Assuming the reviewer mentions those facts then I'd agree. A line has to be drawn at some point, it's much the same for say a car review site, so many variations so the criteria is kept simple and is supported by the review.
Maybe they could have a review form to fill in so that everything important to people is commented on. No mandatory fields just a reminder. Might make the reviews more helpful if people are having problems with them.
------------- Sue
Duct tape is like the force. It has a dark side and a light side and it holds the universe together
I've been to a commercial site where the showers/loos were portacabin types ones, - but the cleaning staff mopped them out several times a day. Also a quiet site where the loos, although clean, were in dire need of decorating - peeling paint, no hot water, and the one shower was broken all weekend. Another site - only one toilet and shower but as there were only a very limited number of units on site - perfectly adequate - clean and plenty of hot water. Also there are people - especially caravaners who tend to use their own facilities, so this might affect the rating of a site that actually has excellent facilities.
Play areas - what my 5 & 8 year old want is going to be totally different from what a mum with a couple of toddlers want, or a group of 11/12 year olds.
the little bits people say in a reveiw can give a lot of clues as to why people like/disliked a site. If I was to say that they play equipment in the play area was more suited to a toddler than my five year old it gives somebody more of info about the playarea than a 1 star rating because it was unsuitable for my children.
Actually when you think about it, the reviews themselves are very subjective.
A critical review from one member based on say, lack of facilities for children, no bar , no facilities for dogs,could be the very reason that another member gives it a "top" review.
To be honest I'm not sure there is a point to the review system at all. Might even annoy the campsite owner.
I think a precise and accurate detail of facilities is all that is required.
Actually when you think about it, the reviews themselves are very subjective.
A critical review from one member based on say, lack of facilities for children, no bar , no facilities for dogs,could be the very reason that another member gives it a "top" review.
To be honest I'm not sure there is a point to the review system at all
With the review system as it is at the moment it's easy enough to read between the lines. Even if it's a poor review, providing whoever supplied it is subjective and explains why they didn't like it I can make my own mind up.
If it was unsuitable for them because not enough for the kids to do, too quiet, not enough toilets etc, that wouldn't put me off. I prefer quieter sites and have onboard facilities anyway. Read the facts and decide what suits you.
I think the best thing about the written reviews is that they can convey the atmosphere you are likely to find at the site. To me, this is one of the most important aspects when choosing a site and can never be covered by a points system.
me too - reading a review allows you to pick out the things you personally like, & as others have said, what I want from a site may not be what someone else wants.
I've just arrived at this thread with the same idea on a rating system as the original suggestion. On reading through it seems that what I'm after is a better way to find the sites that are possibles so I can read the reviews about them.
I can see a system where people rate a number of aspects of the site individually and allows you to search on those aspects helping many people. For example many posters made comments about the toilets which could be clean or dirty but also modern and ample or in need of updating, so there could be a cleaning and a facilities rating for toilet blocks. And for suitability for children people could choose - ideal for young famillies, plenty for teenagers, or Adult Orientated Site not just child friendly. But to be honest at the moment an indication of child friendly would be helpful.
The thing with ratings is people can choose whether they take any notice of them or not - eBay has made great sucesses of it's rating system and so has amazon. Amazon is clever because other people get to rate the reviews placed by others.
At the end of the day I would like a better way to locate potential sites as the current search facilities leave me wading through all sites in a county most of the time. The reviews are the most important, but better filtering would be very welcome.