Adria Altea 524DK and Geist AK495

[JenniferB]

Hi Everyone!

I am looking to buy a new caravan soon and so far I can only find these two models with the layout I want:- the Adria Altea 524DK/formerly 524UK and Geist AK495 both have the separate bedroom with fixed bunks and side dinette plus the large dinette/king size bed at the front.

Are there any other models out there that I should consider - (I definitely don't want triple bunks which rules out the Bailey).

Thanks for your help!

 

[Chaps]

We've got a Geist AK495 and it's brilliant. Just returned from a cold week in Longleat but had a fab & cosy time in our van.

Hymer do a similar layout (Nova 530K but it's heavier and more expensive) and also Dethleffs (Rally Nomad 520), TEC Travel King (not sure which model), Burstner Belcanto (think it's the 490TK or 500 TK). We know because we considered most of these then plumped for the Geist with no regrets.

Try this site: http://www.cuddles.abelgratis.net/vandata.htm

Some of the layouts shown are not quite perfect but give a very good starting point.

Hope this helps.

 

[JenniferB]

Thanks for your reply Claire & Rob. Great info. Am still torn between the Geist and the Adria having looked at the others. Difference of 4k between them though, and I am wondering what the Geist has to offer over the Adria that would justify the 4k. Also, living in the south, there is no easy way to see the Geist without a 4 hour drive!

Down here we have an Adria dealer and service center so it seems like the obvious choice and the new 2009 model has some of the extras like an oven and grill, fly screens, hot water etc.

You can tell that I am new to this can't you!

Is there anything about your AK495 that you particularly love or anything you would like to improve?

Thanks, Jennifer.

 

[weejock]

Jennifer

Before you buy one of these have a search on the web.

There was an english company selling about 40 of these that were destined for australia.

They all seemed to have a big spec and I think prices were about 10k

 

[weejock]

Jennifer

Before you buy one of these have a search on the web.

There was an english company selling about 40 of these that were destined for australia.

They all seemed to have a big spec and I think prices were about 10k

it was elite caravans and they were 8.5k new

 

[EddieE]

We've got a Geist AK495 and it's brilliant. Just returned from a cold week in Longleat but had a fab & cosy time in our van.

Hymer do a similar layout (Nova 530K but it's heavier and more expensive) and also Dethleffs (Rally Nomad 520), TEC Travel King (not sure which model), Burstner Belcanto (think it's the 490TK or 500 TK). We know because we considered most of these then plumped for the Geist with no regrets.

Try this site: http://www.cuddles.abelgratis.net/vandata.htm

Some of the layouts shown are not quite perfect but give a very good starting point.

Hope this helps.

How did you put together the main double bed. I,am still scratching my head, the dealer just said pull out the slats and use the cushions (spareones) tucked in the wardrobe

 

[Chaps]

Sorry Jennifer, not been on here for a while. We love the bunk sizes for the kids as 2 of ours are near-teenagers and UK vans don't seem to allow for large kids and this was the main thing that swung it for us. The fixed bunks make for less bedmaking and easy chill-out areas for the kids on wet days. Also like the 2 dining areas and the layout just generally works for us. Our only real gripe is the table for the front dinette. It's not really big enough for 5 of us to sit around comfortably although it is very heavy and well made. Unfortunately, it's storage place is underneath the bottom bunk so getting it in and out is a pain in the bum! We tend to leave it in the awning when on site. We chose the Geist as it suited our requirements in terms of layout and other things like the door being on the UK side, it's within the towing weight for our car and it cost substantially less than the Hymer Rob's Dad recommended (would have loved one but lots of reasons not to, mainly financial!). We're very happy with the van and don't regret our choice.

 

[WMRussell]

Jennifer

we have a Dethleffs DL520. This is a five birth with large fixed bunks at the rear on the O/S. They are full sized bunks and I can lay in them comfortably even at 5.11. There is a side dinette which also converts to a bunk. At the front ther is a large u shaped seating area that converts to a king size double bed. We have been very pleased with it and would recomend one to anybody. We have recently just ordered a new van, unfortunatley we were not able to get another Dethleffs as we were after a fixed bed and they do not make one in the layout we now want. If you want more info drop me an e mail rus.harrison@btinternet.com with a phone number and I will give you a ring. The Dethleffs is currently up for sale.

