2016 Forest River Salem Villa 353 FLFB Review
The Forest River Salem Villa is a family-friendly destination trailer, perfect for extended vacations and full-time living. Its modern design, coupled with its residential furniture, will make you and your guests feel right at home.
Built on a 12” extruded I-beam frame, the Salem Villa is a reliable companion on the road. It features a cambered chassis and R-7 insulation, along with 5/8” five-ply tongue and groove plywood floor decking. The seamless, one-piece roof comes with 3/8” walk-on decking. The Salem Villa has a hitch weight of 1290 lbs, unloaded vehicle weight of 8679 lbs and cargo carrying capacity of 2771 lbs. Its exterior length is 38’6” and exterior height is 11’8”. For liquids, the Salem Villa has a fresh water capacity of 39 gallons, gray water capacity of 40 gallons and black water capacity of 30 gallons. Its awning size is 21 feet.
COMPARISON: Read our review of the 2016 Heartland Fairfield FF 405 FL
When you walk into the Salem Villa, you’re greeted by a beautiful interior that resembles a modern cottage home. Linoleum floors are easy to maintain and the Cathedral ceiling’s main feature is a large ceiling fan. The slide-out is adorned with decorative lights and cherry fascia accents. After a long hike in the wilderness, you’ll want to kick back and relax on one of the swivel rock chairs or the La-Z-Boy hide-a-bed sofa. The living room’s entertainment center has a DVD/CD/AM/FM stereo with mp3 hookup, along with surround sound with TV hook-up and digital TV antenna with a booster. Cable and satellite ready, the Forest River Salem Villa will relax and entertain.
Walk into the residential kitchen to find a space to allow you to cook your meals at home. The extra large overhead cabinets, equipped with raised panel doors and brushed nickel hardware, can store all your dishes and non-perishables. For extra storage space, the kitchen also has a pantry, residential drawers and built-in knife holder located behind the stove. You can store your meats and veggies in the 16 cu. ft. residential refrigerator. You can cook your meals on the 12V power range hood or in the 21” residential oven. For quick reheating, you can use the microwave. For your convenience, the kitchen is equipped with a wastebasket and two outlets.
COMPARISON: Read our review of the 2013 Brammo Empulse R
If you want to travel fancy, you can request a high-rise spring faucet, oversized stainless steel under-mount sink, LG solid surface countertops and recessed stove with a glass cover. If you plan on hosting outdoor parties, you might also want to request an outside kitchen, equipped with waterproof copper-vein countertops. When dinner’s ready, serve it at the dinette, located beside a large window.
The Forest River Salem Villa has a beautiful bathroom – small, but equipped with the essentials. The built-in wood medicine cabinet comes with a mirror. A new 50″ walk-in shower is equipped with a seat and glass sliding doors. A foot-flush toilet and linen closet complete are also featured.
COMPARISON: Read our review of the 2015 Grand Design Reflection Super-Lite 27RL
When you need to recharge, retire to your residential-style bedroom. Equipped with solid doors, the bedroom is the perfect place for alone time. Its main feature is a Serta Bradley Mattress, equipped with a headboard and fitted bedspread. Put your clothes in the large dresser, your shoes in the shoe nook, and slip into your favorite pajamas. You can plug your chargers into the outlets, located beside the bed. If you want to watch TV before going to sleep, you’ll be relieved to know that the bedroom is equipped with Cable TV hook-up.
The Forest River Salem Villa 353 FLFB sells for around $39,000. Visit http://www.forestriverinc.com/ for more information.
