THE ULTIMATE RETREAT

The Retreat Aotea 260B caravan from Insideout RV is an attractive offering for Kiwi families keen on extended holidays. Claire Smith takes a closer look.

With a north-south island bed plus four (yep four!) bunk beds for the kids, this comfy caravan is all about creating wonderful family memories.

Insideout RV has designed the

Kiwi version of the Retreat slightly differently to the Aussie counterpart, with sleek white and black cabinetry, black upholstery and white walls. It’s contemporary, easy to clean, and allows the owners to add their own personality with pops of colour and accessories.

As you step inside, the ‘grown-ups’ bedroom is to the left, the kitchen and L-shaped dinette is central, the kids ‘bunk room’ is to the right, and the full-width bathroom beyond that.

The layout means you can close off the kids’ sleeping quarters from the lounge room, although you’ll have to tiptoe past the sleeping kids if you want to use the bathroom.

Big family holidays require big family kitchens that are spacious and functional, and the Retreat delivers nicely. There’s a selection of drawers below and overhead are two cabinets, a microwave, and extractor fan. Opposite is a family sized 188L Dometic fridge/freezer big enough for a few weeks’ worth of supplies. The Retreat includes an oven and mini-grill plus three gas burners and one electric element in the cook top.

The Retreat’s island bed measures 1600mm x 1900mm with an innerspring mattress and full height bed head, and the layout allows for a lovely large window and storage on either side.

There are four bunk beds – plus an additional small bed if needed by transforming the lounge seating.

The bathroom layout is practical as well as spacious, with a full-sized shower to the left, a Thetford toilet on the right, and a good-sized vanity sitting centrally, plus a Camec front-loading 4kg washing machine.

The Retreat is built on a six-inch A-frame with 15-inch all-terrain tyres, and standard for New Zealand, a hotdipped galvanised chassis. There’s plenty of storage with a lined tunnel boot plus a front-mounted storage box to hold the gas bottles and the slide-out Weber barbecue. The awning creates that extra outdoor living space.

The Retreat caravan ticks lots of boxes for Kiwi families. It’s spacious, modern, and the advanced construction will stand up to our unique climate and will handle going off the beaten track.

To find out more, visit insideoutrv.co.nz