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Little Haven offers a mix of One, Two and Three Bedroom Units ideally suited to cater for couples, families, business travellers and small groups while visiting Taupo. Our ongoing refurbishment of units, provides fresh modern self-contained units coupled with the conveniences of being close to the town centre and lakefront. We offer a range of complimentary on-site facilities to ensure you have everything you need to enjoy a comfortable stay. Soak in the spa pool, swim a few laps in the swimming pool or watch the kids play at the playground and enjoy the park-like setting of this family run accommodation in Taupo.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
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We stayed in a 2 bedroom family suite for 3 nights and would highly recommend this place for families. The room was exactly like the photos and it was very spacious for our family of 4. The entire place was extremely clean and warm and the electric blankets made our stay even more comfortable. Location was convenient only 2km from town yet far enough from all the traffic and noise on the lake front. There is also a 4 square directly opposite. The wifi quality was great and never dropped out even though all the rooms were full. Having almost all sky channels available were very handy for a wind down period, and to keep the kids entertained. The playground is close enough to keep an eye on the kids yet far enough to get them out of your hair. The spa is available to book to ensure some privacy and the laundry facilities were free to use. Customer service was great, Colin was very helpful from the moment we arrived and the cleaning ladies would check in to see if we needed anything. All in all it was a home away from home and we can't wait to return.
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Date of stay: July 2023
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.
Response from Colin MacPhee, Owner at Little Haven
Responded 12 Dec 2023
Thank you Sightseer! We appreciate your helpful review and we are so pleased you enjoyed your stay with your family. We try to create that home away from home setting - perfect for families. Thank you again and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future. Kind regards Lisa & Colin
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We found 52 really good value. It has a clean, fresh retro batch feel - and a friendly manager. Well laid out units maximise privacy and mean no one is looking out at a concrete block wall. Close to the Lake and only a couple of streets to the centre of town.
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip 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 Colin MacPhee, Owner at Little Haven
Responded 12 Dec 2023
Thank you Madsey for your feedback. We appreciate your kind comments and it makes our day when we have satisfied guests. Thank you again. Kind regards Lisa & Colin
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What a great place to stay! There's a lot of choice in Taupo, but we were very happy with ours to stay at 52 Rifle. Upon checking in, we were given an upgrade, which made our trip. Our accommodation was clean and roomy and had everything we needed. The location was great too - a 10 minute walk int town, but across the road is a great little supermarket, cafe, butchers and takeaway.
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Date of stay: January 2024
Value
Location
Service
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 Colin MacPhee, Owner at Little Haven
Responded 13 Feb 2024
Thank you for taking the time to post your review on Trip Advisor. We always love it when guests appreciate an upgrade! So pleased you enjoyed your stay with us and our great location. Thank you again for your comments. Kind regards Lisa & Colin
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Our mistake here was booking based on a price of $330 for one night which we thought would ensure at least a well presented motel, as shown on the website photos. The reality was different and we would have preferred not to stay. The gardens were overgrown. Our room was clean inside but the deck railings and panels were covered in mould, making sitting outside unattractive. Access to the unit (#10) is via an exterior steep spiral staircase which didn't feel all that safe in the light rain. The furnishings we used (beds/lounge suite) were comfortable and the location is an easy flat walk to Taupo. However the unit in general was in need of maintenance. Simple things like painting touch ups on the multiple chipped surfaces, replacing the aging toilet and fixing the slumping curtain rails hadn't been attended to. We accept it must be difficult for a small business when a customer is not happy with the "product" they've essentially ordered online and wants to "return" it (ie. not stay), but we genuinely felt misled by the website v reality and the indifference to customer satisfaction and bolshy manner of this owner was really regrettable.
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Date of stay: January 2023
Value
Location
Service
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 Colin MacPhee, Owner at Little Haven
Responded 10 May 2023
Hi Travel34406249627 Thank you for your feedback. 52 on Rifle Motel is now under new ownership, as of 31st March 2023. We agree with some of your comments and have worked to address the presentation of the gardens, cleaned the balcony and will paint the balcony when weather permits. We have also fixed the curtains. We have started to make a number of positive changes at the property and will update photos in due course when these issues are addressed. Kind Regards Colin & Lisa
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Basic accommodation within 10 mins walk to lake. Nice fresh decor and clean rooms. Good beds. Basic solar heated swimming pool. Small Spa pool indoors in lockable room. Trampoline for kids.
We stayed in room 10 which is has lake views being on the second floor. It's a two bedroom unit with a queen in one room and two singles in the other. Unfortunately , this room has a slightly quirky design that has high triangle windows along the walls at both ends of the unit. These windows don't have curtains so not suitable for light sleepers or anyone with kids who need them in bed before sunset in Summer time. At night, a security light from within the complex on the end of the next block shines all night into the unit. I mentioned it to the owner and she was quite defensive saying that I was the first person who had complained and that she had no plans to do anything about the light issue. I know for certain that it is an ongoing issue with this unit because the cleaners said the owner was aware of it and the previous owners had gone so far as to cut out temporary cardboard shapes to slot over the windows. It's a pity as it makes what should be a premium room into a unit with issues. Very easy and relatively cheap to fix in a number of ways. The new owner's attitude was surprising to me and was on the edge of bolshy. It was certainly not the response we were expecting. She has a little bit to learn about customer service. It was vehement enough to make the whole family come to the opinion that we don't want to stay at this motel again.
