The Homeseeker Park and Leisure Homes Olympia Silver Single unit is well named for 2012 and is one of the company’s Signature range of models.

The side entrance door leads into a hallway with the open plan living area to the left and the two bedrooms to the right. We liked the size of the open plan kitchen/living area; it looks bigger than 14 ft wide but the horizontally striped feature wallpaper obviously helped create that illusion and the corner sofa created a big floor space and large feature French doors and glazing to the front aspect allowed the light to flow in. The décor scheme was lovely yellow, buttermilk cream, charcoal and black and it harmonised well. We liked the breakfast bar, perfect for just the two of you, but the black glass table with four faux leather chairs would suit the bill for more formal dining.

The light reflected off the gloss finish kitchen cupboards fitted with black base units and cream eye level cupboards but most of the storage space is below the worktops. If I had a criticism I would say that I think the kitchen is short on mains electric sockets in the right place; I saw only two double sockets. A dishwasher, oven, four burner gas hob, extractor fan and fridge freezer are standard equipment.

Both the bedrooms feature sliding mirror door wardrobes and capacious is how I’d describe the wardrobe in the master bedroom. The feature wall highlights the luxury padded headboard in the master bedroom and complements the plush looking stripy black and cream curtains.

Jack and Jill doors lead to the spacious bathroom with an over bath shower with a fixed shower screen. The huge mirror might be overkill for some people and I would have preferred to see more storage space and a shaver socket.

The second bedroom has room for decent sized twin beds, each with a padded headboard. A hall cupboard houses the hot water and heating boiler.

Included throughout is a luxury furniture pack, designer light fittings, upgraded kitchen units, integrated Electrolux kitchen appliances and luxury designer curtain fabric. Potential owners can stamp their individuality on it with for example a couple of Velux roof lights, or a wall tile upgrade.

With it’s dormer over the side entrance and a feature gable to the roof, even the exterior has a degree of pizzazz.

Specification

• Size 40 x14 single unit
• Vaulted ceiling with plaster coving

Verdict

Certainly deserving of an Olympic silver medal, it’s a model that the company can put its signature to with pride. A bronze pack and a Gold upgrade are available.

For more information:

www.homeseekerhomes.co.uk

The Pathfinder Forest Lodge is a very contemporary 40ft x 20ft two bedroom home available with either log or as in this case, the company’s Vulcan cladding. There is a hip over the front door. The windows are uPVC wood-effect double glazes units, and include an unusual arrangement of three 1800mm horizontal ones in the end wall of the lounge. Also standard to the home are the uPVC soffits and fascias which like the window frames are wood-effect. Importantly too, the home carries the company’s energy savers logo which the company claims is at least 34 per cent more efficient than the average lodge built to BS 3632.

The entrance into the home leads into the hallway with a door on the right at the end leading into the daytime living areas comprising the combined lounge and dining room. The ceilings here are vaulted helping to create a feeling of space and airiness. An electric fire and surround have been hung on the front wall of the lodge. To the right of the fire is a tall window unit, balanced by another to the left of the fire. Adjacent to this window the wall has been angled and clad in vertical planking. On the wall is a flat screen TV, and next to that is a window unit incorporating a sliding door followed by the three horizontal windows mentioned above. Standard furniture comprises 2 three seat settees and a coffee table whilst the dining area has a rectangular table and four slatted back leather seat chairs.

The home has a separate kitchen off the lounge and is everything you would expect from a home of this quality. It has plenty of worktop space, plus base units and wall cupboards. There is a built-in four burner gas hob with an electric oven below it and a stainless steel extractor above it. The word ‘special’ in the name of the home is because a dishwasher, washer/dryer and a fridge/freezer are standard built-in appliances.

The other feature worth mentioning is the breakfast bar and two breakfast stools which again are standard to the lodge. Although the walls have not been completely tiled they have been where it is necessary – between the hob and the fume extractor and behind the worktops. The lodge’s gas combi boiler is situated in the corner of the kitchen at the left-hand end of the sink unit.

The first door on the left as you walk down the hallway from the kitchen leads into the bathroom. The walls along the length of the bath on the left as you enter, and at the end of the bath are tiled to the ceiling. There is also a shower head above the taps plus a shower curtain. The bath does not run the full depth of the room, so a towel radiator has been fitted on the wall opposite the end of the bath. Opposite the bath is pedestal washbasin with a row of tiles and a mirror door toiletry cupboard above it. The toilet has been sited on the wall adjacent to the head of the bath, below an obscure glazed window.

Opposite the bathroom is the main bedroom. This has a 6ft 6in x 5ft double bed, two bedside cabinets, a walk-in wardrobe and an en suite shower room. Unlike the lounge and dining room, and kitchen, the ceiling here and in the bathroom and second bedroom is flat.

