Bungalow tent, mobile home or your own tent: what suits your family?

Your own tent

The classic. If you already own the gear, it's the most flexible way to camp: you choose your pitch, your layout and how long you stay.

• •Everything comes with you. Tent, beds or air mattresses, sleeping bags, cool box, stove, pots and pans, table and chairs. With children the car fills up fast — often with a roof box on top.
• •You pitch on arrival. After a long drive, in the heat, with children who want to go to the pool. And on your last morning you take it all down again.
• •You live closest to the outdoors. For families who love proper camping, that's the whole point.

It suits you if you already have good kit, enjoy setting up, and don't mind a packed car.

A mobile home

A mobile home is a small, prefabricated holiday home on a campsite. Of the three, it's the most like an ordinary house.

• •Solid walls and a door that locks. Quieter than canvas, and better at shrugging off wind and rain.
• •Usually its own bathroom. Most mobile homes have a shower and toilet inside — a real plus with young children at night.
• •It can get warm. In the southern sun a mobile home heats up considerably. Whether there's air conditioning depends on the model.
• •Less of a camping feel. You're on a campsite, but you live much as you would in a small holiday flat.

It suits you if a private bathroom is non-negotiable, or if you're after the feel of a little holiday home.

A bungalow tent

A bungalow tent sits in between: a large, sturdy tent that's pitched and furnished before you arrive. Specifically, with our Navajo bungalow tent:

• •25 m² of living space
• •3 separate bedrooms: 1 double bed and 4 single beds
• •Room for up to 6 people, comfortable for 4
• •Already pitched and furnished before you arrive
• •Fridge, gas hob and cookware
• •Your own terrace with a table and chairs
• •The beach within walking distance, and a children's activity programme in high season
• •Pets welcome

You arrive, make up the beds and you're on holiday. No roof box full of camping gear, no pitching in the heat — and you still get to sit outside on your own terrace in the evening.

The honest trade-offs

A bungalow tent isn't a mobile home, and it helps to know what that means before you book.

• •No bathroom in the tent. Showers and toilets are in the campsite's sanitary block. For night-time loo trips with young children, a torch — and for toddlers, a potty — makes life easier.
• •Canvas walls. You'll hear the campsite: children playing, neighbours chatting, birds at dawn. For some families that's part of the charm; light sleepers should pack earplugs.
• •The temperature follows the weather. Canvas warms up in the midday sun and cools down at night. Early and late in the season, bring a warm layer for the evenings.
• •Bring your own linen. Sheets, duvet covers and towels come from home.
• •A tent doesn't lock like a front door. As with any tent, keep valuables with you or out of sight.

None of this comes as a surprise if you know it in advance — and for many families it's a fair trade for arriving at a tent that's ready.

At a glance

So what suits your family?

• •Choose your own tent if you already have the gear and love the whole camping ritual.
• •Choose a mobile home if a private bathroom and solid walls matter more than anything else.
• •Choose a bungalow tent if you want campsite life and room for the family without hauling gear or pitching after a long drive — and a stroll to the sanitary block doesn't put you off.

Still not sure? Take a look at the layout and photos of our tent first: seeing the space often makes the choice a lot easier.