Russ

 

[IonaCaravan]

Hello Jennifer

This may be a bit late however... We bought an Adria Altea 542 in 2007 and have been very pleased with it. The fixed bunks at the back are spacious enough for an adult which was a consideration as we have a 14 and 10 year old who are both quite tall and going to get taller! And that whole room section with the bunks and dinette gives you space to get away from one another. The U shaped lounge converts into a large double bed as the van is 230cm wide. The van is very spacious, great quality and lightweight which was a major factor for us. The only down side is the foam upholstery which would probably be more comfortable if it was sprung however I don't know if that would then add to the weight and our car only has a max tow weight of 1300Kg.

 

[JenniferB]

Thanks everyone - this is a bit late - but we finally bought the Geist AK495 and we love it.

Claire & Rob - would like to ask you a question about the front bed as I know you have the same model..how on earth do you arrange the front cushions???!!!! We have two fill-in cushions and we have tried the bed every which way but nothing seems to make a perfect pattern. Help! We just keep getting weird lumps and bumps where the back-cushions are a sloped shape.

 

[Chaps]

We don't get a totally fitted result but choose to use the longer seat base cushions to lie on i.e. longest seat cushion across the width of the van in front of the front window and the shorter base cushion next to it (both turned over with the knee rolls on the outer sides of the bed so you don't feel the lumps and bumps when you cuddle up in the night!). We then have a bit of a jigsaw puzzle at the bottom with the back cushions. They don't quite fit but they're by our feet so it doesn't matter much and makes for a much comfier bed. The way we were shown involved simply pulling out the slats the pulling the base cushions into the middle then laying the back cushions into the head and foot gaps but this means having an unsupported bit in the middle and lying across cushion joins. Our way means that you benefit from lying on mainly a single cushion. We use an old double quilt as a mattress topper with a double sleeping bag and the bed is very comfortable.

Hope this makes sense and helps and enjoy your caravan. We're counting down the days to our first trip of the season to Clacton-On-Sea for 9 nights from next Sunday - yippee!

 

[JackUzi]

Hi Jennifer B,

Can I ask what made you choose the Geist over the Adria...I too have these two vans short-listed and I'm not sure which would be best. Can I ask what sort of price you got your van for and from where? Trying to locate the best prices.

Thanks,

Glen

 

[JenniferB]

Hi Glen,

It was the build quality - the Geist wins hands down - over & over again! Everything in the Geist was more solid. The wetroom was better, the bunks were sturdier, the table at the end was shorter (a bonus) allowing you to stand in the end room without bumping your thigh on the table all the time! I think the TV point was very awkward in the Adria too - next to the sink?? (Might be wrong). The Adria's bed slats fell off the rails when I tried to pull them out at the showroom. In saying all this though, I did love the Adria and very nearly bought it....until I saw the Geist.

In my opinion, the only 2 things the Adria did better than Geist were:-

It is a 6-berth - the rear dinette bed has a pullout support that turns it into a double - the Geist is a single. (Although it does mean the underseat storage in the Adria is not usable as it is in the Geist).

The Adria had a dedicated storage cupboard for the dining table.

Ordinarily, the Geist would be 4k dearer (which shows). But I purchased mine from Elite so the two vans were pretty much the same - it was a non-contest!

Hope that helps.

 

[JenniferB]

Also,

The Geist has a rear window - BIG bonus!

It has a proper built-in draining board - which is exceptionally good.

It has far more overhead storage lockers.

The door is right-hinged allowing you to use a porch awning - not sure if you could do that on the Adria and still open the front side window as, if memory serves, it is left-hinged.

The top bunk on the Adria has a curious piece of material that does not allow you to tuck a sheet around the mattress? Not sure why but I would imagine you would need to use sleeping bags.

The Adria has a fold-down hatch type thing which at first I thought was a great idea - until I realised that when it is in use, you cannot use one of the seats in the side dinette.

I did view it quite a while ago and some of those details may have been changed now - these were just my thoughts at the time.