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4.8
4 votes

Sam's Family Spa

70875 Dillon Rd, Desert Hot Springs, California 92241-7695 USA

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Closed Now
Opens Fri 7:30a
  • Independent
  • Credit Cards
    Accepted
  • Pet Friendly
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
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“was built in 1971 on over 50 acres”

Sam's Family Spa Hot Water Resort was built in 1971 on over 50 acres of selected desert property with underground hot mineral water springs. Our therapeutic pools are partially enclosed and are naturally heated by hot mineral water pumped from three underground wells which are constantly flowing through the pools.  Our wells are approximately 105 to 140 degrees and between 265 and 300 feet deep. Soak for a while and then kick back and feel the heat of our dry sauna. Now "this" is family relaxation at it's finest! Travel trailers, tents, motor-homes, campers and fifth wheels all are welcome here. We even have motel rooms for those who prefer not to camp and we have Wi-Fi! Sam's Family Spa was created and designed as a family park, so that both children and adults could enjoy the facilities. Stay for a day...A week...A month...Or a lifetime!!! 

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Reviews of Sam's Family Spa

22 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

4.2 Access
4.2 Location
4.3 Cleanliness
3.4 Site Quality
4.1 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G

Confirmed by 10 users | Last reported on March 20, 2022

AT&T 4G

Confirmed by 7 users | Last reported on May 02, 2020

T-Mobile 4G

Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on December 01, 2017
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Reviewed by
leighwetzel

  • 309 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
March 25, 2013
Rated

We had 3 different couples recommend Sam's Family Spa to us, and I think our expectations were set to high.

There aren't any signs directing you where to park while you check in. If you go to the right and park in front of the office you'll be pointed toward the mobile home section of the park, and apparently you won't be able to make the corner if you try to drive around the office and pools.

We ended backing back out into the main driveway and then turning left.

You can choose your site, which I guess is nice, but probably necessary since the sites are rather cramped.

The water in the hot tubs was murky.

The upside to our stay here is checkout time is between 2 and 3pm, so we were able to get a lot done before we left.

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Nightly Rate: $44.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 200

4 Access
4 Location
4 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

December 12, 2014
Rated

We're not normally commercial RV Park folks, but this one has charm. When you arrive, stay to the left and go select a site. Then check in. We love the first come, first serve nature of this location - especially for monthly stays.

The park itself, isn't much. Gravel spots and you WILL need to level as the entire property is on a gradual slope.

What you come here for is the hot pools. They change out the water nightly, and as long as it's not a crazy busy weekend, the water usually remains crystal clear until they close down at 10pm.

We stayed here a week last year, and chose to come back for a month this time around. The nightly and weekly rates are high, but the monthly is wonderful. And it's so blissful to have access to the hot mineral pools.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $18.00

Days Stayed: 30

Site Number: 168

4 Access
4 Location
5 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
3 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

February 04, 2015
Rated

This is a large park with permanent park models throughout the property. Sites are full hook-up and are pretty close together. I had called to reserve a spot and was told they didn't take reservations. Then when we arrived, they asked if we had a reservation.

Either way you choose your site when you arrive. We lucked out as we asked about a "group and overnight area" that was almost empty and they allowed us to stay there. We had lots of privacy until a group of 14 rigs arrived, but they were only there two nights and then we had our privacy again. The entire property is on a gentle slant, leveling is required. There are lots of date palms and rocks to maneuver around.

The rate includes unlimited access to their four hot pools, which are basic but nice. All were very clean during our stay. The swimming pool was being filled the day we arrived and was sparkling clean. There are lots of water features throughout the property, a pond, a few waterfalls etc. and lots of birds, including a black swan in the pond. There are also big cages, some of which house peacocks. The cute logo and decor depicting "Sam" are sprinkled throughout the property.

The office has a little grocery store with basics, and they also sell soft ice cream and fresh popcorn. Office staff were very nice.

The group area where we stayed was pretty nice for our dog, since there were many empty campsites, but in the regular part of the park there weren't too many places to walk dogs. There is a small, fenced dog area with grass.

