According to research, a weeklong holiday in a caravan to the UK is actually more costly than an all-inclusive four-star trip to Greece.
Which? The prices for a week of accommodation in six UK hotspots was compared using Airbnb, Booking.com, and Pitch Up. It found a static caravan holiday in Scotland costing £1,086, a higher tariff than a deal it discovered for a week in Halkidiki, Greece, for the same dates.
The study also found that staying in a bell tent in Cornwall can be more than £200 more expensive than checking in to a four-star hotel in the same town, while holidaying in a treehouse on the Isle of Wight can be more than double the price of a three-star hotel stay nearby.
According to a recent Which? report, a week-long stay in a static caravan is more expensive than a 4-star all-inclusive holiday to Greece. Travel study (stock photo)
Which? Travel’s study found a static caravan holiday in Scotland costing £1,086, a higher tariff than a deal it discovered for a week in Halkidiki (pictured), for the same dates
According to Which? Travel, in Newton Abbot, Devon, a week’s stay in a tent in June costs £140, a caravan pitch £210, a static caravan £525, self-catering accommodation is priced at £425, and a yurt is £840. Which? Travel points out that while a yurt is a ‘glorified tent’ and ‘you have to trudge across the field for the loo’, it’s £7 more expensive than a week in a three-star hotel (£833) with a heated indoor pool ‘on the banks of the River Teign estuary’.
Both the self-catering and yurt accommodation can be used for cooking, saving you money. However, the latter is half the price of the yurt and sleeps four – working out at just £106 per person.
Which? After analyzing accommodation options in Annan, Dumfries & Galloway, Travel discovered the shocking pricing of Scotland. As well as discovering that a static caravan can set you back £1,086, the magazine discovered that both a tent and a caravan pitch are priced at £157.50, a three-star hotel £378, self-catering accommodation ‘set in an old sandstone farmhouse’ with a hot tub £505, and a converted barn £1,023.
Which? Travel, a three-star hotel stay in Annan, Scotland, can cost £378 (stock photo), considerably less than the static caravan break it found
The static caravan can access a private beach. However, the cheaper holiday to Greece offers a superior room at a 4-star hotel “amongst the olive groves”, with buffet meals, alcoholic beverages, and more.
It adds that instead of a caravan stay, you could ‘slash costs’ by spending a week in the hotel (£378), a seven-minute drive down the road.
Which heard from PitchUp, the booking website for static caravans The biggest rise in holiday park accommodation prices since 2019 was for static caravans, according to Pitch Up.
Which? Travel analysed prices in Helston, Cornwall (pictured), and found that both a tent and a caravan pitch cost £122.50, while a bell tent cost £980
Which? Travel also analysed prices in Helston, Cornwall, and found that both a tent and a caravan pitch cost £122.50, a static caravan £700, a four-star hotel and breakfast £770, self-catering accommodation £396, and a bell tent £980.
It says that those staying in the static caravan, despite paying an ‘assault on the wallet’ £100 a night, are still expected to bring their own bed linen, pillows and towels.
Which? Travel notes that the hotel (£770) – which is £200 cheaper than the bell tent that’s ‘down the road’ – has a four-poster bed and includes a full English breakfast every morning. However, it points out that holidaymakers could save 84 per cent in Cornwall if they trade in their hotel room for a regular tent (£122.50).
Who did Pitch Up say? Travel that there were tent pitches available for less than £10 per person per night in the UK
What did Pitch Up tell Which? Travel that there were tent pitches available for less than £10 per person per night in the UK – and the study found that ‘surprisingly’, Cornwall turned out to be the cheapest camping location overall in Which? Travel’s research.
The study, meanwhile, revealed that you could save £285 on a hotel stay by ‘going against the crowd’ and holidaying in a less popular location like Pembrokeshire, with its ‘craggy clifftops, secret coves and wide sandy beaches’ that are ‘reminiscent of Cornwall – minus the crowds’.
Which is the region? Travel’s researchers homed in on Haverfordwest, discovering that both a tent and a caravan pitch are £159.25, a static caravan £485, a three-star hotel £465, self-catering accommodation £485, and a pod with a hot-tub £1,436 – surmising that unless you splash out on the ‘luxury twin-pod with a king-size bed and hot tub’, most accommodation in the area is relatively affordable.
Guests at a £417 shepherd’s hut in Pickering, North Yorkshire, can enjoy views of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park (pictured). Or check into a four-star hotel for £525
Which? Travel discovered that a treehouse in Shanklin and Sandown on the Isle of Wight costs £1,093 (stock photo)
Which? is located in Pickering North Yorkshire. Travel found that a tent costs £175, a caravan pitch £210, a static caravan £490, a four-star hotel is priced at £525, self-catering accommodation at £446, and a shepherd’s hut £417 – concluding that this hotspot is ‘one of the most affordable’.
It notes that the self-catering cottage sleeps three people, working out as £149 per person, and that guests at the shepherd’s hut can enjoy a wood-burning stove and views of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park.
Which? Travel’s final study, looking at Shanklin and Sandown on the Isle of Wight, discovered that a tent is £147, a caravan pitch £161, a static caravan £490, a three-star hotel with breakfast £525, self-catering accommodation is priced at £509, and a treehouse £1,093.
Which? Travel notes that while the treehouse, set in a ‘peaceful woodland 2km (1.2miles) from the beach’, is more than double the price of the hotel (£525) and self-catering accommodation (£509), it offers a ‘unique experience’ and features an outdoor deck, a fire pit and barbecue facilities.
Rory Boland (Who? According to Rory Boland (Who? ), the report’s results were: “Holidaymakers could feel priced out of their break this year, with some accommodation suppliers appearing to capitalize on the rise in popularity for UK holidays. Amazingly, a sun-filled all-inclusive vacation overseas at a 4-star hotel is cheaper than renting a static caravan.
There are many options to cut down on your trip to the UK. These include booking early, avoiding peak season crowds, staying in less-populated areas, and even staying just a few kilometers away.
Visit this site for more details which.co.uk/l/travel.
Which? According to Travel, a treehouse in the Isle of Wight could cost twice as much as a 3-star hotel. (stock photo).