Unexpected wonder. Terrific menu, service and view hidden away on the third floor of the hotel…read more Definitely would come again!

This was actually possibly our favorite place we stayed as far as motels/hotels on our entire trek…read morethrough New Zealand. So first, the views. The name of the place says it all, and to my knowledge, every room has a view of the water about as spectacular as ours. That said, we were on the top floor, and while it's a walk to get up there, the views were great. Next, the owners. Very fun and personable and all together helpful. The motel had these night little touches in the rooms, it felt like home at times, and you can tell that's a tip of the way the owners operate. We really enjoyed chatting with them and everything they did to make the experience great. Finally, advice. Food, as you may now realize, is EXPENSIVE in New Zealand. There's a great fish and chips take away down the street (I think it's called Kiwi Takeaways). Go there, grab some grub to go (because by now you've stopped at the liquor store on the corner and gotten a nice wine or two) and go back, sit on your balcony, and enjoy the food, drink, and views of Picton!

Great view of the harbor and clean rooms. Only downside is it's pretty close to Main Street that…read morecan get loud sometimes. Otherwise great stay!

Nice patio for a dinner. Service was ok. Had the fish chowder, which was excellent. The lamb trio…read morewas disappointing: the rack was more on the medium side that medium rare, the lamb tenderloin was a "meatball" and the last one was mixed with a gravy inside a pastry! Also seasoning was absent. I'm sure some other options on the menu could be better. A big negative for customer: was told that the WiFi is ONLY for hotel customers. What am I ? Not a customer That is the reason for only 3 *

Now this was a great place that we came across during our stay in Picton. We were looking for…read moresomewhere to eat in the evening and stumbled across this place walking into the town centre. If you need a date night, or somewhere uber romantic, this place is for you. Our waiter (although he was leaving the following week) was super attentive, making sure water and wine glasses were filled at all times. The SR had fish and chips which he felt were nothing particularly exciting, however my salmon in soy sauce and malt vinegar (novel!) looked and tasted great. Although our mains were hit and miss, the desserts (pavlova and fruit salad), with spun sugar decorations and warm spiced berry compote sealed the deal for this hotel as one of our more memorable dining experiences. A stand out hit in the Picton area.

I stayed here after a late night getting off the ferry - it was an hour later than I thought, so I…read morewas really just flopping into bed for a few. Even at that late hour, someone popped out to help me get into the place and retrieve my room key. My only complaint is that I lacked control over the temperature of my room, and I could quibble that the shower was quite small, making my morning ablutions rather difficult. But it was a welcome good rest, short as it was, after long airplane rides and a not-so-great hotel the night before.

I ended up staying here when I realized the ferry I was on from Wellington was going to be getting…read moreinto Picton after dark and I didn't feel comfortable driving to Blenheim that late. There were not a lot of choices in Picton and this place was near the ferry dock and though it was a bit on the pricier side than I had wanted to pay ($70+NZ for the night) it had an in-suite bathroom. There is very limited parking in front, but I managed to snag a spot. The gal that checked me in was very nice and showed me to my room. It didn't look like they were full up as it appeared a few of the others rooms were available as their doors were open (I saw a room w/what looked like a single full bed, so I wasn't sure why they put me in a double twin room when I was one person?). The room seemed clean and fine when I first settled in and even had a little mini-fridge and electric kettle for coffee, hot choc, and tea. It was a warm evening and there was not a fan or AC in the room, but the window was open and that seemed to help a little, but not a lot. I thought maybe after I showered I would cool down a bit. I killed a spider and a couple of mosquitoes in the bathroom, which gave me pause about where the heck all the bugs were coming from. When I came back into the room and went to settle into the twin bed by the door, I pulled back one of the pillows and there was a little dead mosquito. I was about to go and request to be put in another room at that point, but I was so tired and didn't want to repack all my stuff to move to another room. However, the rest of the night was not great. I killed about 5 mosquitoes and a number of other various flying insects that made their way into the room via the window. I had closed the window for a bit, but the room became too warm that I was unable to sleep, so I reopened and closed the blinds as far as I could. When all was said and done I had not slept that well because of having to moonlight as an exterminator and because the twin bed was pretty small with a somewhat stiff mattress. I also ended up sleeping w/earplugs in and a bandana over my mouth to keep the buggies out (that was probably a bit overkill, but I hate bugs and could not sleep if I thought there was a way for them to creep on me somehow). I got out of there pretty quickly the next morning, but did enjoy the included continental breakfast with some toast, jam and nice fresh fruit and juice before I left. I wouldn't completely write this place off as the people that ran it were nice and it seemed cozy, but the room I got was not worth the rate I paid and I would kindly suggest not leaving windows open and putting a fan in the room. Also, putting a single person in a double twin room when there is a single, larger bed available would have been a nice touch, but you can't win them all.

I am in New Zealand for a holiday and have already stayed at the Bellbird Motel once. They have…read morecomfortable and very affordable rooms. I understand they have a new owner and manager. The manager, Alison, is very friendly and happy to help, just ask. I am on my way back to Picton for a week, and will be staying at the Bellbird again. I highly recommend you try this place out, especially if you are looking for basic comfort, cleanliness and affordability - Kiwi-style. Keep in mind, this is not a European or American resort!

This is a fine place to stay, assuming you'll only be here for one night. Between the street noise…read moreand the rough decor, there's nothing restful about this hotel. As far as a place to put your stuff while you wait for the ferry, though, it's decent.