Eileen’s Trees Inn

Breakfast in a treehouse: when did you last do that? At Eileen’s Trees Inn on the edge of Karatu, you do it in a rustic treehouse-style lounge, which also takes in the dining area and a friendly bar. The lodge is family-run and set in a garden full of trees, with a refreshing pool at its centre. The rooms have their own bathroom and a private veranda, and come as singles, twins, doubles and triples as well as a family unit. In the morning a buffet is laid out, and in the evening there is dinner. You put together your own packed lunch for the game drive. So if your favourite roll is missing in the safari jeep at lunchtime, at least you know who to complain to. As a mid-range lodge, it makes a pleasantly uncomplicated stop in Karatu.