Our guide to holiday homes by the sea

Best locations for holiday homes by the sea

Perhaps inevitably, the southwest peninsula springs to mind. That’s because, thanks to its stunning natural scenery and beautiful seaside villages, it’s a popular place for holiday homes by the sea and, of course, for any form of holiday. There are many other locations, too, around Britain’s shores. We’ve explored some of them to get you started.

Holiday homes by the sea in Cornwall

Gull Rocks Beach sits beside the rolling sand dunes of Holywell Bay, on Cornwall’s rugged north coast. It’s a development of just 32 luxury holiday lodges.

The holiday park is named after two dramatic rock formations just off the coast that featured in the television series, Poldark, and the James Bond blockbuster, Die Another Day. A private path takes you from the holiday park, through dunes, to the beach. The South West Coast Path can be accessed from the path from Gull Rocks Beach holiday park to the beach.

Holywell Bay is five miles from Newquay, and Gull Rocks Beach lodge owners have access to all of the seasonal facilities at neighbouring Trevornick Holiday Park, including the outdoor pool, the play areas, the bar, the dog exercise fields, and the fishing lakes.

Hoburne is a major southwest group of holiday home parks, some of them by the sea. Hoburne St Mabyn is four and a half miles from Wadebridge on the River Camel, and 12 miles from Padstow, the port known for its many restaurants. This holiday park is the one to choose if you are seeking a getaway retreat; its appeal is its tranquillity.

Gwel an Mor is Cove UK’s Cornwall holiday resort. It’s at Porthreath, on the north Cornwall coast, and has a spa, a restaurant and a golf course.

Franchis Holidays is on Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula, which is a region of secluded beaches, hidden coves and endless walking opportunities. Franchis Holidays is a 16-acre holiday lodge park. The nearest beaches are Poldhu Cove (just two miles away), Gunwalloe (noted for its quaint church on the sand) and Dollar Cove. Mullion Cove is around 10 minutes’ drive from the park, and Polurrian Beach is about the same distance. All of these beaches are spectacular.

Oaklands Park is close to the south Cornwall coast. It’s just two miles from both the fishing villages of Looe and Polperro. There’s a quiet quality about Oaklands Park. Its slightly rolling terrain gives the park a natural appeal. Plots are generously sized and have lovely countryside views.

Lovat Holiday Parks’ Sun Haven Holiday Park is a short walk from the coast at Mawgan Porth Beach and is a short drive from Padstow and Newquay. The Lovat Holiday parks group also owns other coastal parks.

Among these is Penmarlam Lodge Retreat, a two-minute ferry ride from the ancient character town of Fowey, at the estuary of the River Fowey.

Lovat’s Padstow Holiday Village is a short walk, through fields, from Padstow. The group also has holiday homes by the sea in Norfolk, at Golden Beach Holiday Park, a two-minute walk from Sea Palling Beach, and in Suffolk, where Azure Seas Holiday Village sits right on the coast, in a woodland setting with sea views.

Holiday homes by the sea in the southwest

Outside the county of Cornwall, the South West remains a hugely popular destination for people to buy a holiday home by the sea.

We’ll start in Somerset, at a holiday park close to the little resort of Burnham-on-Sea. This is Newcombe Caravan Park, a quiet, privately owned and family-run holiday home park, just a 10-minute walk from the centre of Burnham-on-Sea and the seafront.

If you’re searching for the perfect place to relax, unwind, and take in the sea air in Somerset, Newcombe Caravan Park could be the ideal location for you.

Hoburne Naish, on the border of Dorset and Hampshire, is in a stunning clifftop location. Attractions include the Coast House eaterie, an indoor pool, heated outdoor pool, soft play area, adventure playground, an entertainment complex, a multi-use games area, convenience store, adventure golf, a sauna, steam room and fitness suite – and the holiday park has its own path to Highcliffe Beach.

Hoburne Park is where the Hoburne group began, back in 1912; this was the first Hoburne park. It’s close to Mudeford Quay, at the entrance to Christchurch Harbour. This park has indoor and outdoor pools, a sauna and steam room, a fitness suite, café, bar and brasserie. A new development at this park is a short distance from Avon Beach.

