hello I'm not too sure what you mean by the dinette bunk option but I will give you the benefit of our experience.
We are a family; husband wife and 8 year old. We have a 5 berth double dinette, so one end converts to a king (or two singles if we want) and the other end is a small double with a single bunk over that can be seperated by a pull across door -perfect when our son goes to sleep.
The benefit of our van is the flexibility. Believe me we have slept with every combination. Initially we had the king and son slept at the other end on the double. Then hubby and I tried the singles. More recently we all sleep down the other end and leave the beds constantly made up so we have a living and sleep area. Perfect for me and my indecision as currently I can not be bothered to make the beds up every night.
I can foresee a time in the not too distant future when our son will sleep in a pod in the awning and we will then have the double with no bunk above it.
Its very clear from being on here and talking to other people we meet that everyone has their own likes though so think carefully about what would work best for your family. Personally we wouldnt go down the fixed bed route as it takes up a lot of space and is not flexible. But never say never as I do dislike making the beds.
Do your children go to bed at the same time as you or would you like somewhere for them to go earlier, in which case fixed end bunks or the double dinette would work for you whereas a fixed bed may not (unless you stay up in an awning).
I was also told that double dinettes hold their value well as they are sought after for the flexibilty. No idea if its true but it was harder to find one.
I hope that is helpful and given you food for thought. Have fun with your search
Hi, we currently have a 4 berth, dinette/bunk beds, and we are trying to sell ours, when we brought it we didnt really think about it, but with the space in the van its not the easiest thing to do keep making up the bunk beds so we tend to leave ours made up, but this means we have then lost the dinette.
So we have now decided to go for a 6 berth, with fixed bunk beds as this will be alot easier plus the dinette gives the kids somewhere to sit and draw/write etc.
We had the double dinette at each end with a bunk above the rear one,we now have a 6 berth front double 2 fixed bunks at back and a 2 single seat dinette with bunk above.
There's only 5 of us but find this layout much better
Hi we have a 5berth with a double up front, and 2 fixed bunks lengthway down the van at the back and a single which is the rear dining area also. This works for us with two kids 6 and 14 yrs.
Have looked at others over the past 4 yrs and think this set up works perfectly, as the back can be screen off and the kids have their own space.
We looked at a side dinette with bunk, and thought with this van it was too near our sleeping quarters and only separated by a small cupboard (table store) and a thin curtain.
I personally would have the two singles/bunks at the back and the loo in the middle and small dinette next to the loo. The vans with the loo in the back and two single bends are ideal for a couple but not with kids as the chance to wake them up is increased.
Our van is an Adria Altea 542 UK (2008), and from what i have read have the largest fixed bunks available in any van.
enjoy looking its a mine field out there and took us a few yrs to find the right one.
We've always had the above layouts but 4 berth and all have worked out well, we now have a fixed bed ( hated making the beds up for everyone) but only have just changed to this layout as the DS is 18 and hates caravanning now ( yay lol) but couldn't of seen this layout working when DS used to come as when smaller he would of gone to bed before us, so we would of either all had to go to bed at the same time, or he would of had to have the nice fixed bed!! And me and OH would of still had to sleep in the lounge bit. Go back to the dealers and spend lots of time sitting in each layout , try and imagine a rainy day or doing your usual things in it and that'll give you an idea of what you want and need, try to get it right first time, as it can be a costly mistake if you get it wrong, but most of all have fun :)
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Our provence has the similar layout to many above with the L shaped front lounge (converts into a double) and rear dinette that makes into a double bed with bunk above (or can be used as 2 small children singles). We brought this as our boy is only 19 months old and it meant that a travel cot fits on one of the rear seats and in the future he can use this as a single bed, probably till around 6-7yrs (depending how fast he grows). It also gives us an option of 2 cots if we had a number 2.
This layout also has the flexability that if we want to go away as a couple we can make the rear double up and use this like a fixed bed as we also have the front lounge.
