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4.5
#1 of 2 lodges in Akaroa
Location
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Value
Located in the beautiful, historic French village of Akaroa, just 1.5H from Christchurch. With 24 refurbished units to choose from featuring studio,1, 2 and 3-bedroom units, you can enjoy affordable comfort with the waterfront right at your doorstep. With most units offering views of the water, spacious living and well-equipped kitchens you have everything you need to make your stay enjoyable. We are only a minutes stroll to the art and craft shops, restaurants, cafes and other attractions Akaroa has to offer. You could also relax in our private hot tropical spa pool.
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
Business
Languages Spoken
English, French, Spanish
Location
56 - 64 Rue Jolie, Akaroa 7520 New Zealand
Akaroa Waterfront Motels
388 reviews
Getting there
Good for walkers
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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In the heart of gorgeous Akaroa and right on the waterfront, you can't go wrong with Akaroa Waterfront Motels for a great stay! We stayed in a one bedroom waterfront unit that was cosy and had a fantastic water views over the bay! We booked direct with the hotel a week out from our stay as flooding and road closures on the West Coast drastically altered our itinerary. Lucky us to have the chance to do this ahead of time. Akaroa turned out to be one of our fave spots and were delighted to spend the night here. Check in and out were great. Staff were very friendly and informative, giving great tips for local dining. The unit was cosy and comfortable and equiped for basic cooking (if needed). As mentioned the Motel is right in the heart of Akaroa and an easy walk to cafes, pubs and the waterfront area. Only area for improvement would be window coverings in the bedroom. Thin shutters in the bedroom do nothing to stop the morning light flooding in and waking you very early. If this is a problem, take an eye mask.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip 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.
We are touring the South Island for a couple of months and stopped for three nights in Akaroa which is a nice little town on the Banks Peninsula. Although we have stayed in Akaroa before' The motel is ideally situated right next to the water and our one bedroom ground floor unit has spectacular uninterrupted views over the Akaroa harbour. The kitchenette and bathroom are a little congested but adequate, and there is a large spacious main room with basic but adequate furniture. The separate bedroom is very quiet at night with a very comfortable bed. There is free very good wifi and an excellent Sky TV with 50 plus channels and even has "MySky" so that we were able to record programs and watch them later. The owners/managers were very friendly and helpful. However, beware if you are not a duck lover because these birds constantly invaded the patio even when shooed away, so we had to keep washing down the patio area. They even entered our room when we opened the patio doors to enjoy the sunny weather. We noticed that our neighbours in the adjoining unit were feeding and supplying drinking water to a whole collection of birds, but the ducks in particular were still very keen on our patio and we assumed that previous occupants had been encouraging them. We do plan to stay here again despite the ducks.
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Date of stay: November 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.
This is a motel set in a very pleasant location. The 2 bedroom unit that we stayed in had everything we required and the hosts were very accommodating. I would recommend this to everyone. The motel is situated within easy walking distance to the supermarket and restaurants. Akaroa is a very pretty destination for any traveller.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Room Tip:Â I prefer the upper level
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.
This is a wonderful motel. We’ve stayed here 3 times and will be back in the future. We stayed in one of the Driftwood apartments, overlooking the water. The views are lovely. There is a kitchenette and it is also close to Four Square and various restaurants. The rooms were very clean. You can hire kayaks for a reasonable rate and there is also free games to play. The only improvements I would suggest are harder mattresses (especially for the double bed) and air conditioning, as the rooms can get very hot on a sunny day.
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Date of stay: November 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Â Rooms in Driftwood are more modern than the other block.
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.
This was our first ever visit to Akaroa and we stayed at the Waterfront Motel for two nights… but I’m sad it wasn’t four nights!
Being right at the water’s edge, with a small stream flowing through the property, the Waterfront Motel has an enviable location.
I’d called earlier in the day and spoke to a very friendly lady. When we arrived, she was even friendlier, making the check-in process a pleasure.
