Book review: Some People Prefer Hotels, by Nigel Rowland Hicks

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for this review. I did not receive any payment and was not required to write a positive review.

Motorhoming isn’t for everyone, as certain members of my family and friends have periodically made clear to me.

The author of Some People Prefer Hotels – Motorhome Novices Tour Cornwall, Nigel Rowland Hicks, had a similar experience when he told one of his colleagues he’d just bought a motorhome. “Some people prefer hotels”, was the comment — and after a damp and dismal start to their first motorhome holiday, the Hicks thought they might be amongst the hotel lovers.

Fortunately, it wasn’t to be, and the Hicks were rapidly won over by the wonders of self-contained independence, breakfast views that money can’t buy, and the sense of freedom that only a motorhome can provide, during the course of a short break in Cornwall.

The book starts with the tale of what might be one of the quickest motorhome purchases ever, and follows with the rain-sodden and windscreen wiper-challenged tale of a journey down the A30 in holiday traffic. Things rapidly improve, albeit with a few hitches, and I can wholeheartedly share the author’s frustration over the difficulty of filling a water tank with a hose when you don’t have a suitable connector, and the mysteries of levelling. (Although in a crotchety gripe of my own, I feel I should point out that the uniquely British failure to merge in turn when queuing for roadworks actually makes traffic jams worse…)

Some People Prefer Hotels is unmistakably genuine, and the author has elevated this book above the usual motorhome diaries by skilfully intertwining the tale of his motorhoming baptism of fire with memories of family holidays when his children were young. The result is a very enjoyable read that’s certain to strike an evocative chord with almost anyone who has ever holidayed in the UK.

This book deserves to be a success and I’d recommend it to anyone with an affection for (or aversion to) motorhomes and British campsite holidays.

Some People Prefer Hotels is available directly from the author’s website at a reduced price of £10.99 inc. P&P using the code ‘MNTCPM’ at checkout – visit somepeoplepreferhotels.co.uk for more details.

You can also contact Nigel on Twitter @CampersVsHotels and on Facebook.

Alternatively, Some People Prefer Hotels is available directly from the publisher.