Fodor's Expert Review Papamoa Beach Resort

This resort complex 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. You can choose from camping and campervan sites, cabins with shared bathrooms and kitchen, self-contained holiday units, and spacious, cedar-wood suites. Thirteen of them are beachfront, just feet from the dunes. The resort is extremely 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.