I took a 3-day road trip in a camper van. Here's what it was like inside the tiny space.
- I recently went on my first camper van experience through Camp Hox, organized by the Hoxton hotels.
- I was surprised such a small space could fit so many amenities, and that the bed was so comfy.
I recently went on my first luxury camper van trip.
I booked my trip through "Camp Hox," a three-night experience organized by The Hoxton hotels.
The new package — which is offered in London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Los Angeles — uniquely combines nature with luxury. After two days in a camper van packed with snacks and champagne, Camp Hox guests get to spend the night at one of the Hoxton properties.
I opted for the $1,200 "California Coast" trip, which includes camping on a farm near Paso Robles and a night at The Hoxton in downtown Los Angeles.
It was my very first time staying in a camper van, and I was shocked that so many great amenities could be crammed into such a small space. I've always been a big city girl, but I actually loved it.
So, without further ado, here's my full tour.
I spent two nights in a Cabana van, which describes itself as a "hotel that travels with you."
The Cabana website states that its vans feature "the best of boutique hotel amenities" with "the convenience of car share."
They measure 19 feet by 8 inches in width — the same as a large SUV, the site notes — and 10 feet by 6 inches in height.
Cabana also states that the vans drive "like any standard SUV" and will "fit in any standard parking space."
A luxury hotel on wheels seemed like quite the claim. Would the van live up to its name?
When I slid open the door to begin our adventure, I was immediately greeted by the sight of a sink and a lofted bed.
I would soon discover that the white compartment in front of me, which looked like a closet, was actually the bathroom.
The dashboard didn't look any different from your usual car, except for the two huge burritos waiting for us in the cup holders.
The burritos, made by The Hoxton's Sibling Rival restaurant in LA, were absolutely delicious. My friend Kristen and I scarfed them down before we even got on the road.
There was also a small succulent plant, along with custom Camp Hox playing cards, our recommended itinerary, and a sheet with phone numbers to call if we had issues with our van.
Above the dashboard was a hidden storage space where all the window shades were kept.
Button-up shades were provided for each window of the van, although we never felt the need to use them.
But I'm not even a little ashamed to admit that the first thing I wanted to check out was the snack drawer.
I knew we'd get a few treats on the Camp Hox experience, but I was (very) happy to find that the snack drawer was overflowing with goodies.
There were Sun Chips and Kettle Chips, two different types of cookies, olive oil for cooking, gummy treats, protein bars, crackers, coffee, tea, and even a s'mores kit.
And I was even more impressed by the drink selection.
This drawer, which was refrigerated, included two bottles of Veuve Clicquot champagne (fancy), beer, oat milk, and canned lattes, along with juice and eight cartons of boxed water.
Underneath the snacks and drinks were utensils we'd need for cooking on the farm.
This drawer had two plates, two bowls, a pan, four mugs, tongs, a French press, a knife, sugar packets, extra batteries, and some plastic forks and spoons.
All the drawers also featured special buttons to lock them in place, although we weren't the best at remembering to use them.
We narrowly avoided being impaled by the snack drawer more times than I'd like to admit.
The sink, I was surprised to see, actually had some decent room for food prepping.
Kristen and I often did our dinner and breakfast prep on the edge of the sink, although we had to cut everything on a plate since a cutting board wasn't provided.
A fold-out table behind the passenger seat also proved extremely helpful for cooking.
The extra table was also the perfect size to hold the burner stove that Camp Hox provided, allowing us to cook breakfast or late-night ramen inside the van when it was chilly.
There were more helpful amenities tucked under the sink.
I was really impressed with how the small space was utilized throughout my Camp Hox trip.
A hair dryer had been stored away, along with toilet paper and cleaning supplies.
There were two bars of Blank soap, along with Blank lotion, dishwashing soap, a sponge, and Lysol disinfecting wipes — a dream during times of COVID!
A drawer with a small garbage can pulled out from the side of the sink.
It also included a miniature broom and some more cleaning liquid.
There was also a hidden chair, which was one of the van's cooler storage hacks.
The seat easily pulled out from under the sink.
The passenger seat also had swiveling capabilities, so it could be rotated to face the extra chair.
The table stored by the passenger seat was also a convenient dining space.
The hidden chairs meant we had the option to eat meals comfortably inside the van if we needed to.
There was perfect weather during our entire trip, so Kristen and I always wanted to eat outside on the farm. But we took the secret seats for a test spin and loved how easy they were to get in place.
We would've definitely used them if it had rained during our stay.
I was also surprised to find that the van had a full-on bathroom.
The 24-inch by 26-inch bathroom didn't feel claustrophobic, and the bamboo flooring was a nice touch.
While we had a few issues with water temperature and pressure during our stay, it was nice to have a (somewhat) normal shower.
There were dispensers for shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel.
All three were by Beekman 1802, where haircare products typically retail for around $24 — adding to the luxe feel.
The flushing toilet also worked like a breeze.
The van's built-in toilet has a five-gallon capacity and, according to Cabana's website, lasts up to seven days of regular use before it needs to be emptied. So we didn't have to worry about any maintenance.
Since the shower and toilet were in the same place, the toiler paper dispenser was protected.
The box came off a few times from the bathroom wall, but it did a good job of keeping the toilet paper dry through our showers.
Next to the bathroom was a closet with more amenities.
There were two large bath towels, along with a couple of small ones, plus a kettle, a portable radio, and some hangers.
The closet also featured two pull-out drawers that could easily fit two standard-size suitcases.
The bed was far more spacious than I had expected.
Cabana vans feature an 8-inch memory foam mattress, according to the website. And it's a "camper queen" size, meaning it has the width of a regular queen-size mattress and the length of a full.
And the bed was actually super comfortable. There was plenty of space, and the comforter and knit blanket on top were cozy.
There was even a TV facing the bed, although trying to get Netflix to work in the middle of the farm took more effort than it was worth.
The bed came with four plush pillows, along with a few decorative ones.
The tropical print was a cute touch by Camp Hox that added some more personality to the van.
One side of the bed featured a small built-in shelf that held our portable WiFi box and the TV remote.
The shelf was also a handy place to store our phones whenever they were charging.
Each side of the bed also had a small overhead lamp, as well as a USB outlet.
There was also storage space underneath the bed that could be accessed at the back of the van.
Cabana calls this area its "gear garage," and it's clearly designed to fit plenty of large items.
We didn't bring any outdoor equipment, but I liked having a separate place to store my suitcase so that Kristen and I weren't on top of each other when we were trying to get clothes out of our bags.
Also stored in the gear garage was a cute grill, a fire extinguisher, and a separate compartment with a handful of extra amenities.
The compartment held our burner stove, folding table, two extra chairs, and lanterns for the campground.
It also had extra toilet paper rolls, a tablecloth, and a few instant ramen bowls for late-night munchies.
We realized the compartment was actually a pull-out, which made access super easy.
The back of the van turned into my de facto changing area because I left my suitcase there the entire trip. Good thing the farm was isolated!
The extra chairs and tablecloth meant we were able to have nice meals right on the farm.
The table easily fit both of our dinner plates and wine, and the lanterns meant we could sit outside for ages.
Overall, I was really impressed with my first camper van experience.
I haven't done any kind of camping since I was 12, and my camper van experience before Camp Hox was absolutely zilch.
So I have to admit I was pretty apprehensive that two nights in a van could be "luxurious." But so much thought and care went into every item included in our trip, making everything not only comfortable but really fun as well — and not just because of the champagne!
I don't plan on becoming a van lifer anytime soon, but I'm definitely down to get back on the road again — even if it means sharing my shower with the toilet.
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