Could Thornton Creek Be The Best Value For A Florida Motorcoach Resort Purchase?

When it comes to campgrounds and motorcoach resorts, beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. Over the past two years I’ve stayed in $20 per night well managed campgrounds that I’ll look forward to visiting again as well as high-end resorts that cost hundreds of dollars per night that provided truly luxurious experiences. I’ve also stayed at a few in between that were truly misrepresented when the reservation was made that I’ll avoid in the future.

With that said, I’ll cut to the chase and say that if you’re considering the purchase of a motorcoach property in Florida, Thornton Creek Motorcoach Resort is a must see community with a very attractive “try it before you buy it” program.

Featuring Key West style casitas on oversized, waterfront lots, real estate prices start at $90K. An all-in price of $250K makes this a great value for Florida seasonal living.

A video interview with the owners of this resort is locate near the end of this post.

Over the past month, I visited Thornton Creek Motorcoach resort twice in order to get a feel for what separates them from the pack. In full disclosure, while it’s my practice to pay for my stays, that’s not possible with Thornton Creek as it’s a community and not a rental campground resort. With that said, I didn’t receive any special treatment as a three night stay is offered to any qualified motorcoach owner who is considering a lot purchase. I’ll add there’s no pressure to purchase during a visit as it’s simply a method to learn if what they are offering is what you’re seeking. In a way, it’s like taking an extended test drive in a new car, but instead of kicking the tires, you get to experience the amenities meet the neighbors, tour the local areas and learn if this resort is a good fit for your lifestyle and budget. It’s quite a unique program.

I can honestly say that when it comes to Florida seasonal recreational living, I found a lot to like about Thornton Creek Motorcoach Resort.

When I produce an overview of a specific campground or resort, I attempt to enter the property with an open mind and learn as I experience the atmosphere, layout and amenities first hand. In a similar manner to unboxing a new product for review, instead of reading the verdicts of other reviewers, I prefer to form my own opinion after using the product in the manner it was designed. The first impression is important and that begins the moment you enter the gate.

I’ll state there’s been some arrival experiences that have created tense moments in attempting to navigate through a somewhat narrow entrance and into my designated pad. Some properties I’ve visited have some very tight turns that require precise maneuvers for ingress and egress that left me scratching my head and luckily, not my coach. Personally, that’s not the way to begin or end a long driving day and I appreciate it when the resort allocates more than ample space to accommodate the size of coaches promoted by the developers.

Entering the Property

Prior to arrival, I received an email that contained detailed, turn-by-turn driving directions and instructions to call when I was within an hour from arrival. This allows the property owners time to have someone greet you at the gate and escort you to your pad. But, my big surprise was the width of the entrance and, as you’ll see in the video below, the wide streets and oversized pads that make ingress, egress and negotiating a large coach onto the property a very pleasant experience.

As I navigated my coach past the gate, I was pleasantly surprised at the layout of this resort. While this is a relatively new property and recently entered its second year of development, it’s easy to see the developer was generous with the lot proportions and extra long and wide pads. Instead of trying to squeeze-in too many lots, a priority was placed on the “elbow room” factor and that’s a very good thing! I can only guess the main reason for the spacious lots is that Thornton Creek is not owned by a corporate conglomerate attempting to generate profits on every square foot of the property. It’s owned and operated by Laura and Barry Poole, a Husband and Wife team who actually live in a RV on their various properties during the peak seasons and are accessible to the owners and prospective purchasers. The Poole’s are experienced motorhome resort developers and have a resort in Virginia and two in North Carolina.

These large pads allow for a full size motorcoach along with multiple cars without cluttering the street or complicating navigating in and out of the property. That’s something rarely found in most campgrounds and resorts.Lo

Casitas

One factor that makes this resort special is the Key West style casita style homes that offer indoor/outdoor living that perfectly accent a motorcoach resort lifestyle. 87 of the 99 lots are waterfront and during my visits, the breezes created a tropical feel. As you’ll see in the video, I was surprised at the price of ownership and maintenance fees and will state that in my opinion, this is one of the best values I’ve found for a relaxing Florida motorcoach lifestyle. Of course there’s a clubhouse with an active calendar and nice list of included amenities.

Location

Located just ten miles from I-75 in the Southwest portion of Florida, Thornton Creek is placed in a quiet and peaceful area of the Sunshine State. A 15 minute drive places you in the modern Punta Gorda area that’s filled with a variety of restaurants and a bustling seasonal nightlife.

Along with location, amenities and a secure environment are most likely desirable factors for anyone seeking to purchase a motorcoach property. Of course, price plays a major role and like any property purchase, keeping overhead costs in check is an important factor. While there’s not a one-size-fits-all property that checks all the boxes for every prospective motorcoach resort buyer, I can honestly say that when it comes to Florida seasonal recreational living, I found a lot to like about Thornton Creek Motorcoach Resort. If I didn’t already live in a Florida resort community, I would be giving this resort a very strong look.

At A Glance

99 Lots with six lakes on 58 acres
Lot sizes ranging from 7,200sf to 19,500sf
Lot prices start at $82,000.
Casitas with 500sf to 1,000sf under roof can be built on the lots and approved for bedroom usage.
Casita construction prices range from $70,000 – $125,000
Located 10 miles from I-75 in Southwest Florida near Punta Gorda.
Gated Entrance
Waterfront Recreation Area and Waterway Access on the Peace River
Clubhouse Amenities: Entertaining Space, Catering Kitchen, Pool, Exercise Room, Laundry, Postal Service.
Class A Motorcoach Resort – Coach must be 34-feet in length and 12 years old or newer at the time of purchase.
Driving Range on property and adjacent to Sunnybreeze Golf Course.
Pickleball Courts
Annual HOA fees are $1,800.
On Site Trailer Storage – $300 per year.

Video

There’s more to this story and I’ll let the owners/developers tell the story of the Thornton Creek Motorcoach Resort. You’ll also see an overview of their other resorts including Deer Creek in Galax, VA, Bear Creek near Sparta, NC and their newest resort, Olde Beau in Roaring Gap, NC.

Here’s the video:

If you’re using a RV GPS to navigate to Thornton Creek, you may find the address may not be in the database. On my second trip, I entered the address of a neighboring property and arrived with no problem. As you’ll see in this “getting there” video, it’s a big rig friendly, “pucker-free” route that even newbies can navigate without any issues.

Address:
8338 SW Sand Crane Circle
Arcadia, FL 34269