Bailey Unicorn Deluxe Pamplona caravan
Description
A popular layout, a larger-than-double bed, a true ‘deluxe’ feel in all areas – and three wardrobes
Key Features
Full Review
Words: Val Chapman Photography: Richard Chapman
The Bailey Unicorn Deluxe Pamplona
It’s 14 years since Bailey launched its Unicorn range. Always ahead of its game (comparatively light in weight for its level of luxury, and competitively priced), Unicorn was, from its first hoof mark in the caravan market’s turf, a galloping sales success.
It has undergone tweaks along the years, as you’d expect. Now, though, a new range of Unicorns has arrived; six layouts, one twin-axle and five single-axle models, priced at £31,599 to £35,999. These are called Unicorn Deluxe.
We picked the Pamplona to fly the flag for the new range for this issue (we will be reviewing other models in future issues). It’s the only twin-axle Unicorn Deluxe.
Its weight renders it suitable for a wide range of cars, at 1,755kg MTPLM. And its layout, with its bedroom at the rear and the shower room spanning the central area, puts it among the most popular configurations on the market.
It’s worth saying that, if you like this layout but prefer a tourer that’s shorter and lighter, on a single axle, the Unicorn Deluxe range has you covered, with the Cabrera, at £33,399 and 1,600kg MTPLM.
So, what does “Deluxe” mean? Bailey transported a Pamplona Deluxe to the Camping and Caravanning Club’s Delamere site in Cheshire, for us to explore.
The décor
Unicorns have always enjoyed luxury status, with Alde heating, sprung upholstery, and all the equipment bells and whistles such as an alarm system that you’d expect at this level.
Indeed, until the arrival of the Alicanto range, Unicorn was Bailey’s flagship. And the Unicorn Deluxes retain that feel.
The furnishings convey a distinct air of ‘deluxe’, with cylindrical armrests, and continental-style panels (pale grey/fawn slightly shimmering material), flanking each window.
In the front corners, velvet-style fabric upholsters roughly triangular-shaped panels. And there’s a bold move into on-trend interior design territory, with the complete absence of curtains.
Interior design websites list increased connection with the outdoors and maximising on natural light as two of the advantages of curtain-free environments.
The side windows in both the lounge and the bedroom have, along with the panels, fine voiles, in a dark gold fabric that glints in the sunshine.
The lighting
Lighting is an important element of any caravan interior design – and the Unicorn Deluxe takes lighting to an especially high level with the introduction of a new, sophisticated lighting system.
It’s called a CCT (standing for correlated colour temperature); Bailey describes it as ‘a zonal and dimmable ambient lighting system’.
It allows you to change the warmth of the lighting tone in the lounge, and also to dim the lighting in the bedroom, from a touch-control panel.
This is just one of a number of features that add up to the ‘deluxe’ status of the new range.
The kitchen
Another feature is the swan-neck mixer tap’s flexible hose, enabling you to move the tip of the tap around; ideal when rinsing items just washed up, and also for washing salads or vegetables. You pick up the black flexible section, and then pop it back into its chrome holder when you’ve finished. Simple – and stylish.
Kitchen drawers have soft-close mechanisms. And hidden roll catches to the drawers and top lockers add to the simple, modern styling.
The sink cover that matches the work surface can be turned over to use as a chopping board. And Unicorn Deluxes have hob covers that match the surface, so that the hob becomes part of the work surface when not in use; practicality and aesthetics combine perfectly here.
Being the only twin-axle (and the longest) in the Deluxe range, the Pamplona has advantages over its siblings. It has a larger fridge; that’s Thetford’s 156-litre model with a separate, 29-litre freezer.
And it has not just two wardrobes in the bedroom, but a third, alongside the fridge, with a 26cm-wide rail and a shelf above it, plus space for the table, and two shelf spaces below.
The washroom
When you open the door to the shower room you step into a charming bedroom and en suite arrangement. A sliding door partitions off the shower room on the aft end.
In between is a shower with a hinge-down towel rail, a shelf for shampoo bottles, and a corner-mounted riser bar of unique style; three-quarters black, with an outline leaf patterned panel alongside it.
The washbasin/toilet room, opposite, is 1.16m long and 70cm wide; quite adequate in size. Shelves finished in marble-effect are on each side of the basin.
There’s a mirrored, double-doored cabinet above, plus a cabinet below the sink, and two shelves. A panel radiator, part of the Alde heating system, is on the forward wall of the little room.
The bedroom
Bedroom styling is gorgeously deluxe. There’s an oval illuminated mirror over the small dressing table on the nearside.
On the offside is a panel on which a television bracket, plus connection points and two coat hooks, are mounted.
The wardrobes are shaped so that they are wider at the top (38cm tapering to 30cm); after all, jackets take up more space at shoulder level, and the shape allows for a bed that’s 1.44m wide; that’s 9cm wider than a standard Pamplona – indeed, all Unicorn Deluxes.
Wireless charging pads, with two USB ports, have been introduced, together with USB ports set into the bases of spotlights.
Off-grid caravanners will love the 130W solar panel; that’s 30W up on the previous models. And there’s a shoe cabinet just inside the door.
Our Verdict
<p>Rather than go with the rising tide of eight-foot-wide caravans, Bailey has kept the Unicorn as a 2.26m-wide caravan. That’s one factor that keeps the Pamplona’s weight to 1,755kg MTPLM.</p>
<p>So this is a deluxe caravan that’s suitable for a good range of cars. Styling and ambience are lovely, amply living up to the ‘deluxe’ name tag.</p>
<p>Kitchen surface and storage, too, win our praise, as does the big fridge and the luxury feel of the bedroom.</p>
