2 Best Hotels in Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

With a grand Pacific-style portico, this resort property on the main street in Tairua looks like a tropical island getaway. It contains a cluster of island-style chalets connected by a white shell path, some of them overlooking the Tairua Inlet. The units are spacious and quiet, with fully equipped kitchens and the added bonus of parking outside your door. Furnishings are simple and comfortable, and all the touches expected in an upmarket hotel are present. One honeymoon suite has a king bed and private hot tub.

This resort complex offers much more than you would typically expect from a holiday park; it has the widest range of accommodations in the area, and they're all on the beach, about a 10-minute drive from the Mount Maunganui crowds. Choose from camping and campervan sites, cabins with shared bathrooms and kitchen, self-contained holiday units, or sleek beachfront villas just feet from the dunes. The resort is popular in peak summer holiday season (Christmas to end of January), so it's better to come another time of the year; the climate is always mild and nothing beats a good walk on the beach in winter, plus the pool is heated.