Full review

Words: Val Chapman  Photography: Richard Chapman

The Buccaneer Bermuda

Buccaneers have long been leaders in the field of tourer opulence. The brand was among the leading  lights of the1960s era of caravan innovation. 

Originally made at Full Sutton in North Yorkshire, by Buccaneer Caravans Ltd, and for many years now part of the giant Erwin Hymer Group that also makes the Elddis, Compass and Xplore ranges, Buccaneers have always been at the forefront in terms of luxury.

Evolution, coupled with the clamour for top-spec status, to meet a strong demand for tourers in this echelon, has led to the Buccaneers we see today. The combination of a self-levelling mechanism, underfloor heating that works in synergy with the Alde system, and a 32in television as part of the standard equipment, puts these eight-foot-width caravans in a class of their own. 

The 2023 range of five models all ride on twin axles and all have double beds. We chose the Bermuda to fly the flag, so to speak, for this flagship range, because its L-shaped lounge layout gives it star status in terms of floor space, and also because it has a very unusual kitchen layout, with the dresser on the offside and the main kitchen area on the nearside.

We had a day at Preston Caravans and Motorhomes to find out why this model, in common with the other four models in the range, sells so well even though Buccaneers are in the top tier of tourer price. 

Buyers of Buccaneers want the best; they’re prepared to pay for it and they’re happy to equip themselves with a beefy towcar to pull it. They do, however, want, in return for that investment in their leisure pursuit, a top-class array of spec and a super-luxury feel. And they get it.

Levelling

Before you step inside, you can’t help but be wowed by the sleek shape of these eight-foot-wide stunning tourers. And by one of the pieces of equipment that puts them in the top bracket: Buccaneers are one of only a very few ranges to have a self-levelling system as standard – the others are Coachman’s Laser Xcel and Lusso.

Made by E&P, this superbly engineered system lowers gigantic axle stands, to level the caravan from side to side, and then, in turn, lowers heavyweight corner steadies, all at the touch of a button. 

The interior

So, with our review Bermuda ready to explore, we begin in the lounge. L-shaped seating always gives you more floor space than a parallel configuration and nowhere is this more apparent than in an eight-foot-wide caravan. Both sofas are 2m long, so there’s plenty of space to recline and relax. The four scatter cushions are big and firm; one side is plain grey velvet, the other a slight exotic pattern in white on a dark grey background. Deep knee rolls create supportive comfort. 

A television mounting plate with a cream-coloured surround, is on the nearside wall, and the cabling is already in place. Below, three shelves, the centre one stylishly curved, provide plenty of space for entertainment equipment, and a contactless phone charger with two USB points is set into the top shelf. Two mains sockets are between the top and centre shelves.

Beneath the shelves under the television position is a drop-down door cabinet that’s ideal for shoes, close to the door, and there’s an exterior hatch to this area, so it could have many uses, from the boring necessities such as toilet chemicals to walking boots.

There’s also plenty of space under the offside sofa. Three top lockers are in the lounge, all with refined tilt-and-release handle mechanisms.

The lounge bed

L-shaped lounges provide an advantage when you transform them into a double bed (the base pulls out from beneath the front sofa); there is a 63cm-wide area of seating on which to perch for coffee before you retract the bed on its smooth runners and turn the ‘bedroom’ back into a lounge.

There’s good storage space under the front sofa. At first glance, you may think it could be a hefty  task to raise the top, given that it has two layers of slats, with one sliding out for the bed base. But a quick pull at the front opens the storage area from the top, and the front drops down, too.

The kitchen

So, good storage space in the lounge. Would the kitchen match up? There are five drawers on the offside, in the dresser, and three more in the main kitchen area, all 37cm wide, all with neat positive catches set behind the handles, plus a 38cm-wide cabinet containing two substantial metal shelves that slide out on very smooth runners... There’s space beneath these shelves, and space for slim items beside the table that resides in a cabinet in the dresser.

There’s also two double-doored top cabinets, each 63cm wide, with concealed press-and-tilt catches, and a two-shelf, 55cm-wide top cabinet in the dresser. Altogether, this amounts to first-rate storage space. 

The fridge/freezer is the Dometic Series 10 model that opens from either the left or the right, with a  capacity of 153 litres. The microwave sits above the freezer; people of short stature may find its position is rather too high, though. 

We love the generous size of the sink, 30cm by 50cm. A cover can be placed over it to increase working surface alongside it. The surface is 41cm wide, with a 41cm by 38cm extension to bring into play when you want extra space. It comes across the doorway but there is still enough space to walk alongside it easily. 

The dresser provides 63cm by 56cm of surface, so, in total, we think surface space is generous. At  this price, you’d expect refinements aplenty and the Bermuda delivers amply. One example is the  edging of the kitchen surfaces, finished in a glossy trim that looks like highly polished stainless steel.

The bedroom

And the bedroom is a delightful environment, so luxurious and so Buccaneer. It has two windows, one at the rear and one on the offside, plus a large rooflight, so it’s superbly light and bright. And it has two dressing tables, both triangular and identical in size, with cabinets beneath. One has a mirrored wall cabinet, and a mains socket, plus two USB ports; the other has television sockets.

Wardrobes are 23cm and 26cm wide; we think some potential buyers may think that’s not quite enough hanging space, especially in winter when bulky coats are necessary. Three drawers under each of the wardrobes and two large cabinets above the bedhead will hide away plenty of clothes.

The bed is easy and smooth to raise and stays up supported by gas-filled hinges. The 40-litre water tank compromises storage space here, but there is enough for folding chairs as well as the Wastemaster wheeled waste water tank that’s part of standard equipment in all Buccaneers.

Floor space at the foot of the bed is an incredible 91cm wide; the mattress is ‘hinged’ at the pillow end to enable you to decrease its length by more than 30cm. This is a super-spacious and super-luxury bedroom, and the position of the washing zone, forward of it, and divided from it by a sliding door, means that the bedroom is a totally separate room. 

The washroom

The door of the washbasin toilet room on the offside opens across the caravan to achieve total separation on that end, too. Features here include a hinged towel rail mounted in the roof of the shower cubicle, a tall, smart grey-finished towel warmer, and two double-doored top cabinets plus a  lower cabinet.

All the rest

The list of equipment and refinements includes an extractor fan, a long, ‘stargazer’ rooflight; an Aquasource water connector for direct connection to a pitch tap; Alde’s Load Monitor to prevent you from tripping; lights that come on automatically inside the wardrobes, an alarm, a tracker system, two wheel locks and a cold water external shower.