When Willerby’s design team invented the Astoria holiday caravan, they must have started with the hub of leisure life: food. For the kitchen in this new-for-2021 holiday caravan is nothing short of enormous.
Forget the often-found L and U-shaped kitchen format; the Willerby Astoria’s kitchen is linear – and it stretches a staggering three and a half metres, along the route from the caravan’s side door to the lounge.
There are three areas of surface space, punctuated by the four-burner hob (on a black glass base) and pale fawn composite sink (far more stylish than the often-found steel); ample space, then, for several family members to get involved with cooking tasks. Cooking together, as well as eating together, is a great use of quality family time; the Astoria it seems, is designed with cooking at its heart.
And there’s more to indicate that this holiday caravan is made for foodie-focused families. That’s the dining area, an amply sized wood table on a monopod black metal crossover base bordered on two sides by upholstered seating and with a chair to position on one end or side.
The dining suite sits in its own clearly demarked area; the lounge-dining area layout is technically open plan but the dining bit has its own identity, largely thanks to the stunning, aged-wood-effect wall along one side. Three different shades of horizontally aligned wood create a natural, super stylish feature.
The Willerby Astoria is a 13ft-wide holiday home, yet feels much wider. It’s available in two lengths, with either two or three bedrooms. Our review model is the two-bedroomed version, at 40ft long; the three-bedroom Astoria is two feet longer. Both have identical lounges, dining areas and kitchens.
The Astoria model we review has Willerby’s holiday lodge specification which includes CanExcel cladding, residential specification – and the full name Astoria Lodge on the side. It also has full height opening doors at the front; another optional feature.
For a holiday caravan priced for affordability, the Astoria astounds with its luxury looks and super styling in all areas – especially in the kitchen. That’s not just about its size, it’s about the hidden extractor fan integrated into the top cabinet run, the smart black tap, the composite effect sink (rather than steel) – and the biggest cutlery drawer we have yet seen in any holiday home or lodge. It has a staggering 11 compartments.
The array of cabinets and drawers is impressive, five top cabinets, plus three enormous drawers and a big lower cabinet. A washing machine and dishwasher are integrated, and the fridge-freezer sits on the aft end of the kitchen, forming a natural barrier that makes the entrance hallway feel that it has its own identity even though it’s small.
A long mirror, three coat hooks, a tall cabinet and a seat on which to perch to unlace and lace up boots defines this area.
The two-bedroomed Astoria’s main bedroom is at the back on the same side as the kitchen with an en suite shower room alongside it.
A twin room is on the opposite site, amidships, with a shower room just to the back of it. The whole bedroom-showering configuration is nicely laid out.
Buyers opting for three bedrooms get two twin rooms, alongside one another, in the centre of the layout opposite the kitchen. The shower room is between these rooms and the double bedroom, at the back.
The double bedroom in the two-bedroomed Willerby Astoria has a stylish dressing table mounted into angled side panels. There’s a circular, plushly upholstered stool here; this can be taken to the dining room to provide an extra seat to the table.
A large wardrobe with four drawers beneath plus cabinets over the bed create plenty of storage space.
The main shower room has a double-sized shower, a suite of cabinets and shelving, lovely geometric pattern flooring in three shades of grey, and a circular mirror with a rim of light touch-controlled from the mirror.
The second bedroom has full domestic-width single beds, a wardrobe with three drawers and cabinets and shelves above the beds.
The whole of the Astoria explored, we return to the superb lounge-dining area to take in more of the detail and styling that give this holiday lodge its character.
The lounge seating hugs the wall in an L-shape, extending towards the dining area and with a square stool at the end that turns the seating almost into a U-shape. In so doing, it gives the lounge a feeling of separation from the dining area.
The television position, complete with USB ports, sits within a dresser of immense style, supported, like the dressing table, on angled side struts, and with lighting concealed above a shelf and beneath the unit. The impression, with a little imagination, is that the unit is floating.
Black metal plays a significant part in this lodge’s décor, not just for the table base and that of the two-level, circular coffee table, but for the pendant lights over the table; filament bulbs are in black metal cages. Curtain poles are dark anthracite chrome; super modern and delightful.
The combination of pale wood with a prominent grain, matt fawn cabinetry and bright terracotta burnt orange in the cushions, in the geometric pattern and tops of the curtains give the Astoria a fresh bright warm glow. The splash-back above the hob, in a coppery tone, plays its part in the warm glow aspect. Everything about the Astoria screams out ultra-modern styling.
In this video we take a walk around the Willerby Astoria holiday lodge.
In a nutshell: The Willerby Astoria has a fabulously large kitchen, a splendid dining area and lots of design features that create a super stylish holiday lodge.
Minus points: One more chair would have completed the dining area as a six-seater without having to bring the stool from the bedroom.
Plus points: The concealed extractor fan; the super warm burnt orange accent colour; the styling and size of the dining area; far larger than you usually find in a holiday caravan or lodge. The kitchen surface stretched three and a half metres!
Verdict: The Willerby Astoria’s interior is stunning, with the use of wood-effect to create beautiful features, and superb warm accent tones. And so is the exterior, with an offset pitched roof and cool grey, super modern cladding.
This is a holiday caravan designed for affordability, yet has the look and feel of a high-priced unit. You can upgrade your Astoria to a lodge specification, or you can have it as standard. Either way, the Astoria comes with a fully galvanised chassis, which means it’s suitable for coastal locations in which anything less may exhibit corrosion over time.
Size: 40ft x 13ft
Build standard: EN 1647
Sleeps: Six
Bedrooms: Two
Other Astoria models available: 42ft x 13ft three bedrooms
Key optional extras: You can have your Astoria as standard, or you can opt for what Willerby calls Astoria Lodge Specification. This includes residential standard BS 3632, involving a higher degree of insulation, CanExel cladding in place of the standard aluminium – and also an Astoria Lodge badge, so that it’s clear to all on the park that your Astoria is the top-grade model.
Others to look at: Pemberton Abingdon; Swift Antibes; Swift Bordeaux Escape
Ex-works price: £46,350*
If you’re looking to buy this holiday caravan why not get a great static caravan insurance quote from us today.
For more information about the Willerby static caravan range visit: www.willerby.com or call 01482 717599.
Has the Astoria an electric fire in the lounge area ?
Hi Graham, it doesn’t look like it does. You could try to contact Willerby to find out more: https://www.willerby.com/contact
How much for the 3 bedroom
Hi Michelle, we provide insurance. You would need to speak to Willerby or your chosen park to see if there are any of these lodges available.