ALTHOUGH the ‘staycation’ in Britain looks set to be all the rage among penny-pinching families this summer, some of them might raise an eyebrow when they consider a ‘five-star caravan holiday’.

A contradiction in terms, no? I glumly envisaged cramped quarters, a frustrated three-year-old daughter going stir crazy, a husband gone AWOL... and would there be a bar for frazzled mothers?
But Haven’s Rockley Park, on the outskirts of Poole in Dorset, beckoned and we focused on the certainty that any time on the beach was going to be better than grey, wet days at home, especially for our girl who loves sand between her toes and a good paddle, regardless of the unseasonably mean temperatures of England in May.
The enthusiasm of the lovely Hayley at Rockley Park’s reception gives us hope. She promised us a ‘fantastic’ time several times during check-in. As we pass some of the 1,180 caravans – unfair to call them caravans really, more a sort of trailer home on wheels – I wonder which one will be ours.
They all look pretty sweet with balconies and a patch of lawn. It’s a bit cheek by jowl but, as we would discover, despite having neighbours on both sides, we didn’t feel hemmed in or disturbed by noise.
When we get to Pine Grove, a view of the inlet opens up before us and we strike gold by being assigned to a step up from the caravan in the form of lodge-cum-chalet style accommodation.
It’s got two bedrooms – nice and roomy – two bathrooms, a kitchen-dining-living room with a gas fire, a huge TV and views over the wide inlet broken only by a lone pine tree. Seriously, this is bigger than our flat.
We’re too late to get groceries from the park shop and we’re not up for a restaurant at the end of a long day with a restless toddler, so we order in pizza from the park’s Papa John’s and have it delivered to our door. Incidentally, the local Spar is very well stocked with groceries, fresh meat and produce, and other holiday essentials, so no need to cart it along from home.
Day two and we’re up early.
The first stop has to be crabbing down at the little beach a short walk away through a clump of pines.
It’s a hive of activity with people heading out for a sail or a windsurf.
We get our crab bucket, line and mini net for a fiver and head to where all the other crabbers are perched. About 50 crabs later – all set free to grow a little larger before they’re caught by other punters – we head for the obligatory ice cream and then on to the indoor pool.
It’s officially the start of summer, but the outdoor pool is still too chilly, a shame because it’s fantastic.
Praise be to the resort planners that the Mash and Barrel restaurant is conveniently adjacent to the pool.
The only way out of the restaurant is through the gaming hall. The place is lit up like Las Vegas and it’s all too much for our little girl to pass up. So we get our cup of 2p coins and let her gamble like a crazy thing.
The only way we could drag the wee thing away was the prospect of meeting an unusually large wacky character in the nightly kids’ show on stage in the early evening.
While we sipped our well-earned aperitifs, we took turns to dance with our daughter to the tunes of Steps and other jingly-jangly pop tunes.
The Blue Coats kept the kids well entertained with competitions and crowd participation shenanigans.
There’s more in the way of showtime for the teens and adults later in the evening with special guest singers and the like, but we confined ourselves to our lodge and sipped our wine as the sun dropped behind the hills and splashed a rather beautiful sunset on the inlet below.
There’s loads to do here in Haven, from crazy golf and a climbing wall to those wacky water inflatables.
You can also play tennis, rent bicycles and hit the park’s spa, which offers all the usual treatments for a pretty reasonable price.
Off site, Poole’s Quayside is a great spot for people-watching and checking out the action in the harbour as the luxury boats weigh anchor. You can take a boat trip along the Jurassic Coast, enjoy the tranquility of Studland Bay or do the Cockle Trail around Poole to learn all about the town’s history of smuggling, sailors and even a
ghost or two.
If you’re up for close encounters with sea life, the Bournemouth Oceanarium is six miles away.
And at the end of a busy day, returning to our chalet proves a very welcome retreat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The facts:

Bess Manson and her family were guests of Haven Holidays, which operates 35 self-catering holiday parks in England, Scotland and Wales.

At Rockley Park, Dorset, they stayed in top-of-the-range Platinum accommodation sleeping up to six people, costing from £649 for three nights, peaking at £759 in school holidays. Seven-night stays peak at £1,369.

Off-peak three-night breaks start at £269 during 2012.

Haven Holidays reservations: 0871 230 1900 and www.haven.com