We had a comfortable stay. The staff were always polite. Sarah, the main cleaner for the lodge was…read morefantastic. She was always helpful and smiling. She always made sure we were taken care of. Eg: cleaning the room if needed, top up coffee or milk (if we asked), clean towels. The room was a standard room. The price was cheap for 3 people. The bed could be split into single beds if you needed. The room had a small kitchen area, dinning table. stove and fridge. We stayed in the bigger room that was designed for a person with disabilities. It was on the ground floor, had room for a wheelchair (a bit tight, but managble), or a walker and a big bathroom with a shower seat and no barriers to use facilities. There was a ramp to get to room, perfect for someone with disabilities. There is also a little courtyard and spa private spa. In walking distance there are thermal hot pools. A colorful playground with public BBQ's, a campsite, a decent size four square, a bakery, a takeaways, a bottle store (if you want a wine or some beers). There is also Craigweil rest home close if you are from out of town visiting a loved one. Will definitely recommend Parakai Springs Lodge if you want cheap accommodation close to amenities and hot pools. Sarah was fantastic and made our stay welcome.

This is a little bit of a surprise in the very quiet and dated Parakai neighbourhood, a…read morecontemporary development, that is totally needed in the area. I stayed here for a night over the weekend, to escape the rush of the city and enjoy some quiet time. This was a wonderful first time experience, the property I would say has been functioning for less than a year, as it all was very new and fresh. I loved the well planned and designed rooms, with kitchenette, bathroom along with a jacuzzi bath and out on the balcony your very own spa bath with thermal water. Located on a suburban street across the road from a small commercial thermal pool, the west setting sun in the winter afternoon was sublime. Take a five minute walk to the main village shops, where you can purchase groceries and any items you might have forgotten to bring. Before I arrived, my partner and I had to pop into the mineral park motel near by and pre pay the accommodation at the office and pick up keys, however this might just be a present occurrence, as at the lodge I could see that a reception area was in place but at the time not in use. The Premier rooms are the bigger of the two choices, with a super king bed and the thermal outdoor private pools, located on the downstairs block, whilst the upstairs rooms have smaller beds and only the indoor jacuzzi bath. For forty dollars extra I would always recommend the premier room. A wonderful relaxed spot, do explore and check it out.

What a lovely little hotel. We stayed one night and had a lovely stay. Our room was large and…read morecomfortable. The small kitchen was a nice bonus. The bed was very comfortable, and the shower was great! A short walk to a Woolworths and some restaurants. We're glad we booked it again on our way back to Auckland.

What a charming little motel! I didn't think "charming" and "motel" would go together in the same…read moresentence, but it does. We were recently in NZ on holiday, and we had a long drive up to the Bay of Islands, so we decided to break it up with an overnight stay just north of Auckland. The first place we reserved told us they didn't allow children (??), so we (with our toddler) had to scramble to find another place. I found the Beachcomber's website, advertising it as a boutique motel, and thought it was worth a try. We were able to book a room for that very night. Orewa is not too far north of Auckland, but there's a nice wide strip of beach and a small walkable commercial area. I'm sure it's a lovely beach getaway in the summer, but even winter was fine. This motel is a short walk from the centre and directly across from the beach park. Every room has its own personality. They seemed to be different sizes and layouts. Ours, Room 12 on the top floor, had a living/dining/kitchen area, and a bedroom in the back with ensuite. Our suite was red/white/black and the bedroom was very instagrammable. Black and white damask wallpaper, black chandelier, white tables. The living area up front had lots of seating options, funky wiry barrel-shaped tables, and a modern four-seat dining table. Room for our child's cot, too. Sliding glass doors (which we kept closed) would be lovely thrown open in summer, with the net curtain drawn to keep insects out. Probably necessary in summer - there is no central heating or air-conditioning, so we had to use a space heater from the closet (and there was a fan, for summer). A small door opened to a back outdoor walkway. The kitchen had a mini refrigerator, a microwave, sink, cooktop, kettle, glasses, utensils, plates. Large bathroom behind a barn-style door, and a generous-sized shower with a rainfall shower head. They have such a boutique vibe going on, they have surprisingly uninspired toiletries. Just dispensers hanging on the wall of the shower for shampoo and body wash, which is unfortunate, because it seems just a bit low-end for this kind of establishment. No guest elevator, at least none that I saw. Parking area is a little awkward because it's small - we parked on the end and reversed in, but if you had to park further in, getting out could be a little challenging, especially for large vehicles. Free wi-fi. Super cute! Probably my favorite accommodations the whole trip.