The en suite shower room has a large rectangular shower cubicle in one corner with fully tiled walls. As in the bathroom there is pedestal washbasin with a mirror door toiletry cupboard above it but in this case, there is more tiling around the washbasin than in the bathroom. Again, as in the bathroom, the low level toilet has been mounted on the wall below an frosted window, whilst a chrome  towel ladder radiator has been fitted on the wall behind the door.

At the end of the hallway, is the second bedroom which has two 6ft 3in x 3ft divan beds with a bedside cabinet between them. Opposite the foot of the beds is a large built-in wardrobe with mirror sliding doors.
There is full central heating throughout the home and it is also worth mentioning that there is access to the loft space in the hallway. And like other Pathfinder lodges the Forest Lodge is covered by the 10 Gold Shield warranty scheme.

For further information:

Pathfinder Park Homes,
Cavalier Road,
Heathfield,
Newton Abbot,
Devon, TO12 6FJ.

Tel: 01626 833 799
Email: sales@pathfinderhomes.co.uk
Website: www.pathfinderhomes.co.uk

Prestige Park & Leisure Homes launched its latest twin unit holiday lodge at this month’s Caravan Extravaganza in Cottingham. Called the Matrix Deluxe it is has two double bedrooms and one single and has been built to residential standard BS3632.

The exterior has been clad in cream coloured Canexel which contrasts well with the brown windows, door frame, soffits, gutters and downpipes. The front door leads directly into the daytime living area where the most striking feature is a large centre column housing the fire.

The column actually helps separate the kitchen and dining areas from the lounge although in reality they make up one large rectangular space. Vaulted tongue and grooved ceilings are yet another feature of the Matrix which the designers have accentuated in the lounge and adjoining areas by including exposed roof trusses. In the end wall of the lounge area is a pair of French doors above which is a triangular window unit which together with other windows helps make the area light and airy.

Opposite the lounge is the kitchen which has been superbly equipped with just about every appliance anyone could ask for including a dishwasher, washer/dryer, and a fridge/freezer. The eyelevel oven has been built into the centre column on the opposite side to the fire, whilst also unusually, the work surfaces are cream coloured, contrasting nicely with the red of the cupboard doors.

A Velux window has been fitted in the ceiling, but another feature which we very much liked was the halogen downlights. Instead of being fitted in the ceiling they have been fitted on parallel cables making it easy to adjust their positions if required. Adjoining the kitchen is the dining area which although designed for six people, could take eight without any problem.

From the kitchen a corridor leads to the three bedrooms and bathroom. The first bedroom on the right, is a double with two 3ft single beds with tall padded headboards above which are reading lights, whilst between them is a bedside cabinet. Above the cabinet is a tall window unit and opposite the end of one of the right-hand bed as you enter, is a freestanding wardrobe with two sliding doors.

Across the hall is the third bedroom which although designated as a single was more than large enough for the 3ft wide bunk beds. Spanning the width of the room was a huge wardrobe.

Next to the double bedroom is the Matrix’s shower room. It is half tiled with the shower cubicle on the end wall. The low level toilet has been fitted midway between the shower and the vanity unit on top of which is a circular glass washbasin. The washbasin is about the only thing we would criticise in the lodge since we feel that it will need constant cleaning to avoid a build up of scum. Above the washbasin is a mirror unit with integral LED lights. As the shower cubicle is on the end wall it hasn’t been possible to include a window here but the designers have overcome the problem by fitting a Velux unit in the ceiling.

At the end of the home is the main bedroom which doesn’t just have an en suite, it has an en suite bathroom which would not be out of place in a millionaire’s home! The bedroom is separated from the en suite by two walls each having a number of inset glass blocks. Either side of the 5ft double bed is a bedside cabinet whilst opposite the bottom of the bed is a large aluminium framed wardrobe with two sliding doors. As well as clothes, the home’s consumer unit has been fitted here and we were pleased to note it is at low level where it can be easily accessed.

But it is the en suite bathroom which above all else is the feature most likely to impress. The full size rectangular shaped bath has been fitted on a plinth with LED lights, whilst the walls are fully tiled with large grey tiling. Above the bath is a large alcove plus others elsewhere into which the glass blocks have been set. As a result the overall effect is nothing short of stunning. We should mention also that above the tiling behind the bath is another triangular window similar to the one in the lounge. As in the shower room, the washbasin has been mounted on top of a vanity unit, and again, it remains our only criticism of the Matrix.

Verdict

As you would expect, the Matrix comes with all mod cons including double glazing and full central heating. It is a holiday lodge at the top end of the market which we are sure will find favour with the buyer looking for a holiday retreat which has everything he or she could desire.

