A villa? I bought a motorhome instead

With high-spec kitchens, underfloor heating and even garages for Porsches, these mini-apartments on wheels costing up to £1million are a growing trend in luxury travel, says Jade Bremner

I ‘had owned a yacht for 25 years, drawn to boating because of the complete freedom it gives you,” says motorhome convert Jonathan Blizard, 59. “On a boat you have your own facilities and you don’t have to check in and out of a hotel room, so travelling life becomes much easier.”

Having explored much of Europe’s sea and coast, Jonathan turned his attention inland and considered buying a villa or a holiday home. Then, recognising that he would need a vehicle wherever he settled, he opted for a motorhome instead, joining an exclusive group of around 60 British owners who have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on their vehicles.

“Campervanning and boating are quite similar because you are not tied to a particular place, so you experience real freedom,” he points out. “With a boat, you cross the Channel or go further afield, getting to know ports but not necessarily countries. With a motorhome, you pop your vehicle on the ferry – and once on the Continent, everywhere is accessible. You have more freedom with a motorhome than you have with either a boat or a villa.”

‘A mobile villa lets you spend winter in Finland and summer touring the Dalmatian coast’

Britain’s new motorhome market is now worth a staggering £1.15billion, according to the National Caravan Council. Mat Herzberg, director of manufacturer Premium Motorhomes, saw the demand for luxury vehicles grow during the pandemic, a trend he attributes to having our freedoms curtailed. “It brought about the realisation of what people value,” he says. “For our customers it was the freedom to travel, to be independent and to experience a sense of wanderlust.

“For some it meant a shift from having a villa or a second home to buying their first ‘mobile villa’, in which they could spend a cosy winter in a snowy Finnish landscape and summer touring the Dalmatian coast, camping wild by a secluded beach.”

Blizard has seen a rise in the number of luxury motorhome owners, having met many on the road this summer. When he finally took the plunge and bought a motorhome, he opted for a 30ft-long “middle level” Morelo, priced at £358,000. But the sky’s the limit on bespoke vehicles, which can cost more than £1million, depending on how they are customised. The 40ft Morelo model, for example, has its own garage with enough space for a Porsche sports car.

Blizard’s vehicle has all the conveniences of a luxury flat on wheels: it is solar powered, has underfloor heating, air conditioning and a garage for storing electric bikes. It has a full bedroom (with a double bed and bathroom), a full kitchen (with a dishwasher, Nespresso coffee machine and washer-dryer), plus an additional pullout kitchen for outdoor cooking when the weather is fine.

Travelling with his partner and their labradoodle dog, he spends three months of the year at home in Devon, followed by three months in Europe. “In the winter, we tend to either ski or go to winter sun spots,” says Blizard, who has just returned from a long trip travelling around eastern Europe. “In the summer, we do much more touring, moving on every few days.”

Europe is set up for motorhoming in a way that Britain is not, says Blizard. “On the Continent, you don’t have to rely on campsites because they have stellplatz and aires [designated parking areas for motorhomes in Germany and France respectively]. “These tend to be in cities and villages in the countryside, and very close to amenities.”

By comparison, campsites in the UK “are frequently in fields [approached] down small lanes, and are often not within walking distance of facilities and attractions”. He points out, however, that with a luxury motorhome you don’t need campsite facilities because your vehicle is completely self-contained.

In the Italian Dolomites, the trio frequently visit a luxurious spa at a ski resort. “You get a pitch with your own sort of square and small tree house,” says Blizard. His favourite place to park up overnight, however, is Lauterbrunnen in Interlaken, Switzerland. “It’s just magical,” he says. “You drive past these beautiful Swiss houses overhanging the road and down a little lane, where there is a huge waterfall splashing down onto the road from the top of the mountain. You pull into the camping area and go skiing while surrounded by absolutely stunning mountains. Being out in the elements, and being able to ski from your own motorhome, is amazing.”

Once you have invested in your vehicle, all you need is the confidence to drive it and a real spirit of adventure.

“Having the motorhome has brought us all kinds of new opportunities, from kayaking in the Ardèche to sleeping next to a waterfall,” says Blizard. “You are literally driving through different places every few days and constantly stumbling upon new things. I highly recommend it as a way of life.”