Otago Peninsula Motel
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Otago Peninsula Motel
1724 Highcliff Road, Portobello, Dunedin 9014 New Zealand
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About
#2 of 2 motels in Portobello
Location
Rooms
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Portobello's newest motel in Portobello Township. Quality units, some with spa baths. Extensive interior upgrade 2012 ie new flat screen TVs with freeview. YES, FREE WIFI. New beds and bedding, new carpets, to all units. Private balcony, heat pumps, excellent harbour views. TripAdvisor Excellence Award. Next to cafe for breakfast, stroll to shop and restaurant. Near all Otago Peninsula's attractions. "Come and stay and enjoy our wee piece of paradise." PS. Only motel right across the road to the harbor. Free parking.
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Property amenities
Secured parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Bowling offsite
Canoeing offsite
Airport transportation
Non-smoking hotel
Outdoor furniture
Laundry service
Wifi
Self-serve laundry
Room features
Air conditioning
Private balcony
Kitchenette
Microwave
Refrigerator
Flatscreen TV
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Centrally Located
Location
1724 Highcliff Road, Portobello, Dunedin 9014 New Zealand
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 49 out of 100
49
Dunedin Airport
36.1 km•
See all flights
Car Hire
17 Restaurants
within 10 kilometers
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We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
Traveller rating
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Detailed Reviews
We stayed there for only 1 night, but it was a very comfortable and pleasant stay.
Our room was a large one bedroom apartment suite. All rooms include a full kitchen: stove, refrigerator, microwave, china dishes, tea/coffee maker, cookware, and kitchen utensils. There are guest laundry machines on the premises. The bathroom in our suite was quite spacious, and the shower had glass doors. Our room was supplied with ample towels and extra pillows and blankets.
The location at the Otago Peninsula was very convenient for the activities we had planned. This hotel appears to be very new, or newly refurbished: everything is immaculate and in great shape! The rooms have wonderful views of the Peninsula.
Plenty of nice cafes and restaurants in the area.
Our room was a large one bedroom apartment suite. All rooms include a full kitchen: stove, refrigerator, microwave, china dishes, tea/coffee maker, cookware, and kitchen utensils. There are guest laundry machines on the premises. The bathroom in our suite was quite spacious, and the shower had glass doors. Our room was supplied with ample towels and extra pillows and blankets.
The location at the Otago Peninsula was very convenient for the activities we had planned. This hotel appears to be very new, or newly refurbished: everything is immaculate and in great shape! The rooms have wonderful views of the Peninsula.
Plenty of nice cafes and restaurants in the area.
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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.
If you want to see to Otago Peninusla and avoid the crowds in Dunedin, this is a great place to stay. The motel was new and the unit had a very nice kitchen. We had a terrace with an outside table. There were a couple of good restaurants nearby and a convenience store, which unfortunately was a little short on supplies at the time. The motel hostess was helpful.
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Date of stay: February 2007
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.
Liked -
hostess answered my email enquiries about room availabilty promptly and courteously
clean & spacious main room (queen bed) with adjoining bedroom (2 singles).
modern appliances in excellent condition
complimentary milk, coffee, tea bags and tim tam cookies provided
large windows, so bright rooms and water view
parking is close to the rooms, so it was not far to carry our bags
very close to restaurants serving dinner - 3 minute walk
scenic drives and great attractions in the vicinity of the motel
Disliked -
no online availability-booking system (emails & phone calls required)
expensive and lower value relative to the hotel (in Queenstown) that we stayed in next
steep stairs to climb to get from parking lot to our upstairs unit
small tv and located in main room only (so no tv in "kids" room)
laundry room locked, but room key does not open door
motel office dark (lights off) and uninviting by 8pm
breakfast cafe next door to the motel does not open until 9am;
all other restaurants within walking distance were also closed at 7:30 am
the view is actually of an inlet/ bay and the tide was out in the evening and again in the morning so mud flats were the main view
hostess answered my email enquiries about room availabilty promptly and courteously
clean & spacious main room (queen bed) with adjoining bedroom (2 singles).
modern appliances in excellent condition
complimentary milk, coffee, tea bags and tim tam cookies provided
large windows, so bright rooms and water view
parking is close to the rooms, so it was not far to carry our bags
very close to restaurants serving dinner - 3 minute walk
scenic drives and great attractions in the vicinity of the motel
Disliked -
no online availability-booking system (emails & phone calls required)
expensive and lower value relative to the hotel (in Queenstown) that we stayed in next
steep stairs to climb to get from parking lot to our upstairs unit
small tv and located in main room only (so no tv in "kids" room)
laundry room locked, but room key does not open door
motel office dark (lights off) and uninviting by 8pm
breakfast cafe next door to the motel does not open until 9am;
all other restaurants within walking distance were also closed at 7:30 am
the view is actually of an inlet/ bay and the tide was out in the evening and again in the morning so mud flats were the main view
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Date of stay: April 2009Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
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.
