When we’d decided on our Bailey caravan we started to look around for a dealer. We emailed a few online and Lady Bailey were quick to come back on the phone. Not only could they get the caravan we wanted earlier than anyone else, but they were offering the best deal. Discount on the caravan and a couple of nights at a great local campsite on them. Despite Lady Bailey being a few hours away this deal was too good to miss.

Attention to Detail

Sadly when our caravan came in we’d gone into tier 3 lockdown and weren’t able to travel. Not a problem for Lady Bailey – they happily stored our caravan free of charge until we were able to pick it up. This was the start of our really exceptional service.

We finally managed to pick the caravan up in April 2021. We decided to stay overnight the night before so we could pick up the caravan first thing in the morning, giving us a full day to get the hang of towing. We had a few phone calls from Bailey before we picked it up to check everything was ok our end, and that we had our tow vehicle, registration plate etc ready. This attention to detail continued throughout.

Great Handover Experience

The pick up day was absolutely spot on. We arrived for our appointment, all the paperwork was ready and completed very efficiently. We were soon out to take a look at our caravan. Being new to Caravanning we received a very detailed tour of the caravan, and instructions on how to use everything. Having been allowed to play with the motor mover to get the caravan in position, the team helped us hitch up our car safely, checking the lights etc. They even fitted a wheel lock bolt for a wheel lock we’d bought elsewhere.

Thanks Lady Bailey for taking such good care of us.

For the last couple of years we’ve been camping in a tent. We loved the campsites, the touring different parts of the UK, the fresh air. What we didn’t take to so well was being cold at night and the middle of the night toilet trips with the kids… and the grown ups who’ve had one or two gins!

Campervan vs Caravan

This started our hunt for an alternative way of enjoying the camping experience. Having jealously watched those folks all warm and dry in caravans and campervans we thought we’d take a look. Campervans seem to be the in thing at the moment and a great way to enjoy the outdoors. There were a few things that put us off. They tend to be smaller than caravans, or certainly a lot more expensive to get the equivalent space, and with the kids this didn’t seem a good fit for us. Although driving them may be more convenient than towing, once on site you’ve got to pack everything down just to go to the supermarket. Then there’s the additional motor to maintain, road tax, insurance, MOT’s etc. After all this we decided a caravan was the way to go for us. With the possibility of leaving it setup somewhere for a season, or moving it around on the back of the car, it seemed a more flexible way to enjoy touring the UK.

But which caravan?

Once we’d settled on a caravan our decision making was by no means over. With a huge number of makes, models and layouts we had no idea where to start. After hours of internet searching, which left us more confused than when we started, we decided to go “old skool” and phone a friend. A couple of people said the same things to us, check out Bailey caravans, AND have a fixed bed! We liked the idea of not having to make the bed up each night, we’re on holiday after all. Bailey are made in Bristol and in all our research found they have an excellent reputation for quality.

We headed over to Bailey of Bristol to check out their range. The entry level Pheonix caravans seemed to be very well spec’d with Bluetooth stereos, spot lights, USB chargers and the fantastic Bailey feature window at the front. They were also really competitively priced compared to others of similar size. As we looked through this range we were pleased to see they offered a couple of fixed bed options. In the end we decided on the fixed bed at the back so the kids did’t have to wake us up to use the toilet in the night. The front seats are also just under 6 foot long so ideal to be single beds even as the children grow. This combined with separate shower and toilet (we really didn’t fancy using a toilet in the shower!), really nice cabinets and furnishings made the Bailey Pheonix+ 640 the caravan for us.