Our room was on the first floor, but the stairs were wide enough not to hamper getting large suitcases up. The upstairs rooms have arguably better views.
This motel is not new, and they were renewing part of it when we were there, resulting in fewer rooms available for rent.
Although it is an older motel, everything was clean and in good working order.
We had an ensuite bathroom and a kitchenette. Although our room had a deck, we didn’t sit there due to the chilly weather.
The motel is in the older part of Akaroa, with romantic-sounding French street names (disclosure: I love French and consider it the most beautiful language in the world). Due to the Motel’s location in the old town, it was pleasantly quiet.
When (not if) we go back to Akaroa, I will first try getting accommodation at the Waterfront Motel before I approach any other place.
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Date of stay: October 2022
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.
This motel is in a fantastic location....literally on the water's edge with friendly ducks for companions. It's an easy walk to the cute town and the beautiful scenery of Akaroa. Our bed was super comfortable and we were allocated a quiet unit that was peaceful for a good sleep. It was good to have cooking facilities and the communal barbecue was a bonus for cooking delicious NZ salmon. The only downside of this motel is that it really needs a makeover.....showing signs of age and wear and tear from so many visitors who come to visit one of the most beautiful places in the world, then..... it would be perfect :)
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
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.
We have stayed here several times and really enjoy the waterfront units as they have such a stunning view. We also like this end of Akaroa as it is more peaceful. The motel units are well appointed and can be easily kept warm with the fan heater. It's easy to walk to nearby restaurants but if you'd rather self cater, the kitchenette has everything you need.
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Date of stay: July 2020Trip 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 Elise C, General Manager at Akaroa Waterfront Motels
Responded 26 Jul 2020
Hi Jules and thank you for your lovely comments. We are glad to hear you stayed with us several times and you enjoyed it. We are happy you like our absolute waterfront location and the unit's facilities. We look forward to welcoming you again soon. The AWM team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We booked the Waterfront hotel for our stay in Akaroa as we wanted to have water views from our room, from the pictures on the website we thought we were getting something that would have a direct view with a balcony. We booked a three bedroom unit that stated it had water views, but what we didn't realize is the motel has two different buildings and the building we were in was not the one in the photos, while we did get water views we had to stand up and look out a window to see them.
The room was very tired, curtains were thin so didn't block light in the morning, I was woken very early because of it.
I felt it wasn't really worth the $300 per night that we paid.
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Date of stay: December 2020Trip 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.
Beautiful location right on the waterfront overlooking the harbour. Fabulous to wake up to or relax after a busy day with a glass of wine. The apartments are lovely and clean and well equipped. They have several games to play and kayaks can be hired for only $5 per hour. It’s in a great position near many restaurants and the supermarket.
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Date of stay: November 2020Trip 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.
Very good standard kiwi motel, with a friendly welcome, in a outstanding location.
Our upstairs studio room offered an extraordinary view of Akaroa’s upper harbour, and all day sun - morning till late evening. Minor wear & tear, a shortage of powerpoints, and a slightly noisy fridge in the kitchenette, are the only reasons for missing the final star. A very enjoyable four night stay!
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Date of stay: December 2020Trip 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.
HI Kate,
Thank you for your questions, as other members have replied, we provide all the linen and towels (bath mattress, bath towels, hand towels, face cloths, tea towels) and even beach towels (on request at reception)
We are looking forward to welcoming you soon
Elise and the AWM team
HI ,
Thank you for your email. Could you please contact us by email or phone +64333047484, you can also find our details on the top of our TripAdvisor page. We will need your name and your booking number. At this stage we do have availability on the 30th of March 2015. Kind regards
Akaroa Waterfront team
There are more places to choose from in the Akaroa area.
PRICE RANGE
$167 - $237 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
akaroa waterfront hotel akaroa, driftwood hotel akaroa
LOCATION
New ZealandSouth IslandCanterbury RegionAkaroa
NUMBER OF ROOMS
24
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, 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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