The Otago Peninsula Motel is a beautiful property situated on the Otago Peninsula close to all the nature and wildlife that Dunedin has to offer.
All rooms have an individual spacious balcony with fantastic views over the water across to the harbour and Dunedin City itself. The motel itself is situated in Portobello a small village in this peninsula with an internet cafe and bar next door, a provision shop opposite and a restaurant a stone's throw away.
If you want to see the albatross colony, the yellow eyed penguin enclosure and the Castle which are all worth a visit then this is the place to stay. The hosts are very friendly and accommodating, the rooms are spacious, welcoming and quite luxurious actually and you get to stay in a quaint village which are near all you need.
I would not be exaggerating in saying of my 15 day trip to New Zealand I slept the best in Dunedin and I would think it had something to do with the property. Don't let the fact that the only way to book the property is through direct contact via enquiry with the owners or that it is far from town put you off staying at this property. It is well worth the effort!!!
All rooms have an individual spacious balcony with fantastic views over the water across to the harbour and Dunedin City itself. The motel itself is situated in Portobello a small village in this peninsula with an internet cafe and bar next door, a provision shop opposite and a restaurant a stone's throw away.
If you want to see the albatross colony, the yellow eyed penguin enclosure and the Castle which are all worth a visit then this is the place to stay. The hosts are very friendly and accommodating, the rooms are spacious, welcoming and quite luxurious actually and you get to stay in a quaint village which are near all you need.
I would not be exaggerating in saying of my 15 day trip to New Zealand I slept the best in Dunedin and I would think it had something to do with the property. Don't let the fact that the only way to book the property is through direct contact via enquiry with the owners or that it is far from town put you off staying at this property. It is well worth the effort!!!
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Date of stay: November 2008Trip type: Travelled with friends
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
Business service (e.g., internet access)
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 stayed one night at the Otago Peninsula Motel and our only regret is that we could not stay longer. The hostess went out of her way to advise us on the best way to see the yellow-eyed penguins, the blue penguins and the albatross. Thanks to her advice, and the extra work she did to reorganize our tour times, we were able to see all of the above on the same evening, which worked out extremely well. She also directed us to a beach down the road which was stunningly beautiful and practically deserted. While we were there, a large male sea lion lumbered out onto the shore, which was a highlight of our trip. The Motel is clean, the rooms are a good size, the bathrooms are well out-fitted and the price is extremely reasonable. I would love to stay here again and highly recommended it.
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Date of stay: March 2009Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
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 stayed at the Otago Peninsula Motel for our third night of our trip to NZ's South Island. We booked the motel through the Oamaru I-site. While it was not our first choice (we had hoped to stay in Dunedin for 2 days) it turned out very well. It was an excellent location from which to tour the peninsula the next morning and visit Larnach's Castle. The hotel keepers were very helpful, informing us of the health clinic in Dunedin where my husband was seen for his sinus infection, and in holding our extra blanket that we drove out for after remembering where we'd inadvertently left it behind! So the service and location are great, the rooms are nice and spacious as well. We were fortunate to get a 2-bedroom which enabled hubby and I to sleep separately where he was feeling so miserable.
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Date of stay: April 2008Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
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.
Our 2-night stay at the Otago Peninsula Motel from 18 - 20 March was one of the nicest during our New Zealand trip. Our ensuite family unit was spacious with a kitchen, queen-sized bed in one room and a queen and twin-sized beds in the second bedroom. The unit overlooked the bay through sliding glass doors to the balcony. Mary, the Manager/Resident Host, even assisted with our Cadbury World and Penguin Place bookings months before we arrived.
The price is reasonable and the location ideal for touring the Royal Albatross Centre, the Penguin Place, Larnach Castle, and Glenfalloch Woodland Gardens - all which are worth visiting!
The price is reasonable and the location ideal for touring the Royal Albatross Centre, the Penguin Place, Larnach Castle, and Glenfalloch Woodland Gardens - all which are worth visiting!
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Date of stay: March 2008Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
Service
Business service (e.g., internet access)
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.
The 14th Hotel of our trip
Located in the centre of small Portabello. We were given room 5. It looked like all rooms have a sea view.
Arrival 4/5. Easy to find in Portobello - satnav took us directly to it. We had done a gentle 3 hour drive from Omarama. Check in was fast and efficient. Plenty of parking in the motels car park and on the road outside.
Apartment 3/5. Spacious with a large and super comfy king bed - we slept well. TV, sofa, seating area with 2 stools. Plenty of storage space and power sockets. Well designed and fully equipped kitchen. Everywhere was immaculately clean and well maintained. We found the WiFi kept on stopping, which was frustrating as we we’re trying to book our next accommodation. We managed though.
Bathroom 4/5. Spacious with a large shower. Good extraction.
Location 4/5. In the centre of tiny Portobello with a cafe, restaurant and a couple of shops very close. We ate at the nice 1908 restaurant across the road. The albatross colony is nearby.
Overall 4/5. All very pleasant.
Located in the centre of small Portabello. We were given room 5. It looked like all rooms have a sea view.
