I stayed here for a couple of nights and because of issues with the ferry I arrived at 2:30am instead of 2:30pm. The hotel was very understanding and the after hours check in was straightforward. The room was comfortable size for one, but might be a bit compact for two. The view from the bar area were stunning and I did enjoy a few drinks there and I would note the bar closed at 7:30pm when I was there. It is about a 15 minute walk to the town centre.
Thanks for your kind words. Yes, we are unashamedly accommodation first, meaning our bar does not stay open later than 8pm....
Can't have our guests kept awake with frivolity now, can we,,!?
I wish I could've given this hotel better marks. It was adorable- the courtyard was absolutely stunning - the succulents, trees, & flowers were just inviting and lovely. Erin was a phenomenal host/manager. She was very helpful and engaging. The hotel was directly across the street from the water. The front room had small plates and cocktails available too.
Our room was cutely decorated. Unfortunately the carpeting needs to be cleaned or yet replaced. It wad a rainy day so the dampness was apparent and without any windows, the room wad rather stifling. In light of that, I'd recommend new flooring and it would've been a lovely stay.
Our courtyard room carpets replaced in every room every 18 months... plus professional carpet cleaning every 6 months.
In between this rotation, we handle daily and spot cleaning ourselves. Not matter what, some staining just doesnt shift, which is annoying/embarassing ... especially when we are back to back full.
I suspect the damp smell may have been freshly cleaned carpet.... either that or a by-product of the prolific rain we got all summer! We've never seen such rain!
Sad it impacted your otherwise nice stay.
We had 2 rooms, a hotel room with balcony and a courtyard room. The courtyard room was very small and had no soundproofing. The hotel room had side balcony with sea view, bigger than the other room but still quite small. Both were very clean. Shower room adequate and lovely toiletries but small scratchy towels. Tv was supposed to have Netflix and be able to cast but neither worked, luckily we had great weather so weren't in the room for long periods of time. The hotel is in a lovely location, can't fault the view - stunning- and is within easy walking distance of restaurants and shops. I wouldn't recommend the courtyard rooms.
On our arrival at the hotel, just after 3pm, we had at least a half hour wait to be checked in. The receptionist was in another part of the hotel and poked her head in to the reception area just to say that she was busy doing something else but would he with us as soon as she could. We were one of 3 groups waiting to be checked in. I sensed some under staffing issues!
In terms of the room at this hotel, I would say it was just ‘ok’. We were in a room at the back of the hotel, in a detached set of rooms (ie not in main building). Not particularly spacious and a tiny toilet/shower room. Shower was pretty good though. The room was basic & had basic facilities. Double bed was small but comfortable. Single glazing meant we woke up each morning to condensation soaked windows and had to open them up to dry them out. That wasn’t particularly nice! So in terms of the room, it was just ok!
I think my biggest gripe about the hotel was the price of the drinks! We’d been to a pub just up the road where the cost of a pint of beer was about NZD 11 (fair enough) . We returned to the hotel for a drink a short while later and I ordered 2 drinks, one of which was a beer (ale). It was advertised as the same price as the pub so I thought that was ok. I was shocked when I was then presented with a small ‘wine glass’ with beer in it, which amounted to about third of a pint maximum. I was a little too shocked to say anything and thought that the lady serving must have given me the wrong type of glass, surely?!!! Needless to say it was the only drink we bought there during our stay.
On a more positive note, I would like to mention Tyler who was on duty on the morning of our departure. We became aware of a problem we would likely face further on our onward journey. Tyler was really helpful with suggestions to help us resolve the matter and allowed use the hotel phone for a good hour or so (albeit on a freephone number). Her friendliness and understanding about our predicament pushed our score to 3/5. We appreciated what she did even though we’d virtually checked out of the hotel!
You sensed correctly, staffing stress is real and we feel it too from time to time. Thought the entire world had at least an understanding about this by now?
Our tap beers are served in 400ml glasses - don't be fooled because its stemmed.
Wine glass serves are 150ml, fyi.
Readers... we have had air conditioning installed in all rooms, this mitigates condensatiin issues. Use the plain airflow function if you don't want to sleep with aircon or want to avoid condensation.
All rooms we fitted with this functionality in Febrary 2023... you stayed in March by the looks?
Don't know what to say.....
A small boutique hotel on the foreshore at Kaikoura! When booking on line one is never really sure about location and comfort. This small hotel has some rooms in the original building and then some rooms built around a courtyard! Our room in the courtyard was small but extremely comfortable! Delicious bed and nice linen. Very quiet and great sleeping which is so important when on the road for two weeks. Attention to detail: excellent! Check in was a little difficult as the internet was playing up and we had a very rude customer jumped the queue which was not dealt with very well, however our accommodation was great!
Every room has the same totally fabulous bedding, glad you mentioned. Its the comment we get most at xheck out. Thanks.