Hoburne Devon Bay is near to Paignton, on the stretch of coast known as the English Riviera. The park has a lively entertainment schedule plus a convenience store, eateries, indoor and outdoor pools, amusement arcade, fitness suite – and also a nature trail.

Holiday homes by the sea on the south coast

Cove UK’s Medmerry Park, at Chichester, in West Sussex, is close to the beautiful West Wittering Beach. This holiday park has its own country pub and swimming pool, and holiday home owners can also use the facilities at Cove UK’s nearby Seal Bay.

This is Cove’s largest holiday park and has direct access to the beach. The holiday park has tennis courts, a gym, a hair and beauty salon, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, as well as entertainment.

Willowbrook Park is at Lancing, in West Sussex, set in 12 acres of South Downs parkland and just a short walk from the coast.

Holiday homes by the sea in Cumbria

Solway Holiday Park, in Cumbria, has a range of family activities. These include axe throwing, birds of prey demonstrations, and laser tag. Archery, karts to hire to explore the park, and art, are also available at this holiday park, which is on the Solway coast of north Cumbria. The holiday park is within easy reach of the Lake District, and has a bar and restaurant, plus entertainment.

Stanwix Park is a family-run holiday park on the north coast of Cumbria, close to the small Victorian resort of Silloth. This holiday park is well known for its outstanding evening entertainment and its comprehensive leisure centre; Stanwix Park is a full-on family fun holiday park.

On the southern shore of Cumbria are three of the 10 parks owned by the Holgates group.

Arguably the most spectacular is Far Arnside, where most of the holiday homes and lodges have views of the sea as it flows into the Kent Estuary; the park has its own pebble beach. The Cove is a development of luxury lodges overlooking the sea, at Silverdale.

This holiday park is opposite Holgates’ headquarters park, which has a restaurant, swimming and gym complex. And the group has two coastal holiday parks in Lancashire. These are Marsh House and Bay View, both with direct access to the foreshore at Morecambe Bay.

Holiday homes by the sea in Scotland

In Scotland, Cove UK has eight holiday parks in the area of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs, all with stunning loch, mountain and river scenery.

These holiday parks are under the umbrella of Argyll Holidays. Loch Eck Country Lodges and Loch Eck Caravan Park, and also Stratheck Holiday Park, are at Dunoon, in the county of Argyll & Bute.

Buying advice for holiday homes by the sea

Buying a holiday home is a huge investment that will enrich your leisure time and create a new lifestyle for you; your home from home will be your focus of quality family time, so it’s essential to choose an area that is perfect for you. A useful tool is to draw a two-hour-drive circle around an area you may be considering – that way, it’s within easy weekend distance and you will be able to use it a lot. The next step is to assess what places of interest are within that two-hour-drive circle.

Whatever interests you have, as a couple or as a family, it’s useful to assemble a list of them, and see how many ticks a region gives you on your list.

Holiday parks come in all sizes and types, from quiet holiday parks with no facilities to full-on, family fun holiday parks that are veritable villages, packed with things to do. Swimming pools, restaurants and bars, shops, takeaways, cycle hire, walking trails, play areas, games arcades, gyms, coffee shops, fields for ball games… Again, make a list of the features that are important to you and find a holiday park that matches as many of your criteria as possible.

There is a correlation between the amount of facilities on a holiday park and the amount of money that you will pay in pitch fees on an annual basis. It stands to reason that parks with a high number of facilities will charge more for plot fees because they have to pay for the upkeep of the facilities. You can expect to pay anything from around £2,500 to £12,000 and more in ground rent. Much depends on the location and the facilities on the holiday park.

Many holiday parks include water and sewerage rates in ground rent. Electricity will be metred, and paid monthly or quarterly.

FAQs: holiday homes by the sea

Are holiday homes by the sea dog-friendly?

You can easily find dog-friendly holiday homes by the sea. Almost all holiday home parks are dog friendly. Some have dog-walking areas on the holiday park – and some have fenced areas where you can let dogs off leads.

Can you get finance to buy a holiday home by the sea?

