745 Island Hwy E, Parksville, British Columbia V9P 1T6 Canada
Big Tent RV & Family Camping
11 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
We booked in here after seeing the beautiful photographs online. We were greeted by a very nice lady who proceeded to tell us that there was no Internet which isn’t a very big deal. Also there was no washroom facilities not a big deal either. We were directed to our campsite down the hill only define it was a big open field with Rady 30 or picnic tables. We pulled into recycled thought what the Heck will make the best of it. In the evening we Saul the person next-door to us in a motorhome emptying a 5 gallon pail with human waste Into the sewer line. Is continued on in the morning as well. We went for a walk uptown to come back only to find a truck and trailer parked on the road beside our unit they were using our sewer as they’re dumping station. The whole upper part of the campground which the pictures are taken out of it look like something out of a used car lot and a dumpster. I cannot believe anyone would post pictures of our recite not looking what we saw at all. This campground needs a lot of work and We will never stay here again
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I was expecting a full campsite because it was Canada day weekend but full doesn't do it justice. *The campsites are so small you can barley put a small tent and a vehicle in it. Having to park right beside your neighbors fire pit just to fit in your spot. *Bathrooms had good water pressure but were DISGUSTING, I hope you like spiders cause the bathroom is full and I mean FULL of spider webs.. like how hard is it to take a broom and clean the webs!? Also very dirty and crammed.
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Date of stay: July 2017Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I call to make my reservation to pay for May long tells me I can’t book for 1 or 2 nights must be 3 not worth it for them tells me go to Coombs yet on the site you can book for 1 or 2 nights guy seemed like an old prune
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Date of stay: May 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is no longer the Big Tent it is now called Heart Haven Campground & RV park and is under totally new management.
We are glad to be back. We have been coming here for more than 40 years and returned for the first time since COVID. Lots of improvements and positive changes. Tammy and Perry are great. We had our 1st family reunion here in years and they were so accommodating and bent over backwards to make sure we enjoyed ourselves. The place is clean and very well kept. A great place for group gatherings
Trip Advisor needs to change the name because this place has had a total makeover and the old reviews do not do it justice
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Date of stay: August 2022Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I have stayed in numerous campgrounds over the years and this is a pretty decent one in my opinion. The caretakers, presumably a husband & wife team, were very cordial and made us feel very welcome during our stay. They even helped get our air mattress blown up with their air compressor in the shop, as well as loaned us a foot pump just in case there was a leak in the mattress. That's service! We also neglected to bring a broom and dustpan to clean out our tent when we were finished camping there, and the caretakers loaned us that too. Such sweet people, I must say.
The area we camped on was nice and flat for a tent, and we were provided with a faucet of cold running water, which really helped when we were cooking. However, as we noticed a bit later on our first night, there is a double sink with hot and cold running water beside the bathrooms/showers. We found it quite easy to do our dishes there when there was no one around.
The bathrooms/showers were fair to good, considering it's a campground. They were well stocked and never did we have any issues with no soap or toilet paper. The facilities were clean enough and there seemed to be plenty of hot water for showering. My only complaint, really, is that the showers stalls could have been a bit bigger. Kinda cramped little room for showering, I'd say, but we managed okay.
To our delight there was an open ping-pong table available in one of the cook houses. The kids enjoyed that for a long time. Great fun. They also enjoyed the on-site tether-ball and volley-ball courts. As an added bonus, the campsite is right beside the Englishman River, which was great to take a walk beside.
Overall it was a good experience and I would not hesitate to recommend it to a fellow traveler or camper.
The "free wi-fi" is via Shaw Open, so isn't really "FREE" per se, but free if you already have a Shaw account and register your device
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Date of stay: July 2015
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â If RV-ing, use the upper part of the park.
If tenting use the lower section to have more shady...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The good points: The owner is friendly, lots of hot water in the washroom and lots of water pressure.
The bad points: Everything else. The washroom stalls were cobbled together, one in the men's didn't have a $1.00 latch to lock the door when in use. The shower was dirty, The facilities are old and worn out. The park was so overcrowded that it looked like a Walmart parking lot. There ae a lot of other places to stay in the area with your tent or RV.
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Date of stay: July 2017
Value
Rooms
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed three nights at Big Tent recently. The sites are small but adequate. The owners that run the place are pleasant and helpful. There are showers, laundry and a pool as well as a playground and the campsite borders Englishman river which is gorgeous. The full hook up sites are close to the island highway which can be a little noisy. But it's not terrible. If you prefer no hookups and space and privacy then you'd probably prefer Rathtrevor or Englishman provincial parks. But these book up fast so plan ahead.
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Date of stay: August 2016Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The staff were nice. . But the facilities were worn and cramped and literally pack to in like sardines. . We couldn't even have a fire because the pit was too close to our trailer and we were not allowed to move it either.. our site had a minimum of 100 cigarette butts. . More than obvious that they don't rake the sites or even check them before new arrivals.. we will not be going back. .
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Date of stay: August 2016Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The location is good, in close proximity to Rathtrevor Provincial Park, the Parksville Community Park and Beach, and many commercial establishments. The park is located on the north shore of the beautiful Englishman River and the grounds are well maintained and clean. On the negative side the groundskeeper's (presumably the owner) behaviour toward our party was unacceptable. He was extremely rude to my relatives in the pool area because my young niece touched a patch in the pool wall. When I confronted him about the incident and asked what he was thinking to act that way,he was unapologetic. I told him I was very disappointed and he didn't seem to care. If he is so concerned about the patch perhaps he should be more proactive about it, for example: a) let people know upon check-in; b) put up a warning sign; or c) close the pool until a permanent repair can be implemented. The other big no-no for us is that there are several permanent residents in the park, not a negative thing into itself, but definitely not the kind of experience we were looking for on a family trip. Not the right option if you are looking for a family-oriented place to stay in my opinion.
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Date of stay: July 2016
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â The sites on the upper part of the park are fully serviced and the ones at the bottom, closer to...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We couldn't get in to both Rathtrevor or Park Sands as both were full. Wanted to be able to walk to the beach and you can't do this here. Campground is right by the highway and bridge over Englishman river so can be noisy. You are also camping right beside your neighbour so hopefully you get a good group. Benefits are that the washrooms are kept clean and the outdoor pool is a nice touch and welcome relief during a hot day. We found the owners very pleasant and easy to deal with. Lots of people seem to use this as a quick stop over and it's OK for that.
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Date of stay: August 2015Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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LOCATION
CanadaBritish ColumbiaVancouver IslandParksville
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