Choosing a dinette

When considering the dinette for our RV, we found out that there were several choices.  You may have noticed that most dinettes are on the driver's side of the coach.  We asked about this when we saw one that actually had the dinette on the curbside overlooking the area under the awning where you're likely to spend your time outdoors (Newmar Dutch Star 4002).   The answer was that having the dinette on that side somehow causes the basement doors on that side to be smaller -- not as tall.  Quite frankly, they told us why but I have long forgotten.

The old standard for dinettes is the booth, with two booth seats facing each other and a table between them that can drop down to make a small bed.  In a lot of the newer coaches, they have done away with this in favor of several other options.

For many Newmar coaches, they have several dinette options:

The Euro Booth dinette is the closest thing to the old booth style, except that the table doesn't drop down to make a bed.  Instead, it "sticks" out from the wall (no legs) and has a leaf to make it longer.  There is also storage under the seats.  The Euro Booth dinette is one of the more expensive options, and the seating is very comfortable.

The Combo Desk with a Buffet Table is similar to the Euro Booth except that instead of the soft "booth" chairs there are two freestanding, upholstered chairs and two matching folding chairs that are kept under the bed.  The fully-extended table is 38" long.

Combo Desk with Buffet Table 

The Combo Desk/Dinette with the Freestanding Hidden Leaf Table has space in the underneath cabinet for putting computer stuff like a printer and a "hole" where a freestanding 4-legged table can slide into it.  You can move the table anywhere you want. This is the biggest table that can expand to 48".

Freestanding Hidden Leaf Table

The Combo Desk Dinette with the Roll-Away Table is similar to the Combo Desk with a Buffet Table except that the table itself is made of of segments (each about 5" wide) that can roll up into the buffet.  When you pull it out, it unrolls and makes a sturdy table with a single, well-supported leg on the end.  Fully extended, this table is 44" long.

As comfortable as the Euro Booth is, we like the flexibility to move the chairs around.  We also like to play cards and wanted a longer table.  The roll-away table is 6" longer than the standard table and we love the way it completely rolls into the buffet.  This is the one we got.