My wife and I agree with you completely. After looking at many types and makes of motorhomes for the last few years, we settled on the Tiffin Allegro 32SA. We like to think its not too big and not too small.
We are heading up to Red Bay tomorrow to watch the build. Ours will be used during the summers and other times as well, but we're keeping our home in Houston as well. My wife and I want to get out of this heat/humidity combo during the summers now that we're retired.
Some of the options we went for, many of which have been recommended by more experienced folks on these forums, are :
Residential Refrigerator - a lot of folks recommend this over the propane/elec as a safety issue, in addition to possible better performance
SUMO springs - I believe Tiffin puts them front and rear, and lots of posts about enhancing ride
2000 watt inverter upgrade - I understand its a Magnum brand, great reviews, and more outlets are then battery powered than standard
7k generator - Not sure if this is necessary, but I figure if we want to run both A/C units and some other stuff at the same time off generator, it will be better than the 5.5
Drop down Bunk - manual, we've got grandkids, nuff said
Driver's Side Door - After reading about many problems with the locks on the entry door, I figure an alternate door is a good idea, plus being another fire exit
Fireplace - doubles as an electric heater
Anything else seems to be personal choices. Whatever you get, hope you enjoy it. We'll be first time RV owners, and plan on enjoying ours as much as possible.
Jim & Kathy