For further information and prices: Prestige Park & Leisure Homes Ltd., Unit 4, Pytchley Lodge Road, Pytchley Lodge Industrial Estate, Kettering, Northants., NN15 6JQ. Tel: 01536 518513. Email: sales@prestigeparkandleisurehomes.co.uk

New from Victory Leisure Homes is a three bedroom Versailles holiday lodge. Using the same footprint as the two-bedroom version introduced last year, it has the advantage of an extra bedroom, but loses the utility room seen in the two bedroom model, but gains an entrance hall.

There’s another advantage too; a dedicated entrance door into the hall instead of using the French doors in the living area. The living areas are to the left of the hallway with a door into the open plan living/kitchen area and the sleeping quarters are to the right.

The lodge’s master bedroom finds room for a 4ft 6ins x 6ft 3ins bed which has an upholstered headboard and comes with bedding set, (duvet, duvet cover, pillows, pillowcases & contrast decorative throw). There is a feature wall behind the bed and we rather liked it! The en-suite shower room has his and hers countertop basins; will “he” clean his own basin, I ask.

The second bedroom has twin divan beds, 3ft x 6ft 3ins and the third both have upholstered headboards and come with bedding sets but there’s no feature wall in bedroom three. The family bathroom is uncluttered and we liked the vinyl floor as opposed to carpet.

We liked the contrasting wood and sepia base units and wall cupboards in the kitchen which we thought was well specified and would be quite happy being chef for the day. Opening on to the dining area and with a breakfast bar, it’s practical and light too. The floor in the dining area benefitted from a vinyl covering; so much easier to keep clean.

The living area with its two sofas, although covered in a light fabric we thought it was durable, seemed light even though the curtain fabric was very contemporary chocolate and red pattern.

Verdict

A bold interior colour scheme and yet a feeling of space. The better level of insulation, the greater heating efficiency and a more robust build of the residential specification will allow more comfortable use of the holiday lodge in the shoulder season, even if using it for just holiday or weekend use, so it’s probably worth considering as so many parks have a holiday licence that covers the cooler times of the year.

Specification

Size 40ft x 20ft
Twin unit
Built to residential park home specification BS 3632 as a norm, but can be dual registered to EN 1647 standard for holiday use only.
Cladding; Plank effect Cellutex cladding
Steel chassis with galvanised corner steadies
Number of bedrooms; 3
Options; Timber or Canexcel cladding, washing machine or combined washer/dryer and TV/DVD/iPod entertainment package.
Maximum Room Sizes (wall to wall)
Bed 1 – 2967mm x 2909mm
Bed 2 – 3014mm x 2909mm
Bed 3 – 2909mm x 1970mm
Lounge – 5057mm x 3066mm
Kitchen/Dining – 5861mm x 2796mm

To convert to imperial measurements, divide the metric measurements by 304.8

Price is available from Victory Leisure Homes.

**The price quoted will exclude delivery and installation and any other costs as determined by the manufacturer, distributor, dealer or park owner. Please check the price carefully before you commit to purchase, as prices vary considerably dependent, amongst other factors, on the geographical location of your chosen park.**

More information: www.victoryleisurehomes.co.uk

As you’d expect, this holiday lodge is a modern design in a distinctive style which features space and comfort. It’s not short of wow factor either with contemporary feature curtains in the open plan living area. They are big, bold, horizontally striped, in charcoal, silver and black, hung on chrome poles and co-ordinate well with the charcoal chenille freestanding three piece suite. The latter includes a fold-out occasional sofa bed.

Big feature windows and a vaulted ceiling canopy in the dining area steal the show and the combination of spaciousness and light needs to be seen to be believed.

The kitchen has fresh clean lines with white gloss cabinet doors set off by plank effect matt worktops in an earthy colour way. It’s a functional kitchen with a five burner hob, integrated appliances including oven and microwave and side by side fridge and freezer as standard.

The bedrooms were no less impressive; the master bedroom has a lift up king-size bed which gives extra storage space. Not that you need it as there is a generously sized walk-in wardrobe with shelves, drawers and rails. Big windows each side of the bed allowed light to flood the room and there was still space for a free standing bedside table each side of the bed.

We nearly missed the out of sight en-suite bathroom with its black marble effect feature wall along the side of the bath.

The second bedroom is neat with twin beds. Clever use of the small space with good positioning of the beds created a small dressing area, but we wonder if a double bed would fit. We did like the built in dressing table.

The family shower room has a black marble effect feature wall inside the large rectangular shower enclosure and a charcoal vinyl floor as in the en-suite bathroom.

Specification

Single unit lodge
42ft x 13ft
Built to EN 1647 standard
Vaulted ceilings
Vinyl cladding
Two bedrooms
Prices available (ex works) from Willerby

Verdict

The Meridian holiday lodge certainly has the bijou look as seen in chic city hotels. It’s a top end model with a certain distinction and style with a sense of quality throughout. It is a holiday home and is not designed for extended winter or residential use.