Detailed Review

This four-berth Elddis Avanté 554's combination of a separate corner shower and two fixed bunks is a unique layout.

The fixed bunks are on the nearside, running longitudinally just behind the door. Because there are two, rather than three, bunks, there’s ample headroom; an adult could comfortably sleep on the bottom bunk. That immediately places this caravan into the category for teenage families, rather than little ones. It also puts it in a pigeonhole marked “caravans that will last through all the growing years.” And that means it’s one you won’t have to change as the kids grow.

The shower is in the offside corner, in a washroom that gives you plenty of space for dressing, too. Between bunks and shower is a wardrobe, with a large cupboard beneath; that’s the toys and books taken care of, we think.

This caravan is full of surprises. Just forward of the shower room is a second wardrobe, every bit as large as the one at the rear, and with three drawers beneath it.

More surprises occur in the centre of the caravan – again on the vital subject of storage. The kitchen is woefully short of storage, there are only two narrow drawers and an equally narrow cupboard between the oven and the fridge. But that’s not a problem, because opposite the kitchen is a huge dresser – as large as any you’d expect to find in a classic two-berth, end shower room layout. This dresser contains a double-doored cupboard and two drawers, providing a luxurious amount of storage opportunity for kitchen paraphernalia; you can really get organised in this kitchen.

Under-bed storage, too, gets our full marks in the 554, not just because there are three areas, under the front settees and under the lower bunk, but because the drop-down access hatches are the full width of the lockers; we found extracting and stowing bedding here was easy. Raising and lowering the bunk base was a bit clunky as it catches on the metal ladder that’s fixed to the end of the bunk housing.

Parents get the choice of two single beds (the lounge settees are adult sleeping length provided you’re not more than six feet tall) or a longer double bed that makes across the width of the caravan. So many layouts have short lounges; it’s great to spend time in one with plenty of seating length and the single bed option.