Watch out for the Scottish Terrier on reception!
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Date of stay: June 2021
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Avoid unit 10 even though it has a view of the lake, the high windows have no curtains so light...
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 jo Russell, Owner at Little Haven
Responded 12 Oct 2021
Thank you for your review. Kind regards Management
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The hosts, Colin and Lisa go all out to help make your stay comfortable and enjoyable. You only have to ask for advice or recommendations about anything local, food, activities or entertainment, and they have the answer! Nothing is too much trouble. Walking distance to town centre, yet quiet and relaxing
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Date of stay: September 2023
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.
Response from Colin MacPhee, Owner at Little Haven
Responded 12 Dec 2023
Thank you Annett. It was lovely to host you and your family. We enjoy helping guests make the most of their time in our beautiful town exploring everything it has to offer. We look forward to welcoming you back next time you are in Taupo! Kind regards Lisa & Colin
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My wife & I stayed for the weekend. The Moyelis an easy stroll into town The rooms are comfortable , clean and secure. Concrete block construction means noise is well insulated between rooms. Parking is convenient and out of sight of the road so feels secure. Jo, the host , was friendly & helpful.
We will be back next time we stay in Taupo.
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip 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.
Positives and negatives. Reading all the reviews about how clean this motel is left me so disappointed. We stayed in unit 4 (3 bedrooms) and there was mould around every window including the aluminum ranch slider. The unit is somewhat renovated but feels old and in need of a deep clean. The 'full' kitchen only has a bar fridge with freezer compartment that doesn't freeze anything. There was room in the bathroom for a chilly bin. Hit my head on the super low kitchen bench light quite a few times. Kitchen is otherwise well equipped. There is a good vanity area in 2 bedrooms with drawers which was great for a week's stay. The wardrobes all smelt very musty and were dusty so we couldn't use them. The shower is old but this was clean and very nice. The toilet cubicle is tiny. Nice couches in lounge area. The staff are really lovely here. No problem taking our boat. Free laundry facilities which was awesome for drying our towels during a rainy week. The pool was nice but murky. Mould on all pool chairs. Pool umbrellas broken. Nice pool towels available for use. The grounds looked untidy and in need of some TLC. The games room is cool but the pool table was broken the whole week we stayed. Wouldn't stay again as accomodation is expensive and I didn't feel like this was value for money.
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Date of stay: December 2022
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 jo Russell, Owner at Little Haven
Responded 15 Jan 2023
You are entitled to your opinion, but would disagree with most things, as you were here we did have a storm and blew things around, as for the grounds they are all kept up by a private gardening company who regularly come and do the maintence, yes the pool umbrellas had broke, but given the strong winds was not putting out the new ones until storm passed, the pool was a white colour due to guests applying sun cream and then using pool, again we have a pool company every week to clean and do the chemicals.As for the low kitchen bench tops I have no idea why you banged your head as these are relatively new kitchens and are standard kitchen height. As for the smell you are referring to on further inspection we found no smells. I will point out that during your stay on the first day you were incredibly rude and arrogont. Please yes feel free to stay someone else as we would not welcome you back . You have a nice day now.
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We were visiting Lake Taupo with our granddaughters, and of necessity needed to have accommodation for them and us. After a fairly exhaustive search of several websites, we found this motel situated on Rifle Range Rd. conveniently some 10 minutes walk to most of the cafes/bars and restaurants in Taupo. Our allotted cabin, No 1, had its own parking, two smallish bedrooms, a no frills kitchen and seating area, and a toilet with no means of locking, which with two young granddaughters presented problems, although a well braced knee whilst 'on the throne' did the trick. Our beds weren't made up on our return after a great day out on the lake, so no frills again. If you're looking for clean, simple, reasonably good value family accommodation in Taupo, you could do worse than staying at this basic motel.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Value
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.
Such a great family motel. Awesome play equipment for the kids and a pool too! We arrived Boxing Day for a few nights, the lovely owner was very nice when checking in & even said she left a wee gift in our room, was surprised to see a bottle of wine & Christmas card. So appreciated!! The Christmas decor at the motel was awesome, Christmas lights everywhere. The kids loved it! Rooms have been updated & I loved the self laundry and also a washing line right outside the back door! Highly recommend & would gladly stay again
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Date of stay: December 2021Trip 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 jo Russell, Owner at Little Haven
Responded 10 Jan 2022
Hi sarah, Thankyou soo very much for your amazing review, we work hard to make our guests feel appreciated and comfortable,we hope to see you again soon. kindest Regards jo
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There are more places to choose from in the Taupo area.
PRICE RANGE
$209 - $259 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
New ZealandNorth IslandWaikato RegionTaupo DistrictTaupo
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
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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