If your trip is about a relaxed, self-catering base with room to actually live in for a few days, a static caravan holiday at one of our parks is worth a look. If it's about a compact, everything-sorted stay in the middle of things, a hotel is the better fit. Most families find the caravan route suits a coastal caravan holidays or countryside staycation particularly well, simply because there's more to come back to at the end of a day out.
As a rough guide: book six months or more ahead for summer holiday weeks, two to three months ahead for half terms and bank holidays, and anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months ahead for a standard term-time week. If you're flexible on exact dates, you can comfortably push closer to the wire; if you're fixed on a specific week, particularly a school holiday one, earlier is always safer than later.
Finally, build in some low-key entertainment for the evenings, cards, a board game, or simply making the most of a park's clubhouse if it has one, so the whole group has something easy to do together without anyone having to organise much. Get the accommodation split and the pace right, and a multi-generational break becomes one of the easier family holidays to plan, not one of the harder ones.
On arrival, you'll usually collect keys from reception or a check-in point, where someone can point you towards your caravan, talk you through anything specific to that unit, and flag opening times for the pool, clubhouse or shop if the park has them. It's worth asking any questions at this point, staff on site tend to be used to first-time guests and are generally happy to run through anything that isn't obvious.
Day to day, you'll be doing your own cooking and washing up, much as you would in a self-catering cottage, so it helps to bring a few kitchen basics like tea towels and washing-up liquid rather than assuming everything will be there. Bedding is usually provided, but it's worth checking your specific booking, since this varies park to park.
Ask about on-site facilities' actual opening hours and whether anything's seasonal. A pool that's only open during summer months, or a clubhouse with restricted evening hours outside peak season, changes what a break looks like considerably if you're travelling in spring or autumn.
As a rough guide: book six months or more ahead for summer holiday weeks, two to three months ahead for half terms and bank holidays, and anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months ahead for a standard term-time week. If you're flexible on exact dates, you can comfortably push closer to the wire; if you're fixed on a specific week, particularly a school holiday one, earlier is always safer than later.
Finally, build in some low-key entertainment for the evenings, cards, a board game, or simply making the most of a park's clubhouse if it has one, so the whole group has something easy to do together without anyone having to organise much. Get the accommodation split and the pace right, and a multi-generational break becomes one of the easier family holidays to plan, not one of the harder ones.
On arrival, you'll usually collect keys from reception or a check-in point, where someone can point you towards your caravan, talk you through anything specific to that unit, and flag opening times for the pool, clubhouse or shop if the park has them. It's worth asking any questions at this point, staff on site tend to be used to first-time guests and are generally happy to run through anything that isn't obvious.
Day to day, you'll be doing your own cooking and washing up, much as you would in a self-catering cottage, so it helps to bring a few kitchen basics like tea towels and washing-up liquid rather than assuming everything will be there. Bedding is usually provided, but it's worth checking your specific booking, since this varies park to park.
Ask about on-site facilities' actual opening hours and whether anything's seasonal. A pool that's only open during summer months, or a clubhouse with restricted evening hours outside peak season, changes what a break looks like considerably if you're travelling in spring or autumn.