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Red Rock Thermal Motel is a small motel with thermal heating, a private thermal mineral spa pool for rejuvenating after a busy day sightseeing and a outdoor heated swimming pool. We have gardens to relax in with a trampoline for the kids. All units have tea & coffee facilities, kitchenettes and bathrooms. The Motel is ideally situated to tour the many geothermal parks in the area. Many of the Maori Culture shows offer a free pick up service from here for a great night out, or if you prefer you can simply walk out of our back gate, catch yourself a trout from the stream & cook it on the BBQ.
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
Modern
Family
Languages Spoken
English, Chinese, Japanese
Location
109 Lake Road, Rotorua 3010 New Zealand
Red Rock Thermal Motel
343 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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.
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Molly and Simon are so nice and showed me around the place. Room was lovely, heated by thermal water radiators, perfect for drying washing on. Mineral pool is so nice and private. Shops/food close by. Will be back
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Date of stay: June 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip 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.
We stayed in unit 5 which has a full kitchen. It looks out on the building which has the mineral pool (hot pool). I liked our room because it was away from the busy road so it was very quiet. We also did not hear any noise from unit 6, which was right beside us. Everything was very clean. There was milk in the fridge on our arrival. When using the shower, have a decent flow of water going or you will get temperature fluctuations. Note that laundry is not self-service. (We went to Sunshine Laundromat to do laundry.) The only negative thing about the motel is that there is no air conditioning. Since it is a good idea to have things locked up while one is gone for the day, the room will be hot when you get back if it is summertime. It is possible to open windows on both sides of the unit, though, to get good air flow. Putting the fan on also helps. By bedtime, we always had the room cooled down enough to sleep well. I should mention that the swimming pool was very clean and a good temperature. Also, the owners were super nice.
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Date of stay: February 2020
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.
Above average for a typical self-catering NZ motel. We rented the 2-bedroom unit and although there is no air conditioning, it is adequately equipped. Kitchen is well equipped with a full-sized fridge/freezer, dishwasher, microwave, and cutlery. Service is attentive and the place is kept tidy. Highly recommended if you’re travelling with friends/family and want to keep costs reasonable.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip 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.
The motel is metres from the highway with trucks and road trains a constant noise. The garden looked unkept and the play area nothing like in the photos. We looked at the room and the chairs were stained. We looked in the spa and it was dirty and so was the shower t here - you could see the dirt drifting in places. I don't think the manager knows you have to change the water between uses. We waited 20 minutes at reception - ringing the bell and even phoning the motel number multiple times before anyone came. We had booked and paid but after inspection left. We lost our money but be aware the photos are not recent.
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Make sure you are aware of the location and view before you pay.
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 booked this property because of the hot thermal pool. The first 2 days it was hot. The third day it was cold and we couldn't use it. The heated outdoor pool was empty therefore unusable. The good size kitchen was mostly unusable because of lack of utensils and the stove was faulty needing to be turned off on wall. The shower was dirty from last occupants. Shower curtain, walls and pillow were mouldy. Our food froze because the freezer compartment door was missing. There was no milk on arrival and very limited to no room service.
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â The advertising photos are deceiving. They are older photos and are not depicting the current state
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 private hot spa is awesome! There is a kids play ground inside where my daughter and other kids play together. Furthermore, there is enough parking space. Staff are nice and friendly! Strongly Recommended!!
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Date of stay: January 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â Looks like all rooms are similar and nice!
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.
OK, so the Google search shows pictures that clearly aren't current ... dating from a time when the motel was presumably newer and in better shape. That said we had everything we needed in the unit and the rear patio was very pleasant for relaxing after a day's visiting the Rotorua attractions. The hosts were pleasant and helpful enough. It worked.
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Like someone said: don't expect a Ferrari when paying the price of a Corolla.
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.
