The Isle of Wight Festival & Cowes Week - A must for Island Holiday Home Owners
1st Year of Ownership - What we learnt
So how do we feel after a year of ownership and what did we learn?
Well we certainly got a lot of use out of the caravan for week holidays and short breaks. Our highlight’s were definitely The Isle of Wight Festival and Cowes Week.
When you are away you don't want to leave and when you are at home or at work you are always thinking about the caravan and the next visit. For us this is the main reason to buy as well as to spend more time with the family away from the distractions of home. With no ps3 or internet (well there is a good 3g connection) we found that we had better family time and did things we had not done in years, like play cards and monopoly!!!
It is great going away on holiday and knowing that all your gear is in the caravan, you just need to pack your clothes!
From June 2010 – September 2010 our caravan was used almost constantly by ourselves or friends and family, it’s amazing how many new friends you get when you own a static caravan on a nice park!
We found that running costs where viable, however you need to ensure you use the caravan regularly, if not you will probably need to sublet to subsidise the cost of ownership. Like with any major purchase if you do not use it you will not get value for money and it would be easy to forget about your year end site fees.
If you look at peak season rental rates for our park we saved thounds of pounds on holiday rental prices, which should be considered when looking at real costs.
As with any major purchase if you buy then sell quickly you will be hit with depreciation. Most owners that have a bad experience have not used their caravan and sold quickly or considered purchase to be a ''money making'' opportunity. You need to look at you caravan as a long term lifestyle investment for your family, which can be subsidised by subletting if you wish.
Many owners we spoke to use their caravan every weekend and take long summer holidays which they would not be able to do if they where not owners. We can certainly see how your caravan can become the hub of your leisure time.
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight was a great location and ferry prices did not prove prohibitive. With regular visits we built up a real local knowledge about The Isle Of Wight, which is a real ''Little England'' with real charm and is very much under valued as a UK holiday destination.
We also kept a visitors book in the caravan so others could leave ideas on good attractions and restaurants. Some visitors also wrote on our online visitor’s blog which you can check out.
Thorness Bay Holiday Park
Thorness Bay is in a great location on the Island and we loved its easy access to the beach. Although the beach is pebbly we regularly swam in the sea in the idyllic secluded bay which never got too busy. We also enjoyed regular cliff top walks with the dog often climbing over to Gurnard and Cowes.
All onsite facilities on the park were all well maintained and the show bar has been recently refurbished. The panoramic bar and restaurant serves really cheap bar meals and a great cooked breakfast. Some visitors enjoyed the entertainment shows and a few beers in the evening while others preferred to go off park or stay in the caravan and play cards – that’s half the fun.
Younger children really enjoyed the beach, playing football, pool and unfortunately the amusements too.