The desert just behind the campground is really nice to walk around in, but while we were there a man in a pickup truck warned us that one of the homeowners across the way had some aggressive dogs that they let loose. We never saw the dogs, but it made us a bit weary.

Without the pools, this property would be a three, but having access to the pools make it much more pleasant.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $43.00

Days Stayed: 7

Site Number: 312

3 Access
3 Location
5 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

December 07, 2015
Rated

We booked a month here even though we were only staying a couple weeks because a month is cheaper than two weeks even with electric added on. Very strange! The park is dirt and sand with a concrete patio. Sites are very unlevel even though they don't look it. Three out of the four of us had to use several blocks to get level. The park is rather loud as the town maintenance storage area is down the road so trucks begin driving by around 6:00 AM. You have to be sure you check the width of your site. Not all sites are the same. Some are very narrow and may be difficult backing into them between the patio and the electric. Most people come for the mineral pools which do not have any chemicals added to remove the bacteria. Also, the pools are suppose to be drained every evening and refilled each morning. We chose not to use them. Sitting in hot water used by others prior didn't sound appealing. But they are very popular. The area around the pools is beautifully landscaped. The Verizon signal is lightning fast!! There is a cell tower at the entrance to the park. We've never had such good service.

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Nightly Rate: $18.00

Days Stayed: 21

Site Number: 166

4 Access
3 Location
4 Cleanliness
2 Site Quality
2 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

June 02, 2017
Rated

We don't stay in many campgrounds, in large part because I don't do rules, also I'm cheap. I really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere here, you simply pull in, pick a site and setup camp, even for a monthly rental there are no reservations or anyone telling you where to camp. They didn't bitch about my dog's breed or when I washed the truck in the street. For $550/mo. including access to the spa area, this place is a great deal and a nice change of pace to spend a month here for someone who otherwise boondocks full time.

They have wifi available for a reasonable charge but Verizon was ridiculously fast here.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $18.00

Days Stayed: 34

Site Number: -

5 Access
4 Location
4 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

November 29, 2017
Rated

Great pools, beautiful views, water to cool off in, unless it’s 100+ degrees, in which case get a motel! We’ve been coming here for 20 years and the place hasn’t changed much. We always choose a site in the “outback” where the views are better, and where it might be windier. Winter is the best time here.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $55.00

Days Stayed: 30

Site Number: Many

5 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
5 Site Quality
5 Noise
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Reviewed by
Campendium

December 01, 2017
Rated

We really enjoyed our stay at Sam's. They had a large campground with a motel, mobile homes, and plenty of RV spots. The spots were decently sized, but difficult to back into if your a large rig (truck+41' fifth wheel). It took us a couple turns to get in, but with the help of some neighbors we made it!

The hot springs were very nice. They are not chlorinated and refilled a couple times a day. They have several pools for everyone to enjoy that range in various temps. The lower ones are kid friendly :)

The sunsets here (we're all about sunsets lol) are awesome with the mountain back drop.

Bathrooms: didn't use
Hookups: full hookups
Site size: good, but can be difficult to back into
Site type: dirt lot with concrete patio
Dog Park: yes
Kid Friendly: yes! lots of space for bike riding, pool, playground, pond with birds, and hot springs
Laundry: lots of machines and very clean

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $65.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: 187

3 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

AT&T 4G

T-Mobile 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

January 11, 2018
Rated

We had to find a place to stay when we were told we'd have to leave Black Rock Canyon Campground in Joshua Tree National Park on a Friday morning as it was all booked up for the weekend. We looked around a bit online and found Sam's. We had no idea what to expect as we arrived, the reviews were good, but on the drive over we almost decided to head somewhere else. So, glad we didn't. What a hidden gem. We were so impressed on arrival that we decided to stay for a month. :) Great hot pools, and swimming pool. They even offer free yoga and water aerobics. The pool area is amazing. The staff was awesome too, very friendly and helpful. There are some great hiking trails nearby to which we loved. Very quiet during the week buy could get a bit noisy and busy on the weekends.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $18.00

Days Stayed: 30

Site Number: 194

4 Access
4 Location
4 Cleanliness
4 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 4G

Reviewed by
mistymountains

  • 31 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
February 08, 2018
Rated

We were supposed to stay at Joshua Tree, but on the day we were meant to check in, the government shut down. As we couldn't find a concrete answer as to whether or not the campgrounds would be open, we made a last-minute decision to call Sam's instead of risk driving all the way into the park and risk having to turn around.