Arrival 4/5. Easy to find in Portobello - satnav took us directly to it. We had done a gentle 3 hour drive from Omarama. Check in was fast and efficient. Plenty of parking in the motels car park and on the road outside.
Apartment 3/5. Spacious with a large and super comfy king bed - we slept well. TV, sofa, seating area with 2 stools. Plenty of storage space and power sockets. Well designed and fully equipped kitchen. Everywhere was immaculately clean and well maintained. We found the WiFi kept on stopping, which was frustrating as we we’re trying to book our next accommodation. We managed though.
Bathroom 4/5. Spacious with a large shower. Good extraction.
Location 4/5. In the centre of tiny Portobello with a cafe, restaurant and a couple of shops very close. We ate at the nice 1908 restaurant across the road. The albatross colony is nearby.
Overall 4/5. All very pleasant.
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Date of stay: February 2018Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Location
Cleanliness
Service
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.
My partner Patrick and I stayed at the property for 3 nights in Jan this year.. Mary & Gerrald are fantastic hosts so welcoming. The view from our units was lovely. We had one night on a ground floor and then moved upstairs for the last 2 nights. The size of the room is fantastic, very comfortable bed and good size TV. The shower was fantastic, great pressure. Good laundry and parking.
Really nice location, really nice drive from the city centre.
Would stay again if visiting the area.
Debbie & Patrick Dunne
Really nice location, really nice drive from the city centre.
Would stay again if visiting the area.
Debbie & Patrick Dunne
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Date of stay: January 2017Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
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 MaryOtagoPeninsula, Owner at Otago Peninsula Motel
Responded 15 Jan 2017
Thank you for you lovely review, Gerrald and I are so pleased you enjoyed your stay, yes the view is certainly lovely from all the units esp the top floor. When cleaning we do have trouble some days to clean and not just sit and enjoy.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
If you appreciate old fashioned out of date interior décor, no oven, no dvd player, no sky tv, broken chairs, hardly any kitchen equipment, budget toilet paper, budget toiletries, out of date milk in your fridge, awful curtains, bedding and furniture, and a relatively rude host - then this is the place to stay. Of particular appeal is the outside "motel" light that shines through your curtains all night long, which you cannot turn off - then this is the place to stay.
We were so extremely disappointed that there was an excellence award sign from trip advisor on the front of the motel. Honestly, the Commerce Commission should be involved here, as its false advertising. This motel was the worst we had ever stayed in on our holiday and made us all feel very glum. We were expecting so much more from its 4 star rating. The place is outdated, host was very clear that we had to depart by 10am and not a minute over, and its no fun to open your motel room door - walk in, and be so disappointed with every aspect of it.
We were so extremely disappointed that there was an excellence award sign from trip advisor on the front of the motel. Honestly, the Commerce Commission should be involved here, as its false advertising. This motel was the worst we had ever stayed in on our holiday and made us all feel very glum. We were expecting so much more from its 4 star rating. The place is outdated, host was very clear that we had to depart by 10am and not a minute over, and its no fun to open your motel room door - walk in, and be so disappointed with every aspect of it.
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Date of stay: April 2016Trip type: Travelled with family
Location
Cleanliness
Service
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 MaryOtagoPeninsula, Owner at Otago Peninsula Motel
Responded 10 May 2016
I cannot believe this is genuine and we have no further comment.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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"For best views chose upper floors, however if you need wheelchair access the bottom is a must"Read full review
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ALSO KNOWN AS
peninsula hotel otago, peninsula dunedin, dunedin peninsula, peninsula hotel dunedin
LOCATION
New ZealandSouth IslandOtago RegionDunedinPortobello
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Otago Peninsula Motel
Which popular attractions are close to Otago Peninsula Motel?
Nearby attractions include Port To Port Cruises and Wildife Tours (0.4 km), Ōrokonui Ecosanctuary (7.8 km), and The Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance (7.8 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Otago Peninsula Motel?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, airport transportation, and laundry service.
Which room amenities are available at Otago Peninsula Motel?
Top room amenities include a kitchenette, air conditioning, and a flat screen TV.
Is parking available at Otago Peninsula Motel?
Yes, secured parking and street parking are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Otago Peninsula Motel?
Conveniently located restaurants include Carey's Bay Historic Hotel, Glenfalloch Restaurant & Cafe, and 1908 Restaurant.
Does Otago Peninsula Motel have airport transportation?
Yes, Otago Peninsula Motel offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Is Otago Peninsula Motel located near the city centre?
Yes, it is 0.2 km away from the centre of Portobello.
Are any cleaning services offered at Otago Peninsula Motel?
Yes, laundry service and self serve laundry are offered to guests.
Are there any historical sites close to Otago Peninsula Motel?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Iona Church (3.6 km) and Lime Kilns (3.7 km).
Does Otago Peninsula Motel have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the harbour view available here.
Is Otago Peninsula Motel accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access and reduced mobility rooms. For specific enquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.