Our family had a great stay in the cottage at Barnacle Bills. It is a little removed from the town centre with trails to walk right at your doorstep. The cottage is modern and really well appointed and very comfortable. Very clean and tidy, fantastic cooking facilities, and sparkling clean bathroom with shower and a separate toilet. The only improvement would be to have more comfortable lounge suite. But Kaikoura has too many attractions available to be sitting around too long.
We stayed at Barnacle Bill's for 2-nights while in Kaikoura to see the sperm whales (NZ$150). It was a gem, perched on the top of a bench amongst rolling farmland yet only a short walk (15 min) or drive (less than 5 min) from town. While there were no amenities in the local area, nothing was far away and any inconvenience was more than made up for by the peace & quiet and the proximity to the peninsula walkways (the owner, Liz, will drive you to the seal colony, halving the walk along the coast and back) & the water tower view point.
There were only 2 options here, the larger “lodge” and the “cottage,” both in the same buildings. While my impression from the internet images was of a rustic retro-hippy throwback, fortunately nothing could be further from the truth. The cottage was clean, comfortable & modern, spacious in all aspects. Entered from a broad deck with a sitting area (2 chairs & side table) facing a flower garden to one side and table & 4 chairs with an ocean view to the other, you walked into a carpeted sitting area with 2 love seats, coffee table, small stereo and a cabinet with a DVD player and wall-mounted TV. To the side was a large kitchen with an L-shaped vanity, oven & stove, full fridge & freezer and all of the cutlery, pots, etc. Two moderate-sized bedrooms were off to the right, one with a comfortable queen bed, the other with a double & twin. The bathroom, off to the left, was huge with a large vanity, toilet in a separate alcove, and a spacious shower with great water pressure.
There was a door to the back garden with its grass, flower beds, and bbq. Further back and to the side were fields, home to the owners pet pig, a huge good-natured beast and a favourite with neighbours who stopped by with food.
Kaikoura itself is a moderate sized and very pleasant sea-side town with a lot of conveniences – restaurants, pubs, a supermarket, and plenty of attractions. Barnacle Bill's was a great place to see it all: spacious and comfortable in a great location with a super hostess and at a very reasonable price. Highly recommended.
Run by a very friendly and helpful host, Barnacle Bills has a a cottage and lodge next door to each other. We stayed in the smaller cottage that sleeps 5 in 2 bedrooms.
Comfortable and well equipped accommodation. Large open plan living, dining and kitchen that almost felt too large for two people as wasn't very cosy. I didn't much care for the decor, especially the cork wall, but I guess that's a personal thing. The bed was comfortable, which is one of the most important things.
Location is peaceful, above the town and pretty much on the peninsula walkway, which is handy. However, it should be noted there are no amenities within walking distance. Nice outdoor seating area with partial sea view. Friendly pig out back.
We had a good stay and thought the cottage was good value for money
We were coming to the end of our North and south driving tour of the islands and our last Stay was 2 nights at Barnacle Bills in Kaikoura and we were delighted to see our accommodation was just what we expected it to be. We booked the lodge which is really a family accommodation, but just 2 of us we had lots and lots of room. The lodge is ideal for a large family containing 2 bedrooms one with 3 single beds and the other with 1 double and 2 singles. The cooking area and dining area are well equipped with all you need to make any meals you desire. the seating area has 2 settees and an armchair. The property had a bathroom with shower and toilet plus a second room with toilet and basin. We found Bills great value for money. Only downside was the weather (raining) so mist the whale spotting cruise, Kaikoura town was disappointing not much there, suppose we were disappointed with the weather missing viewing the Stars, and missed whale cruise. BUT we would definitely recommend Barnacle Bills for your stay
We liked everything. One very convenient feature was the long wide benches in each bedroom to place suitcases on. Two comfortable settees in the livingroom. The kitchen equipment was worthy of a Masterchef in training. Surrounding the lodge were beautiful garden beds. There would be something flowering in every season to look out on from the kitchen window.
Lots of great places to see and go to in the town and nearby, including the closest one would ever get to a seal colony. The historic Pier Hotel was a great place for dinner but be sure to book to get a great window view. An absolute highlight was our wonderful hostess Liz and her huge pet pig Ginger !