Have you ever dreamed about owning a holiday home?

Stop dreaming and nab yourself a caravan.  Not one of those that clog up the roads on a Bank Holiday Weekend but a proper mobile home from home with ample living space, a well-fitted kitchen, comfy bedrooms and a proper shower - permanently sited on a holiday park.

If your idea of caravan ownership conjures up images of windy fields, stand-pipes and nocturnal trips to the loo with your coat over your pyjamas ….think again!

Owning a luxury, modern static caravan by the seaside is an ideal way to minimise your carbon footprint and take a holiday close to home. And not just one holiday but regular holidays – every weekend and all through the summer if you like!

Forget the stand-pipe….modern caravans come equipped with as many mod-cons as you like depending on the make and model you choose. And we’re talking well-fitted kitchens with washing machines, range-style cookers and large fridge-freezers; central heating, double-glazing, power showers, one or two loos …even bathrooms and ensuite showers.

Whilst comfortable wrap around furniture is often the norm, free-standing furniture arranged around a cosy fireplace is increasingly common in top of the range models. 

Haven Holidays, who own 35 family holiday parks around the UK, with four right here in Norfolk, say that families and couples alike are choosing the option as a highly affordable way of gaining a holiday home with all the fun and facilities of a holiday park right on the doorstep.

They say, ‘You get all the benefits of owning a holiday home for considerably less cost than traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ homes and without the legal fees, stamp duty and the problems associated with managing a property at a distance.   We are on hand all year round for maintenance and security as well as assisting with holiday lets.’

So what are the costs of owning a caravan and how do they compare with buying a second home?

For a start, buying a caravan is far cheaper.  They vary from as little as £15,000 to top-of-the-range luxury models in prime locations with breathtaking views for anything up to £75,000.

Those prices are still well below the asking price of beach huts in some of the more exclusive seaside resorts – and a fraction of the price of a seaside cottage or apartment almost anywhere in the country.

Of course buying a caravan is a lot easier than buying property.  Solicitors aren’t necessary, you don’t need a survey, and there’s no stamp duty which now runs at 3% on properties above £250,000.

What you will have to pay in addition to regular household expenses such as gas and electricity is site fees which vary depending on which park and   location you select.   At Wild Duck, site fees are between £2895 and £3495 each year, whereas Hopton Holiday Village in between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth fees range from £2870 to £4900 for a pitch near the sea front or close to the  golf course. Many owners choose the option of renting out their holiday home some of the time to recoup those costs.

The big plus about owning a caravan is the facilities on offer – not everyone wants a holiday home that offers nothing more than views and bracing walks. Haven Holidays offer a range of attractions from heated indoor and outdoor pools and all weather sports courts to golf courses, tennis courts, horse-riding and Spa facilities.  And there’s a full programme of entertainment for children and adults seven days a week.

Holiday Home Owners on Haven Holidays parks automatically become part of ‘Owners Exclusive’ which aims to enhance the ownership experience still further with a programme of special events for owners from exclusive use of the facilities at certain times to regular social events such as dinner dances and trips to local tourist attractions as well as weekly Sunday breakfasts and cheese and wine evenings. Many of the parks also have amenities reserved solely for owners such as Spas, gyms and snooker rooms.

‘We like to think of it as becoming part of an exclusive club,’ said Operations Director Stuart Calvert.   ‘In the same way that you might join a golf club or a gym, you can enjoy the lifestyle that comes with being an Owner on a Haven Holidays park.’ 

www.havenholidayhomes.co.uk