It was really hard for me to rate this place. We booked into it through the iSite in Tauranga, while I was travelling with my family who were visiting from the U.S. I will say that it had been a long day of traveling with a 3-year-old, a 1-year-old and with some sort of respiratory infection that was leaving me far short of my best, so that my have colored my impression.
When we checked-in, the host was friendly enough. He asked about how hot (or not) we would like the mineral pool in our rooms (nice! mineral pool) and made some recommendations about local activities that would be fun with the kids.
When we got to our room, I felt like I was in a time warp (think 70's - 80's). You can see from my photos, that I actually do believe some of the pillows and things are from the 80's (or earlier). Could the whole place do with a major facelift? For sure. Was it clean and basically accounting for everything we needed? Yes. So again, a bit difficult to sort out where to put the rating.
Our mineral pool (also see picture) was nothing to look at aesthetically, and it was on the verge of being unbearably hot (but we managed) it was was very nice and relaxing at the end of this particular day. The pipe in the middle of it made a somewhat annoying sucking sound constantly, but once you got past that part, it was ok.
The kitchenette had all the basics needed (pots, plates, cups, wine glasses), a kettle, microwave and small fridge, two burners and a sink. Was it fancy? No. Operational? Yes.
The bathroom. Oh, the bathroom. It misses the 70's. Toiletries were NOT included, so make sure you have your own shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc. or whatever else you might have left at home, hoping the hotels would have them. I didn't shower here, because I didn't really want to. The shower itself looked fine, clean, etc. but the shower head looked like it belonged in a Barbie (i.e. plastic) doll house instead of in a motel. An upgrade there alone could bring it into this millenium.
They do have a heated pool on the property (we didn't use it) and the option to get breakfast (for a charge) to your room in the morning (also, didn't do it).
At the end of the day, if you are looking for some fairly clean, basic and don't mind about the decor being outdated, this place is a reasonable option. If you want something that is special in any sort of way, modern or upscale, look elsewhere. read more