Welcome to our travel series, all about travelling with kids – in this instalment, we’re taking a family holiday in Papamoa. In each ‘Take the Kids to’ travel story, we’ll find the best places to stay, eat, play, save some money, have some time out for Mum and Dad, and lots more.
Oh, the classic Kiwi summer. Who knows what she might bring?
You’ve been dreaming about booking it all year, but when it comes to putting in your dates, well… it’s really a case of roulette. Will you be playing cricket on the beach, cooling off in the surf then regretting leaving your jandals behind as your feet sizzle on the melting asphalt on the walk back home to the bach for a BBQ? Or, will you go to a beach town that makes it onto the 6pm news for having unexpected gale force winds and torrential rain in the peak of summer?
We took a punt on things over the Christmas break, and yes, it was a mixed bag – some gorgeous weather, and some stay on the couch and catch up on Landman days. Personally, I think renting a house can make all the difference – you’re not all cramped in the same room, you can chill out, read a book and do it all without those guilty feelings that maybe you should be using this time to sort out that cupboard or fold the washing, that can stop you truly relaxing at home. Or, you can head out and book yourself a massage. See a movie! Have a long lunch!
Papamoa is a fab place to hedge your bets. The beach is phenomenal if the weather is on your side. There’s nothing else you’ll need. But if the weather doesn’t play ball, it’s also not the end of the world. There are so many fabulous places to eat in Papamoa, there’s a slew of five-star rated massage places, a movie theatre, shopping – and the Mount is a short drive away, where you’ll find hot pools, more places to eat, shop and indulge. There’s also a slew of really terrific holiday homes available to rent.
Here’s where our family of four visited over our short stay in summer and would highly recommend (in all seriousness, we are already planning a repeat visit!).
STAY
+ Papamoa Coastal Luxury Holiday Home
If I’m heading away with my family for a low-key beach holiday, my first choice is always to stay at a holiday home. I love the ease of a hotel for a sight-seeing holiday, but if I’m with the family, intending on not doing very much, I prefer a house, because it’s where we’ll likely be spending a fair bit of time. Having a place to chill out, cook, wash all your clothes (and towels!) and just generally a bit of space to spread out, makes all the difference. And if there’s a sunny nook for me to curl up with a book? Even better.
It’s also a great way to hedge your bets over the great – but seriously unpredictable – Kiwi summer. We took this little trip shortly after Christmas and managed to get a cracker couple of days at the beach, but also, a few completely grey, rained out days.
I booked Papamoa Coastal Luxury through Booking.com, very last minute. I’ll be honest, it was one of the few homes left available to book, so I lowered my expectations about what this house might be like. But heck, it was incredible. There was so much space. Four bedrooms (!!), two living areas and two different spaces I found outside in the sun to read a book.
This house was also perfect in the gloomy weather – there are two separate living spaces (there’s a little nook next to the main lounge with two couches, a huge TV and plenty of floor space for the kids to spread out their toys), and with the bedrooms at the other end of the house, everyone could happily watch/read/play in their own spaces without disturbing each other. There’s also a deep bath for relaxing in. Oh, and an acupuncture place right opposite the house (I didn’t try it, but if we stayed another rainy day I would have been in there pronto).
The only downside is it’s a bit of a hike to the beach (around 20 minutes), which I wouldn’t recommend walking in the height of summer or with an overtired preschooler.
Other than that, I highly recommend this spot. It’s down the far end of Papamoa, where the beach is nice and quiet, plus, we never came across any traffic (which I’ve found certainly isn’t the case the closer you get to the Mount!).
EAT
+ Henry & Ted
We were staying down the far end of Papamoa (the opposite direction to the Mount), and although our Booking.com rental came with a Nespresso machine, our first port of call each morning was for a takeaway coffee. Our closest, greatest spot was Henry & Ted. It’s a beautiful little spot, with a great laid-back coastal vibe – I felt like we could easily be in Burleigh Heads or even Hawaii. They do a a great Acai Bowl, an Egg Sheeran Omelette and a long list of different smoothie options, as well as kid-friendly meals.
