Full review

Words: Val Chapman  Photography: Richard Chapman

The Bailey Unicorn Cartagena

It’s 12 years since the first Unicorn Cartagena rolled off the production line, making it among Bailey’s longest-running models. It emerged just two years after the launch of the then-flagship – and still hugely successful – Unicorn range. 

Since then, this twin-axle, transverse island bed, rear shower room, Alde-heated tourer has remained a consistently popular model. A quick look around the market gives some strong clues as to why.

The Cartagena is the only standard-width (2.26m), twin-axle caravan of this layout. Yes, the Cartagena has competition in the eight-foot-wide, twin-axle sector – but not every buyer wants a 2.45m-wide caravan. And all of the models that have comparable layouts in the maximum-width sector are both heavier and more expensive than the Cartagena – by some margin.

There’s the Buccaneer Cruiser, at £46,349 and 1,950kg MTPLM, for example; the Coachman Laser Xcel 875, at £46,095 and 1,896kg MTPLM – and Bailey’s own Alicanto Grande Evora, at £38,999 and 1,855kg MTPLM. 

All of those have Alde heating, as does the Cartagena. Bailey’s Pegasus Grande GT75 Bologna could  be viewed as a competitor of the Cartagena; a similar price, at £31,499, and lighter in weight, at 1,669kg, but its heating system is Truma rather than Alde. So the Cartagena is unique in its sector.

The spec

Until the arrival of the wider Alicanto Grande range in 2019, Unicorns were the flagship of the Bailey portfolio. Spec includes an alarm and tracker, Al-Ko Secure wheel locks, 100W solar panels, and 40-litre inboard water tanks in the twin-axle models. So these are well-equipped caravans.

The width

While almost half of caravans on the British market are maximum width – that’s 58 compared with 61 standard-width models – there will always be buyers out there who can’t accommodate a 2.45m- wide caravan in a garden space, or a storage plot, for example. 

Or who prefer towing a standard-width caravan, on narrow lanes, and on width-restricted motorway roadworks sections.

And, of course, with extra width comes extra weight. So, there is still a strong case for luxury standard-width tourers. Our day at Leisure Sales, at Sandbach in Cheshire, would give us ample time  to explore the merits of this luxury 2.26m-width tourer…

The bedroom

The bedroom certainly conveys luxury – and it has two dressing tables.

The larger one has two cabinets, a mirrored one on the wall and a second below the good-sized surface. TV connections are here, well hidden, above and to one side of the top cabinet. The second dressing table, while smaller, is nonetheless of a useful size. 

The wardrobes

A first glance at the curved shape of the wardrobes would have you thinking their design was invented purely for style, for they look great. But there is definite practicality behind the design.

They are wider at the tops, where bulky jackets take up most space, and taper towards the base, where clothes take up less room. 

The primary reason for the shape, though, is that the narrower base creates space for a wider bed, that, at 1.44m wide, is 9cm wider than standard double-bed width. 

The aft wardrobe’s hanging area is 44cm wide and the forward wardrobe’s hanging width is 53cm. And recesses in the bases of the wardrobes provide perfect places for phones or coffee mugs. 

So, style and practicality entwine, and play their part in creating a lovely cosy bedroom.

And there’s more: the Cartagena has three wardrobes. The extra one is between the dressing table and the kitchen. This one has a hanging width of 24cm.

The shower room

Boutique is definitely the word for the shower room; lots of shelving, including three set in recesses, two capacious cabinets – and the level of luxury finish you’d expect from Unicorn. 

The wide shampoo shelf in the shower cubicle caught our eyes, as did the marble-effect splashback. And the lighting concealed at the base and top of the mirror adds to the already good level of illumination.

The kitchen

The kitchen is a cook’s delight, with a surface that stretches 1.72m with the hinged extension in place. Importantly, there is a 14cm-wide area to the right of the hob; that’s perfect for a spoon rest so that you can place utensils here while cooking. 

Three kitchen drawers, 70cm wide, plus two head-height cabinets, and lockers above and below the fridge/freezer create good storage capacity. 

Bailey’s signature double hob cover plays its part in creating the enormous surface area; the top cover matches the worktop, so can be considered part of it until you use the hob.

Under the top cover is a glass lid. The spring hinge on the glass lid holds both lids in place when raised and, when you want to raise the upper cover leaving the glass lid closed, there is a strap and press stud to hold it in its vertical position. Simple.

Opposite is the Dometic 177-litre fridge/freezer that can be opened from either the left or the right-hand side. 

Lockers are above and below it. There are small, curved lockers within the slim dresser-like unit between the fridge/freezer and the door, and two more style points to notice; that’s a velvet-upholstered wall area, and a recessed shelf area with curved edges. 

Does a wine rack count as a luxury item? We think so, and the Cartagena has four bottle recesses on the aft end of the kitchen. 

The curtains

There’s a touch of continental styling in 2024 Unicorns’ curtain design. There are voiles, of a stylish pale bronze woven pattern, and panels, these having an abstract wave design in white on a subtle mauve light-reflecting fabric. And the front windows have no curtains. Do they look stark?

We think not; the simple styling enhances the effect of the high-arched central window that creates an almost conservatory feel.