog-Friendly Camp

We saw many families with dogs around the camp. I am not sure if they charge an extra fee for pets.

Staff and Customer Service

I will say this, the staff was very friendly and helpful when we could find someone. It seemed like they had a skeleton crew running the whole operation on a very busy holiday weekend. Before we left our home, I was trying to pack for the trip and I had no idea what supplies I needed to bring. In the days leading up to our departure, I called the office at least 5 times during open hours to speak with the staff, and no one would answer the phone. I finally did get a hold of someone the day before we had to leave.

During our stay, the office was often closed during business hours too. I saw many frustrated people trying to get a hold of someone, so it wasn’t just us.

Cleaning and Cabin Upkeep and Maintenance

The inside of the cabins seemed clean and well cared for. The sleeping area felt fine and comfortable. But the outside areas of the cabin could definitely use some TLC. There were thick cobwebs, dog hair tumbleweeds, dust and build up grime on the outdoor table, porch and lawn area. It didn’t seem like they did any outdoor maintenance at all.

The Final Verdict

If you are looking for a more authentic camping experience with very little modern amenities, plus a bargain deal on an overnight stay during peak summer season, then this may be a good option for you.

If you are looking for anything that relates to a hotel stay, then I definitely do not recommend this option. It was a bit confusing because it was listed along with other hotels on Booking.com, but it’s a world of difference experince.

If you don’t have the chops or desire to do fire pit cooking, plan on eating out a lot for your meals (which can add a lot to the cost of your trip). We had to get in the car and go to downtown cafes first every morning to get our caffeine fix. So I guess my point is that it’s far from a relaxing stay.

The kids loved the whole experience (minus the shared bathrooms). They felt like it was “real camping” and had fun playing on the playgrounds.

So I guess depending on who you are and what you expect, this could be a great stay or a nightmare travel scenario! lol