Keycamp / Eurocamp etc: Tent or Caravan?

[SparklyPrincess]

Hi,

We're thinking of doing a keycamp or eurocamp style holiday this year, with a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Little one will still need to be in a cot so I'm wondering what the best option for accommodation will be for fitting it in.

Has anyone done both the tents and the caravans? How do they compare more generally?

SP xx

[soremummy]

Never done a tent one always went for a caravan. You can get some good deals going out of school hols..eg we went to figline valdarno a few times in early sept and was great with the kids and not too expensive;

[Parofleurmapu]

Having worked for eurocamp and keycamp I can tell you they supply travel cots. However mobile home bedrooms are extremly small

Keycamp It will definitely fit in the 2nd or 3rd bedroom in all of the following models: Villagrand (all models), Villanova, Villaclassic, Grand 34 (3 bed). In accommodation where this is not possible the living area will have to be used.

Eurocamp It will fit in the 2nd or 3rd bedroom in all of the following models: Premier, Monaco Deluxe, Siena, Versailles, Deauville, Monet, Venezia. In accommodation where this is not possible the living area will have to be used. There is a detachable side rail for a bed in some models of mobiles

Tent wise the tents have two "inners" (rooms) one with double bed and one with 2 singles or 1 single and travel cot if oyu request it. Obviously being a tent you can hear everything and also you can roll up middle bit in between 2 rooms creating one big room

Browse accomodation here www2.keycamp.co.uk/default.aspx?tabid=300

and here www.eurocamp.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=accommodation.accomIntro&ver=1

Hope this helps

[sophierosie]

We're doing Eurocamp this year - we're going out of school time and have booked a caravan. We were looking at a tent but felt that whilst dd was still young a caravan would be more secure and have access to the toilet in the middle of the night without trekking across a campsite!

We used to camp a lot when we were younger and I think my mum was a saint as I really don't think its for us at the moment, although she's a teacher so we had no choice but to go in the summer holidays and a tent is much cheaper then!

[ohnoherewego]

You have your own loo in caravan which definately makes for more relaxing hols than midnight/early am trips across site. Can also be a nightmare of logistics to shower kids and you in campsite facilities. IME not that much difference between cost of a van and ready erected tent to make the inconvenience worthwhile.

[IamTheSpeedingHam]

yes i have been in both
i would say a caravan would be better wit two young children becuase of the toilet thing mentioned before

but thats the onyl reason

if you want to save yourself HALF the holiday price ad can stand being in a tent - then go for it

alternatively google "selectamp" they do caravans and are 1/3 of theprice of eurocamp

eurocamp are overpriced in the extreme - i simply cannot imagine why anyone would pay their prices.

with select camp you have to organise your own transport - the chunnel is my fave -half and hour and no puke

[pofaced]

Don't do it! We went camping last year with DDs aged 7,8 and 10 and all a bit grim.. trekking to the toilet in the night, close to rowdies who woke up kids, difficult keeping things clean (ants, ants), always on display/ no privacy and especially tough with small kids who will have no sense not to wander off and so you will be very stressed by it all. At that age we did house swaps and they were fab: you get a proper house and if you swap with a family with kids your own age, you'll have enough toys/ baby equipment to keep everyone happy and you might even both get to sit down and relax at the same time! We went through Homelink-check it out

[SparklyPrincess]

Parofleurmapu - thanks for the amazingly detailed info, that's great!

Pofaced - did you really let random strangers use your house?? I'd spend the whole holiday worrying about my pad! We've been camping loads of times - if I had a car big enough I'd be taking my own tent, but car upgrade is on the back burner at the moment!

Will check out selectcamp, but think I'm erring towards tents as you seem to get a bit more room, and if they take a bed out for the cot that's ideal. Who needs loos - I've got a travel potty on order!

Thanks for all the advice ...

SP xx

[pofaced]

Mmm. i did let complete strangers use my house... but they let me use theirs! It took a bit of persuading DH before the first swap but he agreed and we spent magical Easter in the centre of Bruges in a fantastic town house and were left a gift of the most extraordinary chocolate Easter scene. Honestly, try it! One tip is to go for experienced exchangers which means you know they haven't trashed previous houses.

[littleboo]

been with keycamp several times and kids love it (so did we). Caravan though and biggest we could afford. Don't fancy the night time toilet block thing with tent.
Also depending on where - worth having air con if you can choose it, especially if hot, we went to france on yesr ..... it was 34 degrees- no air con and a tiny baby not good.
you'll have a great time.

[Leslaki]

another vote for the caravan!! out of season you can get a 3 bed caravan for not much more than a tent. We ahve stayed on sites where the toilet block was closed from 11pm so if you needed to go int eh night tough!! made friends one year witha family ina tent and they ahd a nightmare. She spent the whole holiday sweeping sand out the tent and getting stressed trying to keep the kids quiet in the early morning so they didn't wake everyone else in tents. Also the toilet/shower thing and trecking across the campiste to wash dishes did her head in and they went home early!!

We've done 7 caravan hols and 4 of them inc a travel cot which fitted in easily - just took on the beds down on it's side them loads a room! You can also take a stair gate with you and put it across caravan door.

It is such a fantastic holiday for kids that age - make sure you choose a site with a good shallow kids pool - we went to Village la plage at le Guilvenic one year and although it's fab location, the kids pool had steep sides and thewater was up to dd's neck!! She was 3!.
It's great for the kids to have the outdoor area to play on and the baby bath you'll get doubles as a great toy too!!!

[Crunchie]

who wants to be in a metal box instead of the fresh air!!

We have camped since ours were 2 and 4 - neither were dry at night when we first went. The following year they both were, but we alwaus had a potty with us just outside the tent. No treking anywhere!!

Seriously if you are campers already you will hate a van, I did it once with dd1 at 15 months and pg with dd2, the only reason then was for MY nightime weeing as I needed 3 or 4 trips a nighht!!!