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5.0
#2 of 41 motels in Taupo
Location
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Value
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Taupo’s contemporary Lakefront Motel. Gables provides modern facilities, fantastic views and a warm welcome. If you are looking for a great place to stay within walking distance to the town centre and across the road from Taupo’s main beach then this is the place for you. The Gables Lakefront Motel has been Trip Advisor's Taupo #1 Traveller Rated hotel for 4 years running. There is a combination of accommodation available, ranging from the top of the line Superior one bedroom units which include stunning lake views and your own private hot pool, to deluxe one bedroom units, or the two and three bedroom family units. This is your home away from home, including free unlimited WIFI, Sky 50 + channels on 43 inch TVs, king size beds, dishwashers and air-conditioning. Free laundry facilities and an ice making machine. We also offer free parking outside your unit Please note the only room with a private spa pool is the Superior One Bedroom Apartment. All other rooms have access to share spa pool facilities.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Qualmark.
HOTEL STYLE
Family
Mid-range
Languages Spoken
English
Location
130 Lake Terrace, Taupo 3330 New Zealand
Gables Lakefront Motel
1,387 reviews
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.
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Gables Lakefront Motel is frequently celebrated for its spacious, pristine rooms, which not only offer comfort but also boast private hot pools and captivating lake views. While opinions on the motel's value vary, with some guests mentioning hidden costs, the consensus on the clean and inviting atmosphere is overwhelmingly positive.
The friendly staff receive accolades for their service, contributing to the motel's cozy, homelike vibe. Amenities, including kitchenettes and home-baked cookies, enhance the guest experience, as does the motel's serene lakeside location, which is conveniently close to local attractions.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Inviting
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Well-appointed
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We stayed one night in the one-bedroom unit at Gables and wish we could have stayed longer! The unit was immaculately clean and fully equipped with a kitchenette and all the amenities we could have needed + our own private hot tub! Gables is right on the lakefront, yet the rooms are very quiet and restful. The bed was very comfortable and we had the best night's sleep!
As the lake was a few steps away from our room, we were easily able to have a swim in the lake several times throughout the day.
We also organised a fishing trip through Gables and had the best time with our friends.
Gables is the best Taupo has to offer! From comfortable rooms and lakefront location to the friendly staff and superior hospitality! At the end of our stay, we felt well-rested and we will definitely be coming back to Gables!
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Date of stay: January 2020
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 Franklyn D, Owner at Gables Lakefront Motel
Responded 30 Jan 2020
Thank you so much for taking the time to write us a lovely review Elizaveta, we really appreciate the positive feedback! We are glad that you enjoyed your stay and made the most of our facilities and got to enjoy the activities on offer here in Taupo. Thank you for staying with us, we hope to see you again soon!
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Last bed in Taupo for the weekend. Spotlessly clean, tidy and THE most comfy bed. Very friendly reception - nothing too much trouble and home made biscuits (that were delicious) on the table in our room and the heaters on creating a warm welcome. Would stay again.
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Date of stay: June 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.
Response from Franklyn D'Cruz, Owner at Gables Lakefront Motel
Responded 23 Jun 2020
Thank you so much for taking the time to write us a review, we really appreciate the positive feedback! My wife is also glad that you enjoyed the cookies and we hope you stay with us again soon.
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Gables Motel was clean, tidy and had sensational views across the lake (we had a Superior 1 bdrm apartment). The managers were friendly and accommodating. It was a nice touch having homemade biscuits in the room as well. An added bonus was the personal hot pool, easily accessible through the back of the room which was very private. The pump on this is turned off at night so that it doesn't keep you awake which is a considerate touch. This was a generously sized room for 2 people, and the refurbishments are tasteful and well thought out.
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Date of stay: January 2021
Value
Rooms
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 Franklyn D'Cruz, Owner at Gables Lakefront Motel
Responded 18 Jan 2021
Thank you for taking the time to write us a lovely review, we appreciate the positive feedback! We are glad you enjoyed your stay and made the most of our facilities. My wife is also very pleased that you liked the homemade cookies. We hope you choose to stay with us again!
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My family stayed at this Motel during our recent visit to Taupo. Anything I say about our stay at Gables will fall short...The location of this Motel is right across from Lake Taupo which makes it extremely convenient to just walk over to the shore and enjoy the beautiful landscape. It is close to many restaurants, which is only 5 minutes away, making it extremely convenient. The motel by itself is very warm, clean and very well maintained. A very well stocked and compact kitchen and the best part was the coffee! The bathroom was modern with a dispenser of body wash and shampoo. Lovely view of the Lake was an added bonus. What made the stay complete was the owner's personal touch to everything. From the coffee, tea and the delicious home baked cookies! Franklin is a warm and friendly person who knows what it takes to make his guests happy! My family and I will definitely visit Gables and Franklin again soon.