The interesting thing about Sam's is they let you drive around, pick an open spot, get settled in, and then come to the office to pay. This is great because their spots are no joke -- very hard to back into due to narrowness -- which was tough because this was only our second time backing our Airstream into a spot. Half the sites are permanent mobile homes and the other half are varying-sized, non-reservable spots for both RVs and tents. After a lot of driving around and much debate as to whether we should stay, we ended up finding an end spot that we could back straight into due to it's position at the end of a street. We ended up next to a guy who said that he drives truck for a living and even he had difficulty getting into a spot (they had a 30' Airstream) and finally settled on their spot after attempts at two other sites. After being there a few days, we did notice that there are some sites that are essentially pull throughs if sites around them are empty, such as 312, 302 and 301.

Anyways, level sites with full hookups and cable. Coin laundry, clean restrooms with showers, dog run, playground, store, and BBQ area. There's also an "exercise room", but the free weights max out at 10lbs, so not very effective. But their claim to fame are the naturally-heated hot spring pools. There are four small hot pools, a larger warm swimming pool, and a small wading pool. The property is nice and relaxing.

It's a 45-minute drive to the Joshua Tree Visitor's Center and 25 minutes into Palm Springs.

We have a WeBoost, so I can't comment on cell coverage except to say ours was great with both AT&T and Verizon.

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mistymountains would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $55.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: 329

5 Access
4 Location
5 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
5 Noise
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Reviewed by
Campendium

March 01, 2018
Rated

The sites are extremely narrow. I couldn’t even get my bin open to get to my water hookup. And I saw several RVs that were parked up against or within inches of posts/electrical boxes. The pool area seemed lovely, but I didn’t even get that far. I left after the second site I pulled into (and kind of fit) didn’t have ground electric. For $55/night this tight park isn’t worth it when you can go to others down the road for $45/night.

Was this helpful?

Nightly Rate: $55.00

Days Stayed: -

Site Number: -

1 Access
5 Location
5 Cleanliness
1 Site Quality
- Noise

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Sam's Family Spa

70875 Dillon Rd
Desert Hot Springs, California
92241-7695 USA
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Hours

Closed Now
  • Sun - Thu: 7:30 am - 10:00 pm
  • Fri, Sat: 7:30 am - 11:00 pm

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  • Unavailable
    Parking
  • Check
    Pets Allowed
  • Check
    Restrooms
  • Check
    Wifi
  • Unavailable
    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Check
    Credit Cards Accepted
Back In RV Sites Count
32
Last Nightly Rate
44.0
Longest Vehicle Length Reported
43.0
Lowest Nightly Rate
18.0
Sites Count
160
  • Check
    Swimming Pool
  • Unavailable
    Paved Sites
  • Unavailable
    Fifty Amp
  • Check
    Full Hookup
  • Check
    Rec Facilities
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through
  • Unavailable
    Dump Station
  • Check
    Big Rigs
  • Unavailable
    Open Seasonally
  • Unavailable
    Age Restricted
  • Check
    Back In RV Sites
  • Unavailable
    Boondock
  • Unavailable
    Cabin Sites
  • Unavailable
    Dispersed Sites
  • Unavailable
    Firewood
  • Unavailable
    Fulltime Residents
  • Unavailable
    Group Tent Sites
  • Check
    Laundry
  • Unavailable
    Mobile Homes
  • Unavailable
    Permit Required
  • Unavailable
    Propane
  • Unavailable
    Public Water
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through RV Sites
  • Check
    Reservations
  • Check
    Sewer Hookup
  • Check
    Showers
  • Check
    Sites
  • Check
    Slide Outs
  • Unavailable
    Vehicle Wash Permitted
  • Check
    Water Hookup
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