Having driven for 5 hours to get here the last thing that we wanted to do was go and find another hotel to stay in and to pay $120 for the priviledge of not staying here, however, the state of the room and facilities forced us to do just that. First of all the rear patio door would not lock and when it was 'fixed' it was with a 20mm cupboard bolt that was not even screwed in tight. The shower leaked all over the floor. The blind in the kitchen was broken and had a large hole in it where 3 blinds were missing. The kitchen lino had holes and splits in it - it looked like someone had dropped a large knife onto it 20 or 30 times. There was mould in the bathroom and the paint on the radiators was rusting and peeling off. The rendering on the swimming pool is broken and has holes in it. Outside the road is being converted into a dual carriageway so there is a huge amount of noise and dust. NEED I SAY MORE We have travelled extensively and this is the first time we have ever walked out of a hotel and been pleased to do so. On this trip to NZ alone we stayed in 10 different places all at about the same price but this is sadly lacking in maintenance and TLC. The manageress (in curlers and hairnet - very professional) couldn't see the problem so all I can suggest is that she goes out of her box and visits other comparable providors in the area and see what a different league they are in. DO NOT BOOK THIS HOTEL
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Date of stay: December 2011
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Go to another hotel and don't stay here. Video available on request
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 citylights10, Owner at Red Rock Thermal Motel
Responded 2 Feb 2012
We are very sorry that you did not enjoy your stay with us at Red Rock. The unit you stayed in (unit2) is due for renovation within the next 12 - 18 months and we are aware that it is looking a little tired now, however, would stress that although a bit tired, the unit is kept very clean. I would point out that as soon as you alerted us to the problem with the door lock we had our maintenance guy in within the hour to repair it immediately, and we did replace the full locking mechanism on the ranch slider door with a brand new lock. Our maintenance guy checked the shower also and found no leaks at all, perhaps you didn't close the shower door fully and this made the puddles? The only reason that you were charged for your first night was because you stayed in the room for over 3 hours and used all of our facilities before deciding to check out, we have to cover our costs and had you left immediately and not used the room there would have been no charge to you. Unfortunately, it is our experience that you cannot please all of the people all of the time.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We booked this a few months ago and were looking forward to coming but were disappointed to find the managers at that time which were Emma and Tony had left, the whole reason for us coming was because we read the reviews on here and had spoken to them a couple of times on the phone. Rooms tired and pool was dirty but location was ok
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Date of stay: June 2011
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Response from citylights10, Owner at Red Rock Thermal Motel
Responded 27 Jun 2011
Thank you for your review and we are sorry that you didn't get to meet Emma and Tony, however, they left their position here as Managers and it was a sudden move. Our new managers Michelle and Gary are very friendly and helpful and I'm sure they made you welcome. Our rooms are undergoing a programme of renovations and cleaning standards are being raised since the previous managers left. Our swimming pool is cleaned regularly and you may have thought it was dirty when in fact there are some areas where the paint has come off but isn't dirty at all. Kind regards Naomi Rees
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Close to city center. Super clean and spacious room. King size bed with nice linens. Fan supplied if needed, iron and board too. Nice little kitchenette with all needed to create simple meals. Bathroom and shower. Best of all a large mineral pool a few steps away. Able to use privately; shower also. Very clean and well maintained. Been in some that seem a bit manky!!! Didnt use it but swimming pool too. And a lovely manager on hand who made the whole experience a delight. We will be back...
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Date of stay: March 2019
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip 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 Red Rock T, Manager at Red Rock Thermal Motel
Responded 15 Mar 2019
hi Lindsay, thank you very much for giving us a wonderful review, We are glad that you enjoyed your stay; we do price ourselves on our service and cleanliness. Yes, we are close to the city center, cafe, take away meal and public geothermal park. We are glad that you made the most of our free private mineral spa and our swimming pool. We look forward to welcoming you back, ones again thank you for this wonderful review. Hope you enjoyed the rest of your holiday. Best regards, May.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hello Mervyn
Thank you for contacting us regarding your visit to Rotorua our parking bays are not long enough but there is good off road parking available Hope this will help you with planning your travels
Greetings Sue
There are more places to choose from in the Rotorua area.
PRICE RANGE
$138 - $173 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
New ZealandNorth IslandBay of Plenty RegionRotorua DistrictRotorua
NUMBER OF ROOMS
8
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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