+ Rise Artesian Bakery
When Henry & Ted’s was rammed, we found the little bakery around the corner (it’s just behind the 4 Square) served up fab coffee, plus reasonably priced pastries and filled rolls to walk across the road and enjoy on the beach.
+ Papa Mo’s
In the same complex, you’ll find Papa Mo’s, a family friendly restaurant, serving up tasty shared plates, pizzas, burgers and tacos (as well as heaps of gluten-free and vegan options). We met friends here one night, with a bunch of kids in tow and had a great time up on the covered deck upstairs where you get a bit of a sea breeze.
+ 4 Square
In all honestly, it was the 4 Square we frequented the most, picking up supplies to cook up on the BBQ. Like I said earlier, renting a holiday home can really cut down your food costs, being able to make meals at home – particularly if you’ve got picky kids, or a restrictive diet yourself. The 4 Square is well stocked, with plenty of great options (it may be niche, but the kids said the ciabatta rolls here are 10/10 and “the best bread on the planet”)
+ The Sands
The Sands is a fab new development that so far has a huge New World, a great little Latin restaurant called Pablo, a Turkish restaurant Ali Baba’s House, a Pizza Hutt and a café that does fab coffee, called Kneed.
+ Gather
In the main part of Papamoa, one of the best spots for a coffee – or to pick up a quick bit is Gather. The coffee – and service! – is fab, plus, seemingly like a lot of places in Papamoa there are loads of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.
DO
+ THE BEACH
If it’s not raining, the place to be is the beach – any part of it! With its white sand stretching for 16 kilometres, there’s plenty of space for everyone and even at it’s busiest you won’t feel squeezed for space.
+ Luxe Cinemas
Luxe Cinemas turns going to the movies into a real treat of an experience. It’s a family-owned boutique chain, with a luxurious lounge to enjoy before heading in for your film. They celebrate local flavours, with Mills Reef wines, Fitzpatricks Craft Beers and Excelso coffee all on the menu. If the rain is pouring, it’s the perfect spot to unwind and be entertained.
+ The Cave (or a massage?!)
If you’ve got kids, and they start crawling the walls in your holiday home – and it’s too wet for a run around at the beach, let them blow off some steam at The Cave. It features virtual reality experience, VR escape rooms, military simulations and state-of-the-art racing simulators. Or better still, drop all the boys off there and book yourself into Siam Massage Therapy for a traditional Thai massage.
+ Head to the Mount
Just up the road (although, be warned, with traffic it can take a bit longer than it looks!) is the Mount, where you’ll find plenty more to do and eat. Click here for a full run down, but I’d recommend Bayfair (particularly Viet Lane to eat at or Timezone for the kids to have a play), the Mount Hot Pools and my favourite café, Eddies Brunch Parlour (do yourself a favour and get the sweet potato pancakes).
Three Holiday Home Tips
I’ve spent a fair amount of time in holiday homes over the last few decades and here are my top three tips:
- Read the reviews. Pictures and descriptions are a great way to see what it all might look like, but I really rely on the reviews for making my final decisions. Look for homes that have don’t just have a good rating, but have a lot of reviewers (it’s much easier to get five stars when you’ve only had one gues).
- Always take a tea towel or two. I don’t know what it is, but you can stay at a holiday house that has every appliance or feature known to man, but it will still only come with one tea towel. One is never enough!
- If you’re logging into your Netflix / NEON / Amazon Prime or whatever it is on the telly – always remember to log out before you leave. Or, if you forget, go into the app and end your session in that location – if the provider doesn’t allow that, change your password. I had a friend who didn’t log out and didn’t realise until two months later when she had credit card charges for movies she didn’t rent…
Alice was hosted by Booking.com. All activities were booked independently. Her opinions are entirely her own
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