Champagne taste on a beer budget: 10 luxe stays hidden in holiday parks

How about staying in a shipping container in the snow next ski season (or during a Snowy Mountains summer)? Dubbed glamtainers, these converted shipping containers have all the comforts of a luxury hotel with an open-plan design and hip-as-hell interior decorating. There’s a kitchenette inside, so save on costs by cooking your own gourmet meal and dining on the patio outside. It’s seven metres long, so you’ll hardly feel cramped. See nrmaparksandresorts.com.au/jindabyne/

Premium Villa, Reflections Holiday Parks Byron Bay, NSW

Set within a caravan park that for decades has occupied arguably Byron’s best beachside abode (halfway along the bay at Clarks Beach), book a retreat in the park’s Premium Villa. Architecturally designed, it features floor-to-ceiling windows looking out across the beach, a 30-second walk away. Lounge on the day bed watching the waves, or cook a BBQ by your outdoor dining room. There’s also a fully equipped kitchen. See reflectionsholidayparks.com.au/parks/byron-bay/

Star-Gazing Safari Tent, NRMA Port Arthur Holiday Park, Tas

Located close to one of Tasmania’s most iconic tourist attractions, the 19th-century Port Arthur convict site, watch the stars from your outdoor bath in a private safari tent made for observing Tasmania’s clear skies. Located on the Tasman Peninsula, 90 minutes’ drive from Hobart, there are clear views across the water of Stewarts Bay and into surrounding bushland from your luxurious glamping tent. See nrmaparksandresorts.com.au/port-arthur

Beach Pod, Bellarine Bayside, Vic

The Bellarine Peninsula has long been Melbourne’s “secret” peninsula, overshadowed by the Mornington Peninsula on the other side of Port Phillip Bay. But the Bellarine offers all the same attractions: wineries, restaurants, quaint seaside towns and plenty of beaches. The best place to access it all is from a brand-new beach pod with only glass French doors between you and the bay. Enjoy a sunset on your back porch looking across the water to the lights of Melbourne’s CBD. See bellarinebayside.com.au/holiday-parks/beach-pods/

Glamping Tent, NRMA Victor Harbour Holiday Park, SA

Last year the holiday park added six new glamping tents, all with direct access to the beach at Victor Harbour. With stunning views across to the water at Encounter Bay, and with the Inman River flowing past, guests can enjoy an outdoor bath and fire-pit among the wildlife, an hour’s drive from Adelaide’s CBD. There’s also a fully equipped kitchen, and you’ll see dolphins, penguins and seals out front. See nrmaparksandresorts.com.au/victor-harbor/

Superior Studio Cabin, Discovery Parks Broome, WA

Guests can witness Broome’s most famous natural phenomenon – the “Staircase To The Moon” (when a full moon rises over the tidal flats of Broome’s Roebuck Bay) from the day bed of their deck in a superior studio cabin at Discovery Parks Broome. This is the only caravan park built right on the beach in Broome. Guests can choose between one and two-bedroom cabins, offering luxurious beachside accommodation at caravan park prices. See discoveryholidayparks.com.au

Beach Hut, Cape Hillsborough Nature Tourist Park, Qld

While not as luxurious as others on this list, a Beach Hut offers couples an opportunity to sleep a few metres from one of the country’s best beaches.

Wake at sunrise and watch eastern grey kangaroos and wallabies feed on seaweed and mangrove seed pods on the sand, while looking out for migrating whales or nearby turtles all surrounded by the wilderness of a national park. The hut includes a kitchenette. See capehillsboroughresort.com.au