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HOTEL STYLE
Mid-range
Harbour View
Location
578 Whangaroa Road, Whangaroa 0478 New Zealand
Marlin Hotel
48 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
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the back packer's loge was very basic but worked. only 1 shower and toilet but warm and clean friendly staff plenty of parking I would stay there again. but take your own drinks as the club across the road was s---t
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Date of stay: May 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Â don't go across the road for drinks service is terrible.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We found ourselves in Whangaroa one weekday in February. It is a lovely location, a little way off the main south/north road. There wasn't a great deal of choice for lunch and we chose the Marlin I am glad we did as although the menu wasn't extensive there was a reasonable selection. We had the fish and chips and the oysters, which were from the Northland (but not from Whangaroa itself). Service was good and the staff were all friendly and helpful.
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Date of stay: February 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Old style up and down wooden hotel in a prime location. The room was clean and served its purpose but if the hotel had been full, little sleep would have been had as noise travels easily throughout the wooden hallways. We were checking out 9am and would have liked breakfast but they weren't operational that early in the morning. Disappointed they wouldn't even offer coffee and toast or cereal, fruit and coffee. I wouldn't be a returning customer or recommend this Hotel to family or friends, I would stay in Kerikeri. This is a beautiful coastal settlement who cater to regulars but visitors have to take it or leave it. This area should be expanded upon and promoted more as a tourist destination as it has great historical interests and the capacity to generate big income and jobs.
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Date of stay: December 2018
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Outrageously noisy on two of the three nights with two separate party’s going on within the accommodation. This is NOT suitable for young families. One party was highly inappropriate for accommodation of this type. Maybe this was just bad timing for us but I can’t help but feel this could have been managed better. To make matters much worse one of the hosts (Dennis) strangely became increasingly hostile on the second night. May, his wife on the other hand is lovely. So if you want to get no sleep and have a side of verbal abuse this is a great place to stay. Otherwise Avoid!
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Date of stay: April 2022
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â Look at Sunseekers up the road.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stopped for a beer and lunch and were blown away by our delicious meals. I had 6 raw oysters and a small seafood chowder. Hubby had the chowder and calamari. Being from New Orleans, we know good seafood and this was great. The chowder was chock full of shrimp, scallops, salmon and whitefish. The broth was light and tasty with the addition of leek and greens to add interest. The oysters were fresh and perfect. Hubby’s calamari were crispy fried and served with a lite and fabulous Asian dipping sauce and a slaw. Ate outside on the deck overlooking the harbor. Will be back to eat for sure!
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Date of stay: October 2018Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Wanderer827049, Owner at Marlin Hotel
Responded 18 Nov 2018
Thank you for your review! It is very much appreciated! Hope to see you again in fabulos Whangaroa Harbour and the new Marlin Hotel!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Beautiful location right on the waterfront. Parking in front. Amazing views from the shared balcony. There is a fan but it’s still hot at night so I sat on the balcony and had a lovely wine. You can buy bottles from the bars. Has recently been taken over and newly renovated so all the older reviews (pre Aug/Sep 2018) are outdated. Lovely new owners. New blue carpet upstairs in the rooms and hallway. Shared kitchen with delicious Italian coffee, a fridge and freezer. Can buy a breakfast pack for $11 with some muesli, juice, spreads and dried bread. Reception closes at 8pm so ring ahead to organise late check in. There is a fishing club across the road open for dinner and the hotel has a restaurant too. There is a small shop up the road with water and food and snacks. Kayak hire down the road too. Beautiful walk up to St. Paul’s summit down the road as well. Fabulous views. Rooms are nicely decorated with nz paintings. I had room 8 with a slat bed (room 7 is box spring) depends what you like. I was lucky and got to choose. Tv in room and shower and sink. Quiet slice of paradise with killer views. Nice and safe. Nice area. Improvements: Dishwasher brush would be handy in the kitchen instead of a sponge and inside of fridge just needs a tidy, just make sure sheets don’t have stains on them. Mine had one but the sheets were freshly cleaned. I liked the flat pillow but some people might like thicker ones too. Red and white Wine glasses in the kitchen would be awesome too. Also an aircon unit would be amazing! Thanks for the lovely stay!
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Date of stay: February 2019Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What a difference six months and a change of management makes.When we first visited this establishment in March 2018 it was shabby, dirty run down and the food terrible. In late December we ended up in Whangaroa again at lunch time and the Marlin Hotel was the only place serving lunch. Our first thoughts were to drive onto the next town to find food. However the day was hot so we thought we would have beer first. Once inside we were amazed at the change. It was clean and tidy and the previously greasy kitchen sparkled. So we decided to try it again Very glad we did . Don't remember what my wife had, but said it was excellent and I had the best Fish and Chips for many a year. And the cost was well below what you would expect to pay. What a difference six months makes
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Date of stay: December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Today, after experiecing a great Harbour cruise we had li=unch at the Marlin Hotel Restaurant., Paul the chef ther did the gurnard proud and we especially enjoyed the Calamari. It also gave a chance to talk with the new owner of this hotel and his Italian friend as well. This is a gem of a location and from what we can see the Marlin Hotel is the place to go to...shame we hadnt booked a room there!!...Its a great location and has equally stunning food. Well done to all!!
P and B
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Date of stay: November 2018Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from MarlinHotelRestauran, Owner at Marlin Hotel
Responded 5 Dec 2018
Thank you very much for the review! Paul and the team really appreciate your feedback! It means a lot to us!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
spent 8th april 2015 at the pub. one of the funniest nights ever spent in a pub, terrific publican a genuine old fashioned country pub, the publican has immense knowledge of local game fishing which was great as we had spent five nights fishing the three kings. would recommend the marlin hotel to anyone as a welcoming stopover.
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Date of stay: April 2015
Rooms
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There is not much choice of accommodation in Whangaroa, which is a small settlement with a big marina. We stayed two nights here to go fishing, having failed to get in to the Whangaroa Lodge Motel. Our room was clean and comfortable, with an en suite shower room, and faced on to a communal balcony with a good view over the harbour and marina. However, on the downside, the soundproofing was poor, there were no bedside lights to read by, no fridge, no proper coffee or milk for the morning and nowhere at all in the vicinity to get breakfast. There was also no Wifi available. The room was above the cafe and bar, but the noise stops quite early in the evening as most people are up early for the fishing. Luke's cafe is fairly basic too, but the food was good and reasonably priced, and the second evening he cooked the fish we had caught, which were excellent.
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Date of stay: February 2014Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Whangaroa area.
LOCATION
New ZealandNorth IslandNorthland RegionWhangaroa
NUMBER OF ROOMS
7
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