Renuka
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Date of stay: November 2022
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 Franklyn D'Cruz, Owner at Gables Lakefront Motel
Responded 14 Dec 2022
We appreciate you taking the time you took to write such an extensive and wonderful review, it was as though it could be in a travel magazine. Thank you so much. We are happy that you enjoyed all our facilities. Our staff and myself try our best to make all our guests stay memorable. Please tell your family and friends about us. Hope to see you again. Kind regards. Franklyn
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Brilliant stay starting with the incredibly friendly couple who owned the Gables. We were personally led to a beautiful room with full views of the lake and shown through the room which included a hot tub. The room was incredibly clean and had a kitchenette with everything we needed in order to make our own meals. It was lovely and quiet- I spent plenty of time sitting outside admiring the view. The Gables is also close enough to town- 5min drive or 20-25min flat walk along the Lakeside (about 1.5km). Would highly recommend staying here and if we come to NZ again, a stop here will certainly be warranted!
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Date of stay: January 2023
Value
Location
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 Franklyn D'Cruz, Owner at Gables Lakefront Motel
Responded 24 Jan 2023
Thank you for your kind and lovely feedback and comments. We really appreciate your review. You have been a wonderful and a delightful guest who has also extended your warm personality to us and it's been a pleasure to have you stayed with us. We look forward to your next visit at Gables and share more memorable moments with you. Kind Regards
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I visited this motel with a group of 8 friends for a long weekend away. The Gables is a little way along the lakefront away from the main entertainment area so it is quiet and peaceful. The view across the lake to the mountains is breathtaking. The rooms are clean and bright. Our unit had a fridge, microwave and a dishwasher as well as the usual plates, utensils, cooking pans etc. There is also an air conditioning unit. The TV had the sports channels so we were able to watch the rugby league games. The beds are very comfortable and had electric blankets. We all slept well, especially after taking a relaxing dip in the private hot tubs which were conveniently located in a separate room in each of our units. The motelier was absolutely lovely, a pleasure to deal with and her shortbread biscuits were delicious! Highly recommended!
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Date of stay: June 2023Trip 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 Franklyn D'Cruz, Owner at Gables Lakefront Motel
Responded 27 Jun 2023
We appreciate you taking the time you took to write such an extensive and wonderful review, it was as though it could be in a travel magazine. It was a pleasure to have you and your group. The staff and I are so happy we could make your stay so wonderful. We’d love to continue providing great service to awesome customers like you. We’d love to have you back anytime. Kind Regards
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Stayed for two nights only, wish we had stayed longer. A beautiful property, with the most hospitable and friendly hosts Franky & Kavita. Location : Wonderful location right across the swimming beach. Short flat walk, along the stunning lake to the town centre and eateries. Accommodation : We stayed in a one brm superior unit and could not have asked for more. Bright and airy, spotlessly clean and so spacious. Bathrooms were modern with great shower pressure and no issues with hot water. Minute details like shower dome, night light make such a difference. Toiletries are of a very high standard. The hot pool in the unit was divine – they even had towels there! And the views from our unit....just stunning!!! The photos do not do justice - has to be seen to be believed. Kitchen was fully and thoughtfully equipped. There were even some biscuits on arrival in the unit , such a sweet gesture ! Complex : Spacious complex, with ample convenient parking on site. The property even has garden benches outside if one wants some fresh air, soak in the lake views or just watch the world passing by. Reception : Kavita & Franky were easily accessible, even after hours. In fact, most properties we know close down reception in the early afternoon. Nothing like that here; the hosts go out of their way to make you feel welcome at all hours.
The perfect place for a relaxing getaway - looking forward to our next stay.
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Date of stay: January 2022
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 Franklyn D'Cruz, Owner at Gables Lakefront Motel
Responded 2 Feb 2022
We appreciate you taking the time to write such an extensive and wonderful review, it was as though it could be in a travel magazine. We can use you review for our marketing materials. We also admit our website photos are not great as our property. Thank you so much. We’d love to have you back anytime. Kind Regards. Franklyn
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Our family of 4 (kids ages 8 and 10) enjoyed our stay at The Gables. Firstly the owners are so warm and accomodating. The room is very clean and loved how the shower had a shower dome so there were NO moulds or steam that dampened the room. The room is huge with 1 bedroom and a pullout sofa, perfect for families. The walls I think is made of cement so any worry about noise from nearby rooms is not an issue. 2 nights were enough and we are looking forward to visiting again soon.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip 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.