Spreading the cost, and paying for your holiday home from income, rather than from capital, can make holiday home ownership even more enticing and attainable. Many holiday parks offer advice on buying on finance. And there are companies that specialise in providing finance for holiday home purchase. Among these are Black Horse, Sure Finance, Pegasus Finance and Four Seasons Finance.

What type of chassis coating is recommended for holiday homes by the sea?

When you buy a holiday home you may be able to specify the level of treatment applied to its chassis during manufacture. This is important to the longevity of the holiday home, and also has an influence on how much maintenance it will require.

Most holiday home manufacturers offer a choice of chassis finishes; some offer greater protection capability than others.

Painted chassis have basic protection. Fully galvanised chassis have the greatest protection from rust; these are specifically recommended if you are buying a holiday home to be sited in a coastal area, where salty air can accelerate the rust process.

What do the build standards BS 3632 or EN 1647 mean?

EN 1647 is the standard specified for a holiday home or lodge made to specification tailored to leisure use, in spring, summer and autumn.

Holiday homes or lodges with the BS 3632 standard are suitable for year-round use; insulation is of a higher standard than homes built to EN 1647.

When choosing a holiday home from some manufacturers, if you select one that is built to the EN 1647 standard, you can specify an upgrade to BS 3632.

How long are holiday parks open for in a year?

Many holiday home parks are open all year. Others close for periods that vary between two weeks and four months. It’s something to find out at the early stages of choosing the right holiday park for you.

Can you rent out a holiday home?

Your holiday home or lodge could generate you an income – or you could let it out to offset some of the costs. Which of those extremes you go for depends on how much your worktime permits you to use your holiday home. If you can only use it for two or three main holidays in a year, for example, you have the option to let it out for chunks of the year and generate a substantial income – especially if you let it out during school holidays, when demand is high, and you can charge more money. Or, if you merely want your holiday home to earn a proportion of its ongoing costs such as site fees and insurance, you can tailor the amount of time that it’s available for letting to that. Many holiday parks have schemes in place to facilitate and manage letting. Be aware, though, that some holiday parks do not permit letting, so it’s something to check when you are choosing the holiday park that suits your needs.

Can you buy a pre-owned holiday home by the sea?

Yes. Just like buying a car, touring caravan or motorhome, you don’t have to buy a new one. Searching in the pre-owned holiday home sector can get you a unit at much less than the cost of a new one. That’s ideal if you are not sure how often you will be able to use your holiday home, and also, if you are a first-time holiday home buyer, it gets you into the market without spending a vast amount of money.

Can you live in a holiday home or lodge by the sea?

No. By definition, a holiday park is exactly that – and is not licensed for residential occupancy. So, you can’t live permanently in a holiday home or lodge, and parks will ask you to provide proof of a permanent residential address.

How should you decorate a seaside holiday home?

Take a lesson from the manufacturers who create holiday homes specifically designed to be holiday homes by the sea. Shades of blue and white often predominate. Pale woodwork made to look like driftwood is a feature commonly used, as are traditional deckchair-type stripes in curtain and cushion fabrics.

One example of a holiday home with a seaside vibe is in the Victory Leisure Homes range. It’s the Lochwood. It has blue cabinetry teamed with pale driftwood look wall features. And its curtains have broad stripes, in white and blue.

Wessex Unique Lodges & Park Homes designed the Seafronter specifically for a coastal setting – for Hoburne Naish, on the border of Dorset and Hampshire. Its elevated windows are shaped to make the most of coastal scenery. And its interior décor used shades you’d associated with sand to create a seaside vibe. Willerby’s Brookwood is another example of a holiday home with a seaside vibe. It has pale turquoise upholstery that conveys a sea-and-sky look.

What is the safest seaside town in England?

Aberystwyth is rated as having the lowest crime rate in the UK, a study by the security services company, ADT, showed. Aberdeen, in Scotland, came second as the safest seaside city, followed by Plymouth, Brighton and Swansea.

Final thoughts

The concept of holiday homes by the sea is enticing and exciting. There are so many beautiful places around Britain’s shores that make brilliant places to spend your leisure time that you are sure to be spoilt for choice.

Wherever you decide to buy a holiday home by the sea, make sure it’s within a practical distance form your main home, so that you can go there as often as possible – thereby making the best of your investment.