Whalers Rest RV & Camping Resort

We haven't been to a lot of full service RV places and none in Oregon, so don't have a lot to compare. We were there over labor day and the weather was nice for Oregon. The beach is right across Hwy 101 and was a big factor in selecting this place. People are nice and nothing 'bad' about it except for the wifi. Poor connection even at the clubhouse. Of course it was packed to capacity so that might have had something to do with it. We enjoyed our time there and will be back. I was a bit surprised about how close or tight everything was. We had a back-in site and need to slide our 5th wheel hitch to get backed in. We are 31 feet so that may play a part in that. Some of the kids came up and rented a tent site right next to us so we had a great time.

We mostly enjoyed our stay here. It's a quick walk to a nice beach. Nicely wooded. Friendly staff. Good facilities with an indoor pool and two clubhouses with free wifi.

The sites are really tight and dated though. My sewer hose almost didn't make the connection way in the back and I couldn't back up anymore due to tree branches.

Verizon coverage was pretty much nonexistent. Sprint had a little 3g at times. AT&T was good.

Very large Thousand Trails park, pretty nice, little aged. Spread out over two sides of a side street off the 101. Most sites are FHU 50A (better than many TT parks). Beside the 101, but many areas away from the highway and I couldn't hear anything from my site. Many sites have some pavement or gravel, but still fair bit of mud (I was here in April, lots of rain) and some sites were entirely flooded. Most sites seemed level. A few miles south of Newport, easy to get into town. Main ding is poor cell coverage. AT&T is best, but only a bit of sprint (somewhat usable), and no T-Mobile. WIFI in clubhouse only.

We lucked into a pull through spot directly across from the trail to the beach. Unfortunately the spot was on a corner and not as secluded as the back in sites, and the down side was we were totally dusted by people driving by our spot on the gravel road. The road and sites were much easier for a big rig than some of the other TT parks we've been to on the Oregon coast. The spa was out of order while we were there, but the wifi at the clubhouse had decent speed. Our Verizon service was nonexistent without a booster.

All sites were full hook-ups and had cable TV for an additional fee of $3 per night. Cell service was poor. We had a pull through site with plenty of room. We did have some privacy on the curb side of the rig. Staff was super friendly and eager to help. There was a fenced dog park on the premises.

We really enjoyed our stay! When we first checked in the nice man working in the booth directed us to a site for rigs larger than 38 feet. We really appreciated that since we are 41 feet. We loved our site! We also loved the indoor pool and hot tub and the activities like a magic show and candy bar bingo. One lady employee wasn't very friendly and asked us more than once why we were in a site for rigs larger than 38 feet. I don't know why she kept asking us this, if she just looked at our rig I think it's pretty clear we are larger than 38 feet. She also wasn't very friendly when I needed to pick up a package, but I was very thankful to the other lady employee that helped me instead. Anyway, we loved our time there and were not too bothered by the not so friendly employee. Verizon data does not work there at all, but with a booster we were able to use talk and text only. However, AT&T data worked very well.

What I Love About This Park:
- Full hookups
- Beach Access
- Good facilities
- Friendly staff
- Near numerous other great day visit sites
- Lots of outdoor activities
- lots of concrete pads for parking
- Great ATT service

Downsides:
- Narrow sites
- Dense shrubbery makes it difficult to get slides out in some sites.
- table/fire pit often at the rear of the site
- Pull throughs tend to be a bit muddy and less accommodating
- Poor sprint Reception

Must See activity:
Cape Perpetua - Thor’s Well and Devil’s Churn at high tide.

Must be a Thousand trails member to receive the stated rate paid. Memberships vary and cost can be high, but worthwhile if you use it a lot. Their Wifi was intermittent and I could not get a Verizon signal from my campsite. If I go back I might take a tent campsite as I could get a Verizon signal there. Beach is across the street which is a busy highway 101.

We stayed here as part of our Thousand Trails membership and paid no nightly fee. Man, we loved the Oregon Coast and maybe Newport most of all. Whalers Rest was a big part of that. Just a two minutes walk from the beach (our site was right next to the beach trail) and within a half hours drive of so many amazing places, especially Depoe Bay!!!

The park itself is in heavy forest and it's, like many TT parks, older and rustic. But who cares? We weren't there for amenities, cell signal or satellite TV. Yeah, Verizon was sketchy at best (AT&T was decent) and many sites had no view of the southern sky, not to mention the sites were small (though spaced well and private) and the pads cracked and faulted but the location, the access to the beach and scenery totally made up for it. We wouldn't hesitate to visit again and, in fact, we plan to.

Nice camp, a little old/worn, but clean, quiet. The staff is good. We’ve stayed twice (Nov’18, May’19). Lower part of south loop (1-47) is a little crowded, but the upper section is very private. Good access to Newport and all the attractions. The beach is nice (Lost Creek State rec. area), but you must cross the 101 to get to it (speed limit is 55). If you’re not a TT member the state camps (there is one on either side of Newport) are probably a better choice (cost and beach access).