Kea 6 Berth Review

The Kea 6 Berth Campervan was the perfect vehicle for my family's snow holiday. The facilities were superb, from the very warm doonas that suited sub zero temperatures, to the fluffy clean pillows and 2 bath towels per person. There were plenty of kitchen towels too.

The kitchen was decked out to meet all our cooking needs throughout the duration of our hire. The 4 burner gas stove and the microwave came in particularly handy. The coffee plunger was a welcome relief for early starts, while the toaster and kettle were also handy at breakfast time. Wine glasses and crockery cups (not the plastic kind) made us feel right at home. Plenty of cupboard space came in handy for unpacking clothes and groceries.

It's important to pack wisely, especially clothes wise, as you will find it frustrating if you bring too much. We used soft suitcases which worked out fantastically as these went straight into the storage space under the seats in the dining area. No need to unpack. My clothes were unpacked into the hanging cupboard. My daughter made use of the entire back cupboard space at the back of the vehicle. We stored the skis and boots in the outside storage area of the vehicle. This made them easy to get to and didn't make the vehicle wet after use. The depots do allow you to store your suitcases at the branch if you wish that is if you are coming back to the same depot.

We had no problem with water pressure for the shower and when trying to use water during the night or early in the morning. Our neighbours in the Apollo 6 Berth could not use any water as the water tended to freeze overnight. The large windows were an added bonus for viewing and for being able to see out of the vehicle whilst travelling, especially if you have small children. Our same neighbours advised that their young children battle to see out of the windows whilst travelling.

The vehicle was a breeze to drive on the open road. It's a large vehicle so we thought it would be slow and sluggish on the hills. We were quite surprised the 6 speed manual went like a dream. Now and again I would need to say 'watch your speed love'! Bit thirsty on the fuel but a pleasure to drive.

The reversing camera was any girl's dream to assist in reverse parking. The reverse cycle airconditioning was an added bonus with the -2 degrees. When first switching on the heating, it didn't seem to work properly, but then we remembered that degrees outside were in the minus, so it took a while to get going. Eventually, the heat was more than enough to keep the chill out.

Parking the campervan was not an issue - we always made sure that we parked away from other vehicles in a shopping centre and used two parking spaces - just to make sure that nobody tried to squeeze in between.

My son had the dinette converted to a double bed and my daughter opted for the lounge/ bed area at the back. She started out with a fully made bed and then thought that she would make up three-quarters of the bed which suited her better as she could then use the extra space for her 'stuff'.

What a pleasure to have lunch when you want and where you want. This was very handy and a real money saver to pop back to the campervan anytime to grab something to eat or heat up a cup a soup on the stove. Or make a cuppa tea to quench your thirst as well as warm you up.

At times we would get back to the campervan and be absolutely starving after a full energetic day out on the ski slopes. What a pleasure as we didn't have to wait to get home to have dinner as we could eat right there and then.

The only drawback on the campervan that I could think of, is that while travelling with two teenagers and their 'stuff' as well as Mom and her 'stuff' and Dad and his 'stuff', that sometimes the space just didn't seem big enough. That also might be due to the fact that we couldn't make use of the outside space due to the cold.

Lori Raasch

Also visit: Ski and Snow Adventure
Snow Holiday Tips
Campervan Beginner's Guide
The Essential Campers Guide