Week 382 - Motorcoach Country Club, Indio California - 12-08-2013

Motorcoach Country Club

Looking for an upscale place to park your 30 to 45 foot motorhome? Head to Indio, California to the intersection of Avenue 48 and Motorcoach CC.

In 1998 Motorcoach Country Club looked similar to this Palm Springs area property. The developer, Outdoor Resorts, broke ground in 1999 with the financial support of Marathon Coach. In 2002 Monaco Coach Corporation (the manufacturer of our coach), became a financial backer. In 2008 the property owners of MCC took ownership of the resort and that continues to the present time. The resort is currently managed by Paul Johnson with guidance from the owner's board of directors.

Today (12-2013) the property looks like this! This fabulous resort consists of over 400 motorhome lots sitting on 80 acres.

As you enter the resort you are treated to a 100% landscaped property that rivals any 5-star hotel you may have stayed at. Park in the spacious staging area and head to the registration office.

1) Ellen is welcomed by Dawn at the "hotel" lobby. 2) General Manager Paul Johnson looks on as we snap a picture of the scale model of the resort.

Next after checking in, you pass through the 24/7 guarded and gated entrance and get a view of the water pouring out of the Top of the Falls club house.

Parked in our site, we are ready to tour this outstanding resort.

What does Alaska and Motorcoach Country Club have in common? Every picture is a post card. At every turn is grass, palm trees, flowers and classy walkways.

Water is everywhere: fountains, creeks, waterfalls, ponds and a one and one half mile canal system.

1) These home sites are along the canals. 2) Every water site owner can have an 18-foot electronic boat. Their site has a private dock and there are docks to allow water access to the club house.

On the extremities of the resort there are two satellite areas with a pool, spa, shower and laundry. The east side area also has the Yacht Club. This facility, for owners only, has a billiard and card room on the first floor and private lounge on the top floor.

Ellen, standing on the upper deck of the Yacht Club, can't help but smile as she takes in the peaceful beauty of the "homes" along the canal.

The Club House area in the middle of the resort has three tennis courts, two bocce ball courts and the fitness center.

Ellen and Mandy take the one and one half mile walk around the park perimeter. All streets are pet-friendly, but of course you pick up after your pooch. Mandy also enjoyed riding the golf cart that Paul provided for our use. This allowed us to easily cruise the resort to get needed photos. Of the 350 photos we took, we only had room to show a few dozen.

Wow! Does this one man mow all the grass? No! In fact twice a week, fourteen workers mow. That's 28 man days per week to keep the lawns looking great. Mandy definitely approves of the grass at our site.

Let's take a detailed look at our site which is neither an undeveloped site nor the most robust site in the resort. 1) It might appear that our site is cramped. However, behind the Mothership is room for two cars and a golf cart. 2) Alongside is an outdoor kitchen, bar, dining table and the casita.

Looking down from atop the Mothership gives a great perspective on this fabulous home site.

1) A view of our site from across the canal. 2) The casita, limited to 9 x 13 feet, is fully equipped. In the back is a bathroom and shower. In the foreground is the washer/dryer, folding table and closets; very comfortable.

This December was cold like the rest of the country, so the natural gas fire was welcome. All sites in the park are piped with natural gas. Pete takes Mandy for a walk to the canal.

The steps lead down to the extended dock with a couple's table and chairs. As renters we had use of most of the site's amenities; this will vary by site. The owners can enjoy the waterfall to the left of the path and the boat to cruise the resort.

Now for the crim de la crim, the Top of the Falls. When this resort was built, they took the 80 acres, dug two miles of waterways and piled the dirt in the middle of the resort. Then they built the Top of the Falls Restaurant.

The falls give you your first impression as you drive in and you are never disappointed after that. In back of the club house is the largest pool and spa.

Once inside the restaurant, you realize the you are in for five-star dining. The 12 foot tall windows give you the grand view of the pool, resort and mountains.

So what does it take to be an owner at Motorcoach Country Club? First, you need to purchase a lot which like other realty has the purchase price, fees and property taxes. Once owning the lot, you will have monthly HOA fees, which today are $498 (12-2013). The HOA fees covers maintenance of the common areas, mowing of grass, maintenance of the golf course, fitness center, pools, canal maintenance, yacht club access, tennis and bocce ball courts, cable TV, trash and water. You must pay for your own electricity and natural gas (if used). In addition you need to spend $1,400 per year at the 5-star restaurant which is not hard to do.

Seems expensive doesn't it? Being an entrepreneur in the computer financial software business for 37 years, we understand that all business have income and expenses. You see the income above. Here is one example of the gigantic expenses at the resort. This year they spent $30,000 on scalping the grass, reseeding and planting flowers. They will spend another $800,000 to maintain the landscaping during the year. And then there are the canals, pools and golf course maintenance, the buildings and the list goes on. MCC is the most luxurious RV resort in the nation because they keep it in top condition.

Having experienced such a fantastic resort, we had to share it with our close friends. Gordon and Karen, Clint and Jackie live in the Coachella Valley during the winter. Both couples have been generous hosts to us, so it was only fitting to have them over for hor d'oeuvres and dinner. A fabulous evening for fabulous friends. C'est la vie.

Incredibly the next two photos were taken by Pete not Ellen. Yes, he got up before sunrise!

These shots were taken from the upper patio deck of the club house. Next time we'll get the sunsets that are equally charming.

Whether you see this resort at dawn, sunset, night or in the day, it is truly the most incredible "RV Park" we have ever visited. We hope you enjoyed our visit and if we were ever to stop our voracious travel and settle in at an ownership park, this would have to be in the finals.

A big shout out to Paul and his staff for their wonderful hospitality. If you would like to see more of the amazing motorhome properties click on Motorcoach Country Club Owner Sites

Thanks for traveling with us, love, Pete, Ellen and Mandy

Photos from Dec 2013