Looking at your childrens ages I would be tempted either by this layout or something like the new Bailey Olympus 2 540-5 or lunar quasar 546. Both of these have fixed bunk beds (2 in the Bailey and 3 in the Lunar) with seperate shower cubicle. IMO the only reason not to go for bunk beds is if you think you might go away without the children, in which case the double dinette option gives more flexabiity.
Our plan is to keep the Provence we have until our boy is around 5 yrs old and then maybe look at something like the Bailey as this has the fixed bunks, seperate shower for OH and also a side dinette still. With children of the ages you have I would give the Lunar 546 a look as they have been making these for a couple of years and with 3 bunks at the rear (you can use the bottom one for storage as it folds up) and a seperate dining area for them the kids will have their own space at the back and this can be closed off at night. Other makes do a similar layout but not many have the seperate shower which we prefer as we would like the option of trying some rallies next year or some CL sites.
FIXED BUNKS All the way! A godsend with the children as they are just ready to get into when ever they need 'em(as in they fall asleep at any point/place).
When our children were young we always went for a double diner (front and rear). We sometimes left the bunks made up but also had the option of the extra seating area when needed.
The problem with a fixed bed I think is where you would sit if the children go to bed earlier?
Post last edited on 20/08/2012 20:34:54
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Hi, we just started caravanning last year and it was a big decision of which layout to go with. We also have 2 young ones (5 and 6) and we looked at the fixed bed but thought realistically that the kiddies would be going to bed before us and they wouldn't be good at sharing so discounted that. Also the dinette/bunk would take time to make up + take down. When our kiddies are tired they are tired!! So we opted for for the Sprite Musketeer EB and this has the fixed bunks and they have their own cubby holes for their books/toys and we have either the double at the front or if we can't bo bothered making that up then we go singles. It works perfectly for us.
Good luck in making your decision and have many happy years caravanning.
Thanks for some great replies. I think we need to have an inside look at every different layout option that is available and then make a decision.
I like the idea of not having to make up bunk beds every night, especially as we want our parents to be able to use the caravan with the girls and wouldn't like them to have to make up bunk beds every night.
kathrynmc1974
you say girls so I presume your children are 2 daughters? We have the 5 birth double dinette layout. Only used the 5th birth once for my niece but banged her head getting into bed!! In summer we leave the rear double made up for us and my daughters use a pup tent. During colder months, we use the rear double for the girls (they choose to to sleep head to toe) and leave it made up. We make up the front double at bed time. This layout works well for us.
Quote: Originally posted by Is that all,60mph!! on 20/8/2012
FIXED BUNKS All the way! A godsend with the children as they are just ready to get into when ever they need 'em(as in they fall asleep at any point/place).
Agreed
we have two with third on the way hence the fixed triple bunk layout. What we find very good is that the side dinette is big enough for the four of us (ok the kids are quite small) so we dont need to use the front for eating and we just leave the side dinette table up. Not having to make the beds plus if the kids are tired being able to let them have an afternoon nap makes life a lot easier. The fixed bunks also provide a lot of sleeping area for not much horizontal space.
Another thing to bear in mind with bunk beds, fixed or otherwise, is that they often have a weight limit and can be quite small. You say you have a 9 year old, so perhaps this is something to think about as this child gets older, as you could then find you have to change your van to suit.
Just to complicate the issue, we have a 4 berth with fixed singles at the front (which we use as sort of "day beds" for our mardy teenagers), a rear dinette which converts to a king size at the rear, with a wet room/toilet mid way. We find this is great for us, as the single beds are a proper full sized single, properly sprung and very comfy and the front end of the van can be screened off for privacy (handy when getting changed etc). When we go off on our own and leave the kids at home, the fixed singles are good then too - no beds to make up and I don't have to disturb OH if I need to get up in the night!!
We have also had the conventional 5 berth double dinette layout in our previous van and found this was a very flexible layout for people with families.
Yes they are both girls, and I think they would be ok sleeping in a double together. Another plus for the double would be that when we go away without the girls, we don't have to keep making up the lounge part into beds
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Topic: Decisions Decisions
