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- Report from Jay, June 2007
Thought I'd give a you a head's up that the
Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, NV (formerly the Reno Hilton) has reopened the
RV park.
http://www.grandsierraresort.com/activities/recreation/rvpark/ I
have no idea whether or not they still allow boondocking or not as I have
not been back to the hotel since the RV park was reopened.
- from reader J.W., April 2007
I boondocked at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, NV on Friday April 13th. We
were allowed to park in the lot overnight. But we also had people with us
who were registered guests. While driving thru the lot trying to find a good
place to park in the lot we were contacted by Security. He asked if we were
going to be registered guests and if we planned to stay overnight in the RV.
I advised him that we were registered guests and we also intended to stay in
the RV. He then led me to a parking area where I had seen several commercial
big rigs parked when we first pulled into the hotel parking lot and
instructed me that we had to park here. It was very far from the hotel
entrance. The security guard took us in his van to the security office where
we were issued a permit to be placed in the window of the RV. He drove me
back to the rig to put the permit inside and then took me back to the hotel
as we were having dinner in the hotel. After eating and gambling a bit we
called security and they were kind enough to give us a ride back to the RV.
The good: We were allowed to stay on site
overnight. Security was very friendly and accomodating getting us to and
from the RV since we were parked so far away
The bad: We were forced to park a VERY
long distance from the hotel We were forced to park with commercial big
rigs. This meant that we had several rigs pull in after we had retired for
the night (after 10:00pm) We had one big rig fire up to leave at 5:30am and
he idled the damn truck for 30 minutes before finally pulling out. Thank god
none of them idled their trucks all night, or I would have likely moved to
some other part of the night in spite of what security wants. The area we
had to park in was broken down asphalt and dirt that was un-level in areas
and had large potholes. Versus parking in the paved parking lots that had
good, level pavement. The old campground is to be ripped out and turned into
another tower according to the security guard. I saw other RV's parked in
various areas of the parking hotel while heading to dinner. Upon returning
to the RV after dinner these same RV's had been moved to the same area where
I was. The area where they ask you to park is not well lit (this could be a
plus if you are concerned about excess light at night) For me it was more of
a security concern. The area they park you in is close to the main road and
close to the amusement area and thus you get noise. Thankfully the amusement
park closed soon after we got back in the RV and traffic seemed to die down
on the road. Due to renovations within the hotel they only have one
restaurant open, which is Chevy's Mexican. Everything else is closed.
The unknown: I did not ask if we would
have been allowed to stay if we were not registered guests. Part of me
suspects maybe not, though the other rv's I saw were also being occupied
that night. In hindsight I should have asked.
In conclusion, while we were allowed to stay
onsite, I do not think that we would choose to stay here again due to where
we had to park. I would have preferred to be able to park closer in one of
the main lots that was level and away from the trucks, the road, the
amusement park and in an area with better light and better visibility. I
felt we were being tolerated by the hotel management, rather than being
welcomed. We had tried to get a room at the Peppermill, they were sold out.
We did get a room at the Atlantis, but the rate was higher and was double
beds. When we called the Grand Sierra, the room rate was better and was for
a room with two queen beds. Next trip we will aim for either the Peppermill
or the Atlantis as it seems they are more accepting of RV's.
Casino Camper Report, March 2007
KOA
Closed! Unsure if RV overnight parking will now be allowed. If
anyone visits there send us a report please
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