“Nice place to stay. Convenient to everything.”

Bed comfy, room clean and comfy. Restaurant great. Staff friendly. Separate toilet which is always handy. Also a bath. Stairs to room got exhausting after back and forth few times, on hot days. Shower really low water pressure. View from restaurant beautiful.

“Location great, but very much a 70s style motel”

We stayed 2 nights at this motel during a month of travels around NZ. It was our least favourite. We booked the trip about 18 months before travelling and were originally booked to stay in the Sea Spray Suites but our agent changed our booking to this motel about a month before we travelled, so... more

We stayed 2 nights at this motel during a month of travels around NZ. It was our least favourite. We booked the trip about 18 months before travelling and were originally booked to stay in the Sea Spray Suites but our agent changed our booking to this motel about a month before we travelled, something about room availability there. We didn't dispute the change however, as our booking showed as being allocated a Junior Suite - Waterfront at the Kingsgate, and this time breakfast was included, so it looked promising for a nice stay over Valentine's Day. When we arrived we had been allocated a ground floor "King" room (419), looking into the central parking courtyard, and straight at the cars parked outside our window, so no sea view at all. We queried this with reception who advised that they were fully booked and that this category was what our agent had booked. To be fair to the hotel, our agent confirmed she had made a mistake with the booking, so it was not the hotel's fault, but do double check that you are booked into the type of room you are expecting, as our room felt dark and miserable, although the facilities within it were fine and unlike another recent reviewer, we had no issues with the plumbing. The hotel itself is nicely located, and if you did have a waterfront room I think it would make a big difference. We only got to enjoy that view at breakfast. However the dining room itself really was 70s motel style - long tables set up for coach parties (3 coaches staying whilst we were there!) and it felt more like a school dining hall. The breakfast itself matched that style - a range of tinned typed fruits in large plastic trays, cereal and basic hot items. Uninspiring, so although it was included in our rate it was disappointing. We didn't see anyone using the pool out front and we didn't have time to try it so I'm not sure if it was heated or not. I don't know what we paid for this motel as it was part of a package via an agent, but I would only stay here again if I got a very cheap deal and a seafront room - and would probably bypass the breakfast offering and find something amongst the cafes in town (just a few minutes walk). Charlotte's Kitchen served us a wonderful Valentine's dinner on their terrace on the jetty (within site of the hotel) so that at least cheered us up after we arrived - would recommend dining there.

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