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The Surf City Lodge and Barry are like a visit in paradise! I've never experienced such a nice,friendly and welcoming place before!The house is an amazing place! Barry surprised me with an Dinner on my arrival day,you can't find in the best restaurant's-YUMMIE !his breakfast is just exceptional good 😍 I can highly recommend the Surf City Lodge if you're travelling to Gisborne and the next time I'll visit Gisborne again,Barry will be my first choice! Keep on doing so Barry-places like yours are not for granted 😊👍
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Date of stay: October 2017
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.
Stayed for 2 nights and received massive breakfasts (also cereals, yoghurt, coffee/tea) every morning which can last you the whole day! Also received a t-shirt as souvenir. Barry is a warm host who likes to share his experiences with his guests. The house is clean and comfortable during my stay and is only 5min walk away from the city. Would definitely recommend this to others!
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Date of stay: July 2017
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.
Stayed with a friend for 2 nights for a fishing trip. Barry greeted us with a beer on our arrival and made us feel at home immediately. The rooms are well appointed and the beds and linen of the highest quality. Breakfast was amazing both days with Barry out if bed at 5 so we could leave at 6. Day 2 Barry cooked us a beauty fish breakfast with some we had caught in a Caper and cream sauce. Awesome. I would highly recommend this BnB to all and will be back to stay anytime in Gisborne.
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Date of stay: March 2017
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.
Room was superb! Such a comfy bed, location was enjoyable..close to town and still so quiet . Barry and Ros are people people....not easy to leave!! Guests were well travelled and so interesting....like the Hosts!
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Date of stay: March 2017
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.
Barry and Ros are wonderful hosts! I stayed in December for three nights with my parents. I had a large comfortable room inside the main house and my parents had the en-suite cabin beside the house. I had plenty of room to unpack and make myself at home. The bed is comfortable. The breakfast is huge! Our plates were heaped with delicious food. Barry is a fantastic cook and Ros made sure we had everything we needed. It was fun chatting with Barry while he cooked. He has lived an interesting life and shared lots of fun stories. The location is an easy walk into the main part of town. I highly recommend staying here if you have the opportunity.
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Date of stay: December 2016
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.
Barry and Ros were fantastic hosts during the couple nights I stayed with them. They very kindly upgraded me to the Reef Point room, an en-suite cabin right beside the main house. Very cozy and relaxing; there were even snacks, coffee, and tea in the room! As I got in fairly late my first evening, Ros generously made up a sandwich for me, with the warning not to eat too much, as breakfast the next day would be large. And it was! Large and delicious. Barry is a fantastic cook; you will not leave the table hungry. It was great chatting with him during breakfast-- he's definitely lived a full life and has some interesting things to talk about. He gave me a tour of the area, access to his bicycles, and the following morning got up early with me to drive out to the beach and…
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Date of stay: November 2016
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.
I haven't stayed in a bed and breakfast for a few years, but had always had spacious rooms and quality rooms in previous b&b. Either prices have shot up or standards of expectations gone down. A prefab unit cramped space, minuscule en suite were a disappointment. This was the premium suite we were told! I have bruises from squeezing past the bed to get out...no hanging space, very cramped. Bedding basic, not high quality linen as advertised. Price was $160 a night. Breakfast ..no choice....a plate heaped. Well cooked, however no niceties....and plonked on the table with a mug of pre made tea. Gisborne is this the average price for a B&B? Certainly put us off trying again. Disappointed.....but perhaps we were expecting more from the reviews here. Would not recommend.
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Date of stay: February 2017
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.
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Response from Bazza026, Owner at Surf City Lodge
Responded 3 Mar 2017
Mad - While I am disappointed with your review I must comment that you did not have the decency to draw my attention to any of the problems you had. I would have remedied them immediately. Your breakfast ettiquette was a shocker and atrocious at the best. I have never seen anything like it in the nearly seven years I have been running a B&B as you failed to communicate with me and even with your husband at the table as you both sat glued to your computers the whole time during breafast and you with a glum and grumpy look. If you were experiencing a bad trip please don't take it out on us. Your problem with fitting around the bed should have been made clearer to me as your body size possibly was the problem as all people who have stayed in that room have found it spacious. As a Chef I found your pre-made tea comment very disappointing. The tea was not pre-made, no one makes pre-made Earl Grey tea and if the meals were not to your liking all you needed to do was make me aware of this as you wasted a considerable amount of food by just picking at it and leaving and wasting perfectly good food on your plate. I asked you on your arrival as I do with all my guests "did you have any food problems, allegies or dietary requirements?" Your answer was no. It would have been some stage after this that you should have drawn my attention to the breakfast menu. The bedding is 300+ thread so for a small B&B like ours we think that is accetable and the sheets and pillow case for all roomss are ironed. When it comes to pricing, many of our guests tell us that we undercharge and provide excellent value for money - Barry Thomas Owner/Chef.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Spent one night at the lodge in the Raglan room - spacious, very comfortable firm bed, tv and dvd selection in room, beautifully decorated in a restored period home. Bathroom across the hall also lovingly turned out with clawfoot soaker tub. Owner Barry is very warm and looks forward to cooking the breakfast part for you. Just lovely.
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Date of stay: January 2017
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.
I stay with Barry and Ros on a regular basis for work. Great accommodation and best breakfast ever! I wouldn't stay anywhere else. Everything is always clean and tidy, it's handy to everything and the hosts are always friendly and welcoming.
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Date of stay: December 2016
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.
Wonderful hospitality in a lodge that has been prepared and kept spotless with the utmost love and care. Barry and Ros are great hosts and make you feel welcome from the moment you arrive right up until you leave. I'm not one for breakfasts, but I have to say that this was a highlight for me - great food and banter with the hosts and other guests. Why stay at a hotel/motel when you can have all this for less. This is true value for money!!!
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Date of stay: December 2016
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.