Response from Franklyn D'Cruz, Owner at Gables Lakefront Motel
Responded 10 Jul 2022
Thank you for taking time to write us the review. We ensure our guests have memorable experience.It was an absolute delight having you here and we do hope that you will be back again soon. Kind regards.
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Legends tell of angels who filled the air with songs, a simple hymn repeated in the most beautiful sounds. And they sang: "Gables Lakefront Motel is the best motel in New Zealand". On the 2nd of January 2020, we learned that the Angels' song was true. Driving along the lakefront we found Gables easily - it was by far the prettiest place on the road. The waters of Lake Taupo, only a few meters away from the motel, swished enticingly. When we checked in we were greeted by a very friendly face, Franklyn, who greeted us warmly. He showed us to our unit, a beautiful one-room apartment. A container of freshly baked cookies from his wife made us feel instantly at home. The apartment had everything we could have needed: A large couch, a flat-screen tv with over 50 sky channels, and a kitchenette with a fridge, sink, coffee + tea making station and dishwasher. We had our own spcaious bathroom, with a shower pressure similar to the Huka falls. The shower itself was its own experience. The bedroom had a large King bed, which was super comfortable. A door on the opposite side of the bed had one of the best parts of Gables: our own personal hot tub. This was our favourite part, the hot tub was perfectly heated, not too hot or cold. We did not expect this sort of luxury. It was the perfect thing to end your night on after any of the many adventures Taupo has to offer. It was also perfect to start your next day with.
If we weren't heading to Rotorua the next day, we would have loved to stay for longer. Access to the beautiful Lake Taupo was as simple as crossing the road. The view from Gables was magnificent as well, the whole lake laid out before us and the silhouettes of the mountains in the distance. I cried tears of joy.
Thank you for the most beautiful, cosy accommodation of the new decade.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Location
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 Franklyn D, Owner at Gables Lakefront Motel
Responded 9 Jan 2020
Thank you so much for taking the time to write us such a lovely review Brandon, we really appreciate it! We are very glad that you enjoyed your stay and made good use of our facilities, and we hope to see you again soon.
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We stayed 2 nights & wished we had more. Our hosts Frankie & Kavita were so friendly & you can see their dedication to your stay in the cleanliness of the property. The kitchen was only used for tea/coffee but it was well stocked for more usage if needed. The bathroom was very clean with a heated towel rail. There are recycling bins for all guests near the main building. The laundry has a washer & dryer utilising an honesty system & there are actual clothes lines out the back if preferred. The location is perfect, with a lovely beach across the road for your swimming or sunset viewing needs. We were there on a weekend & the road itself was very quiet overnight. Just over 1km to the many restaurants in Taupo you could walk or, like us, drive to a closer lakefront carpark to enjoy the town. If you can, book direct to the property as this means the very hardworking team here benefits in full from your stay. We can't wait to return
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Taupo is fantastic as is this property
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 Franklyn D'Cruz, Owner at Gables Lakefront Motel
Responded 18 Mar 2023
We appreciate you taking the time to write such an extensive and wonderful review, it was as though it could be in a travel magazine. Our rooms are not only cleaned but sanitized as well. Gables have been awarded with a Silver Qualmark rating . We offer good discounts if the guests book direct on our website and also planning to add some goodies only for those who book with us directly. The team all love to know guests are appreciating the services we provide - and this one will give us all a nice boost. We look forward to welcoming you back when you are in Taupo. Kind Regards
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We had a ground floor 1 bedroom apartment. It had only 1 bathroom with shower & toilet. Modern & very clean. We also had our own private spa. It was in a walled & roofed room off the bedroom.
Auckland Central, New Zealand7 contributions1 helpful vote
The drive time from Gables Lakefront Motel to Rotorua Airport is approx 1H.15M.
With your check-in time for your flight to CHC, this should be indicated on your ticket for the latest that you need to be there and factor in an extra 15-30 min for your rental car return if dropping off at the airport terminal.
Regards
Aaron Porteous
Relief Manager
Gables Lakefront Motel
There are more places to choose from in the Taupo area.
PRICE RANGE
$224 - $283 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
New ZealandNorth IslandWaikato RegionTaupo DistrictTaupo
NUMBER OF ROOMS
15
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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