One of our reasons for visiting Texas was to meet up with Cherie’s family at her father’s submarine veterans reunion in San Antonio, and visit her brother in Austin. We decided to stay just a short drive between the two in the scenic town of New Braunfels, at the Landa RV & Campground located right on the Comal River.
Landa RV had been recommended to us by folks in the NuRVers community, some of whom had spent over a month making Landa RV home. With affordable full-hookup campsites literally right on the riverbank, we heard that Landa RV was a great place for an extended stay. In our case though, all we had time for was a weekend mostly spent out in San Antonio.
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You will literally have tubers right out your window if you choose one of the riverside campsites…
Landa RV has three types of sites – the “non river” area is a traditional (and rather run down) RV parking lot up on top of the hill and costs $30/night, the hillside sites with river views are $35/night, and the riverfront sites are $40/night.
We’re not entirely sure if our spot was considered the “hillside” area (sites 520 – 524), which were little more than a narrow area to pull off the road, lacking in privacy, space and even a picnic table. We weren’t particularly pleased with our spot. There were other very large spots coming down the hill in the 600 range that may or may not be considered ‘hillside’.
Some of the riverside sites on the other hand are particularly unique and worth the extra charge for a short visit. The ones further upstream are particularly secluded and worth checking out, but these sites lack hookups. There’s also a row of riverside sides all lumped together that have little space between them, but would be great for a group gathering or for those who don’t mind closeness.
[wp_campaign_1]The time to visit Landa RV is apparently the off season. From mid-September to mid-April, all the sites are just $15, and monthly rates start at $225 (plus electricity).
The upper area of Landa RV is a generic slightly run-down RV parking lot. The “hillside” sites offer river views, but they are not right on the water.
New Braunfels is known for its German heritage and its amazing water recreation. The nearby Schlitterbahn park has been voted “the world’s best waterpark” ten years running, and features acres of water slides that are more akin to roller coasters than not. Another highlight of New Braunfels is the crystal clear Comal river, known as the “world’s shortest” and a mecca for float-tripping tubers.
Next time we visit we will make sure we have time to enjoy both.
There is actually a “toob” rental kiosk right at Landa RV. After your float down the the 2.5 mile long river, a shuttle bus will bring you right back to the park.
A few concerns with Landa RV…
There are train tracks that literally pass right through the park, and several times a day (and sometimes at night) a train will pass through. Personally I love the sound of trains and it was quite novel for our short stay, but Jim & Rene of Live. Work. Dream. were traumatized after living by the tracks at Landa for a month at the extended NuRVers rally.
Also – we were not overly impressed with the management at Landa. They pressured us to “Please book asap as sites go fast .” But the weekend we spent there the park was over half empty. High-pressure sales tactics never leave a lasting good impression. Also, when we inquired about a site we were quoted $30/night for spot 520, but were charged us $35/night without explanation for the change in pricing – and we honestly never brought it up either.
Despite our issues, I think we would give Landa RV another chance and stay there again. Next time, we would make certain to get a riverfront site though. I am looking forward returning either in the summer to play on the river and at Schlitterbahn, or in the winter for an extended cheap stay right on the riverside.
[wp_campaign_1]Summary Details:
View: Tubers on the Comal river!
Sites: 90+ sites. (Less than 20 on the riverbank…)
Facilities: Toilets, Showers. Tube rentals.
Hookups: Most sites have water, electric, and sewer.
Cell & Data Coverage:
AT&T – Strong signal.
Sprint – Strong fast EVDO rev A. (D: 1479Kb/s, U: 476Kb/s, 167ms)
Cost: $30-$40/night. ($15/night in off season)
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Yeah there are definitely some of the unwelcome trailer park stereotypes but it didn’t spoil the experience for me. There are some gorgeous spots by the river and I really didn’t expect to have such a great time and meet so many lovely people. If anyone’s thinking about visiting you really should!
We actually returned to Landa RV just a few days ago.. and they’ve cleaned out a lot of the sites at the top level. Quite a pleasant stay.
i will try to go here next year
You know it’s funny, usually the higher up on a hill you go, the swankier the real estate. Not so with Landa. The monthlies up top are a good mix of people. Some who live up to the negative trailer park stereotypes, others who are just really nice people. But you don’t go to Landa for the park; you go there for the cheap winter rates, the Comal, and the fact that it’s in the middle of a darn nice part of Texas. As much as we hate those trains, we just might be back.
Hey – we’re very close to each other! I’m in Southwest Austin. Are you heading back this way by any chance? It would be fun to meet!
We are actually near Hohenwald, TN right now. We left Austin a few weeks ago, and are just now catching up on some old posting.
It would be great to cross paths though. I am looking forward to it!
I do believe that all of the sites, including riverside, are the same price before April 1. $15 a night.
We were seriously traumatized by the train. If you camp up top with the monthlies, you’ll know what I mean. Down by the river it’s another world. We’ll stay on that side next time!
Yeah.. we walked through the top part of the park and I was flabbergasted by spots that back up to the tracks.
Do you know how much more expensive the monthly rate was for the riverside spots during the off season?
What were the neighbors like up top? It seemed like a lot of long-timers, but I only walked through there once.
Up-top was dull, generic, and run down. Some of the spots on the river were gorgeous though.