I suppose I have always been a bit of a caravan sceptic.

Spending a number of nights in a cramped area designed for four people but big enough for two has never been that appealing.

So the chance to spend some time with my family in the Isle of Wight was one that could easily have gone either way.

Thankfully, there were more positives than negatives, but the test was always be whether I would go back. The answer is yes - but there would be conditions.

We set off for our trip early on a Friday morning to catch a 10am ferry from Portsmouth. It took us around an hour and a half to get to the port, and had we been a fraction earlier we would have made an earlier crossing.

I was looking forward to the trip across the Channel, as were the boys, Charlie and George. My wife, Ali, is not one for boats, but even she could not have failed to be impressed by everything.

You simply go to a ticket kiosk and show your boarding number. They issue you with a pass and then it is just a matter of waiting.

You are advised to arrive 30 minutes in advance and if you are even earlier than that, there is every chance you will be ushered on to the boat before your scheduled 'take-off'.

When aboard, there is a big lounge area with food and drink available, as well as plenty of seats on the deck to enjoy the view.

There were also plenty of travel guides and booklets about the island that proved very handy during our stay.

After around 40 minutes, you are called back to your cars and it is time to unload and be on your way.

It was an effortless and comfortable crossing and the efficiency of the ferry and staff was so refreshing - the perfect start to a holiday. We had a 30-minute drive to our caravan park, Thorness Bay, on the north coast.

As we could not check in until 4pm and it was now only midday, we decided to take in the yacht racing at the end of Cowes Week, which was good viewing, even though we didn't have a clue what was going on.

When we eventually arrived at Thorness Bay, our first impressions were that the park was small, but seemed to have everything we would need.

We cautiously asked if our caravan was ready, even though it was more than an hour before our stated check-in time, and were surprised to find that it was.

On entering our eight-berth vehicle, we were greeted by a huge lounge area and decent-sized kitchen. The bedrooms (there were three of them) were a good size, but nothing could beat the lounge.

The other nice surprise was that we had been left a loaf of bread, milk, tea, coffee, biscuits, cereal, cheese, butter and sugar. A nice touch.

There is no doubt that the location of our caravan was a big bonus. It was no more than a minute to walk to either the shop, launderette, amusements, swimming pool, main bar, takeaway cafe or outdoor games area.

By the second day, when we were confident they knew where everything was, it felt safe to let the children go and have a game of pool or kick a football around on the five astro-turf pitches without us having to worry where they were.

They had to be supervised in the swimming pool, however, which was nowhere near as big as we hoped it would be, with a time limit imposed during busy periods.

We ate out on two of the three nights, finding lovely pubs within close proximity.

The Horse and Groom was a 15-minute drive and had a nice feel about it. It was also child-friendly, with an outdoor playground.

The second place we visited was the Sportsman's Rest, which I would recommend to anyone.

Fabulous home-cooked food, very accommodating to children and extremely reasonably priced. Four starters, four main courses, three puddings (before you ask it was surprisingly me that didn't have one) and drinks came to just over £50.

The bar area at the resort, however, was like any other caravan park.

Every table was taken by around 7-7.30pm, it was sweltering hot and a cheesy disco was attracting a load of kids and embarrassing parents. We didn't venture close to it, preferring instead to lose money in the arcade.

Thorness Bay advertises that there is a beach on site, so we were more than willing to try it out. Driving down a very bumpy track, we parked up on a nice bit of grass expecting to see a soft, sandy beach in front of us.

What we got, however, was a dirty, rocky and quite smelly beach that was nowhere you would want to stay for any length of time.

Instead, we headed for Colwell Bay and found a pleasant little beach with sand, rock pools and, of course, the sea.

Bravely, Charlie and George decided to go for a swim in the freezing water and survived without catching pneumonia. The only down side was when the tide came in and washed away the artistic dam we had built in the sand.

For our other full day, we headed for the Needles, right on the tip of the west coast.

After a relaxing game of crazy golf on the cliff tops, we walked down to the beach and took a chairlift back up to the top.

Now, I don't mind heights and am usually quite good on things like that, but this terrified me.

And as for Ali - I certainly wouldn't recommend any other six-months pregnant woman does it!

Heading up and over the fierce-looking cliffs, the rocks were littered with flip-flops that had obviously fallen off, and we found the best way was just to shut your eyes. The fearless children, however, were unfazed.

To then be charged £10 for the four of us was adding insult to injury.

The Isle of Wight is a charming place and our regret was that we didn't have more time to explore, though we would probably take a look at the east coast next time.

I'm certainly not converted into a caravanner - but I'm not so much of a sceptic than I was.