When booking your Haven holiday, one of the most important decisions to make is what kind of caravan you want to stay in. There’s quite a big difference between the lowest and highest grades. We stayed in a silver grade caravan during our bank holiday break at Haven Wild Duck.
Haven’s caravan grades
A few years ago Haven changed the names of their caravan grades so they might sound a bit different if you haven’t visited for a few years. Here are the different grades of Haven caravans:
- Saver caravans
- Bronze caravans
- Silver caravans
- Gold caravans
- Signature caravans
Choosing your Haven holiday home
Something you can now pay extra to do before your family holiday is to choose where your holiday home is. Prices vary depending on the holiday park you’re staying at, and the grade and location of the caravan. This is a great idea if you want to stay in a specific location or only want to be a short walk away from the main facilities. You can find out more about choosing your holiday home in another blog post.
A silver caravan at Haven Wild Duck
Lounge area
In the main part of the caravan you’ll find a fairly spacious lounge area. Some caravans have different layouts and these may be specific to the kind of caravan you have picked. Our silver grade caravan had a corner sofa, with coffee table and pull out stools. There was plenty of space for the 5 of us to sit and relax on the large sofas, without being cramped.
Our lounge area also had storage space, both shelves and cupboards, underneath a large TV. We didn’t actually use the flat-screen TV so I can’t comment on what it was like. Some TVs come with a built in DVD player too.
If you have a decking area included with your caravan, the living area will be where you’ll find the large doors which lead to that.
At the back of the lounge area we had a small dining table and chairs. It was nice to have somewhere to sit for meals however, there was only 4 chairs provided and not really any more space for more. This would obviously be fine for a small family but our caravan had 3 bedrooms and could technically sleep 8 people. Not everyone was able to sit at the table to eat.
Kitchen
The kitchen in a silver grade caravan is well-equiped and has most things that you could need. This includes:
- A cooker and grill
- Fridge freezer
- Microwave
- Toaster
- Kettle
- Lots of plates, bowls etc.
- Cutlery
- Chopping board
- Small selection of pans
The kitchen won’t have everything your kitchen at home does so if there’s something specific you like using, I would suggest bringing it with you. This goes for things like sharp knives and dishes if you want to cook something such as pasta bake.
What you won’t get is things like washing up liquid, dishcloths, tea towels etc. You’ll need to bring these with you from home. The kitchen also doesn’t have a washing machine but most Haven sites have a laundrette.
Bedroom 1
Bedroom 1 is what I would call a master bedroom. This room had a double bed (small though), compared to single beds.
This room had it’s own toilet, although that’s not always the case with a silver grade caravan. I actually think this is super helpful when you have a 3 bedroom caravan because sometimes, 1 toilet is not enough.
The main bedroom has it’s own wardrobe as well as two large drawers. Unfortunately, the bottom of the wardrobe was filled with the spare duvet and pillows so there was less space than there could have been. The drawers had lots of space though so plenty of storage for clothes.
Something I really like about the main bedroom is that there is a dressing table and large mirror, along with a hairdryer. You cannot move the hairdryer though as Its attached inside a drawer but at least you can use it in that room.
The main bedroom in our silver grade caravan at Haven Wild Duck also had it’s own toilet. The room is really tiny though and only just fits in a toilet and small sink. If you’re plus size, like I am, it’s a bit of a squeeze. Not all silver grade caravans have the additional toilet.
Bedroom 2 & 3
The other two bedrooms are very similar in size and layout so I’ll group them together. Each of these bedrooms is a twin room so you get two small single beds. They are smaller and much narrower than your average single bed and I think designed more for children than adults.
The beds have a bedside table in the middle of them, as well as some cupboard and shelf storage. There definitely isn’t as much storage as in the main bedroom and sometimes we have to spread things out, depending on who is staying in the caravan. As we’re never at Haven for more than 4 nights, the rooms are perfectly fine for us.
Bathroom
Our caravan came with a small bathroom, in the middle area of the van. The bathroom has a toilet, sink with storage and a shower. The shower is quite small but was absolutely lovely in this particular caravan. The water was always hot and quite powerful. This can obviously differ between Haven parks. It was nice to have a radiator in the bathroom, which was easy to keep warm with the central heating.
Decking area
The main difference between bonze caravans and silver is that you get a decking area. Outside decking is a lovely addition for the warmer months and it also gives you some extra seating. Outdoor furniture included a small table and 2 chairs. The decking can be accessed through large doors in the lounge area.
Parking
For the duration of your stay you usually get free parking next to your caravan. This will vary depending on your Haven location but we’ve only ever seen the odd caravan that didn’t have a parking space right next to it. In this case, there has been parking just on the road in front instead.
Things to note
- Bed linen is included with most for caravan grades at Haven. Be sure to check this ahead of your stay.
- Some caravan grades do not include towels. You might need to bring your own.
- Most Haven sites have free wi-fi although this usually only works in the main areas of the park.
- You might be asked to strip the bed linen before you check out.
- Some Haven parks have dog friendly units, but not all.
- Leave your caravan clean and tidy before you check out.
Would we choose a silver caravan again?
To be completely honest, the silver grade caravan we stayed in at Haven Wild Duck actually felt a bit smaller than a bronze caravan at Haven Seashore. It might be because this was a 3 bedroom caravan compared to us usually staying in one with only 2 bedrooms.
Although the decking area was nice, I don’t think it would matter too much to us if we didn’t have it. I think I would only upgrade to a silver caravan, from a bronze, if the price was right.
Read our reviews of Haven accommodation
- A bronze caravan at Haven Seashore
- A silver caravan at Haven Wild Duck