Two sides of the coin

Staying in the motorhome at Beverly Park in Paignton, Devon and in a Rangefinder caravan at Stowford Farm Meadows in Ilfracombe, the couple had two holidays that they had been looking forward to for months as it was to be the first time they’d ever stayed in a motorhome or caravan.

“The first night we arrived in Paignton we were so excited about sleeping in the motorhome for the first time that we decided to take in an early night on the Friday”, said Cristina, “but staying in the caravan was a little more laid back. That’s not to say it’s an less exciting, just that we were not in as big a rush to see what sleeping in a Bailey was like.”

Talking about how different the motorhome and caravan were in setting up, Cristina described how the Rangefinder was a little more complicated than the motorhome, with a couple more steps that you need to remember, “the motorhome is more straight forward to set up and staying did kind of feel like pulling up to the site, and we were pretty much set to go, it was surprising how easy it was.”

Another thing that surprised Cristina with the motorhome was the space you get. Whilst the Rangefinder is a big caravan, having been purposely built for the Australian market, the motorhome is very spacious and comfortable, and didn’t feel enclosed at all, especially in the bathroom, where you get a rather big shower tray and enough space to get changed comfortably. The motorhome also gave off a feeling of being extra roomy inside with the light beaming through the windows.

Aside from the space, Cristina also learnt how much design goes in to the motorhome. “Every detail is looked at and I came back very inspired to improve the way to use the space in our one bed flat”, said Cristina. “This was definitely one of the most comfortable places we have ever stayed.”

She went on to add “lots of times I’d heard customers say that their Bailey is their pride and joy, and now I understand why. There was some kind of satisfaction in driving the motorhome knowing we were going to start enjoying our holiday as soon as we got there, and even though the Rangefinder is permanently pitched at Stowford, I’m sure it’s the same when towing a caravan.”

In talking about how easy it all felt, Cristina highlights the genuine benefits “the beauty of motorhoming was that it is not complicated at all, it took less than 5 minutes to set up. We only had to hook up, connect the gas, water and electricity and we were soon ready to grab a drink and see the sunset from the site bar.”  

But the Rangefinder is a huge caravan and while the motorhome feels more homely, the highlight of the weekend away at Stowford was the electric bed and the pop out TV. “We felt like we were in a sci-fi movie”, said Cristina, “after a long day climbing on the rocks in Woolacombe, we really enjoyed kicking back and relaxing on the massive island bed watching Harry Potter.”

Having stayed in both an Autograph motorhome and the Rangefinder, Cristina finds it hard to choose which one stood out from the other more as she loved both. But having now stayed in a caravan and motorhome, she’s just trying to free up a weekend to take one away again.

The next weekend awaits.