Wonderfully peaceful getaway for couples and maybe families, with secluded garden apartments, fully…read moreequipped for short stays. They have kayaks for beach access, cute animals (pigs, sheep, alpacas and a donkey) and free wifi (although wasn't working for us). Minutes from restaurants and the beach.

What an amazing location! We were worried driving back and forth up the winding dirt road, but then…read morewe arrived at this lovely hotel. The views from the room were as good as any we saw in NZ. The rooms are comfortable, albeit a bit dated. Didn't get the chance to eat here, but will definitely try to stay here again for longer.

Great location! This…read moreis a great downtown hotel, with all the amenities. Restaurant, bar, indoor pool, gym and conference rooms. Although it may be a little dated, it was clean the rooms were large, free wifi and a well stocked mini bar. It is a very easy walk to the town basin where all manner of restaurants and cafes are available.

My family and I stayed here for two nights, in the 2-bedroom suite (room #1). In our pre-stay…read morecorrespondence with the hosts, Lyn was very prompt in responding to our request for the room and in confirming our requests for the room (e.g. king-size bed, portable cots). Upon arrival, the room was more beautiful and comfortable than the online pictures give it credit for. The bathroom is gorgeous and the toiletries very nice. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the items in the room (snacks, drinks, etc.) were actually very reasonably priced and not excessively marked-up as is the usual case in hotel room mini-bars. We had a bottle of wine each night and it was great. We enjoyed the room so much we contemplated staying another day, but it was already booked and we had to be on our way. After we'd left the hotel, we received a call from Lyn, informing us that we'd accidentally left my son's lovie behind. If your're a parent, you know the chaos that can erupt when these things go missing. She had it couriered down to our home in Hamilton and it arrived the very next day (at no expense to us). We will definitely stay here in the future if we are back in the area. One thing that is really cool is that they have a frequent visitor card. If you stay a certain number of nights, you get a night free (I think, 4 nights). That's a pretty sweet deal and I hope we can take advantage of it in the future. Overall, this was an awesome place to stay and I'd highly recommend it to friends and family members.

I left my heart in Hahei. Seriously this was my favorite place out of the 8 accommodations we…read morestayed in during our 2 weeks in New Zealand. We had booked a studio, which had a bed, mini fridge w/fresh milk, outdoor patio. It is about a 10 minute walk to the beach along the verge. So why did I love staying that the Church so much? Well, the staff were amazing. They had a cute dog that roamed around that I got to pet. Oh the garden is just breath taking. I'm going to dream of that garden forever, it just can't be real. And at night I could hear the sounds of the waves crashing. I was the most relaxed staying that the Church and was sad the day we had to check out. Some of the perks were they allow for guests to use shovels for hot water beach. Which certainly came in handy digging holes in the hot sand. Also, you can take a beach towel and I noticed a boogie board. There is a lounge room you can read or watch TV, check your email. We didn't use it much, because there was the patio facing the garden. Brekkie is about $12 paid the day before for continental. Let's talk about the restaurant. Ate here on Valentine's Day. We made sure to make our reservations. Gorgeous restaurant inside an old wooden church. You can eat inside or outdoors. My husband order the muscles and a beer, I ordered the baked eggplant with a glass of wine. Perfect meal.

I rarely give 5 stars, but this place was amazing. We ended up going here because it is the only…read moretrue restaurant in Hahei, and we didn't feel like driving too far. The sign in front says bookings essential, but I ran in to see if we could get a table. We arrived just before 6:00 pm, and they told us we would absolutely have to book for a later time, or they could seat is immediately. We opted to be seated right away. The menu is a tapas menu and the server recommended two entree/appetizer tapas per person to make a complete meal. The food has some Spanish/Portuguese flavors, but they are combined in an original way that is totally excellent. Hubby and I chose the Seafood Platter for 2, which came with snapper in an olive/parsley sauce with shrimp on the side, clams in a chili chorizo sauce, mussels in a white wine with cream, shallots and garlic sauce. Salad for two was also included, along with a delicious bread. Everything was amazing, but the mussels were worth going back for. They were absolutely as fresh as could be and completely yummy -- I kept dipping my bread in the sauce! On top of the excellent food, the wait staff were professional and prompt, and very friendly, as well. I highly recommend The Church Restaurant in Hahei!!