We found that the best way to approach the purchase process was to first find the right holiday park. This gives you a base from which to take an in-depth look at static caravans for sale, as well as different makes and models.
The advent of the internet has made the searching process far easier. We Googled - you can use My Holiday Caravan's own regional pages - parks in our chosen areas, compiling a longlist of potential candidates.
We found that parks in Dorset & Hampshire tended to be expensive, probably due to the high demand and the low number of parks. Instead, we turned our attentions towards the Isle of Wight and drew up a shortlist.
The following attributes of the Isle of Wight led us to decide that the island was the place for us:
- A good selection of family friendly holiday parks
- An abundance of attractions
- Some great beaches and countryside
- Fair prices
- A sense of escape – despite the brevity of the ferry journey, simply crossing the water really makes you feel like you are going on holiday, even if it is just for the weekend.
- Great events – The Isle of Wight is home to major events such as The Isle of Wight Festival, Cowes Week and Bestival. Owning a holiday home on the island would be a perfect base from which to cheaply visit these fantastic events, avoiding accommodation costs.
The only real negative we encountered was the ferry cost required to reach the island from the mainland. However, as an owner we were able to take advantage of the discounted ferry rates offered by the park operator.
Prices vary, but we found that a return weekend ticket for a car was typically around £50, roughly equivalent to a tank of petrol in a small car.
We weighed up the situation and decided that the ferry costs were offset by the value for money offered by the Isle of Wight’s parks.