My strong recommendation:
If you are traveling for leisure/pleasure and/or to visit Nelson, do not book here. Book somewhere else in Nelson proper.
This is a motel in the harbor marina. It is isolated and desolate. The only thing with people nearby at night is the Anchor Bar & Grill, which is infrequently and not particularly favorably reviewed on Yelp. It is a mile from town and the area is dark and - again - desolate.
My experience:
I drove up from Christchurch to Nelson on a Sunday. With a few stops along the way, that is an 8 hours drive, so I arrived at 6:30 pm. My estimated arrival time (entered along with my reservation) was 6:00. The drive in to Nelson from Blenheim is, if not perilous, certainly stressful, especially in the dark. When I arrived, the reception was empty, so I rang the bell for service, which clearly led to a phone, and the answer was, "Yes, I've already left for dinner, so I left the key inside your door and I will catch up with you in the morning."
For my money, that is not acceptable! I expected to find a human being when I arrived.
I went into town (not a pleasant walk at all!) and found a pub and looked for recommendations for something else immediately. Thankfully, it is winter, so this was achievable: with high tourism, I might have been shit outta luck. I'll review the new location separately.
I went back this morning, to acknowledge that I hadn't stayed the first night of my booking and that I would not stay the second night of my booking. I pointed out that I had arrived at 6:30 and that my estimated arrival was 6:00. The response was, "yes, that's why I left the key in your room for you". Totally matter of fact, no signs of an apology. I was flabbergasted, but I just asked what I could do about a refund and she refunded me the second night. I'll take the hit on the first night in exchange for the self respect of not staying in that place. After she handed me the refund slip, I asked if she needed anything else from me, and she said no, so I said goodbye and left.
There was, in my opinion, no hint of any aspect of actual hospitality.
If you are overnighting in the marina and need a break and a proper shower and a full bed, perhaps this might work, but for any other reason, I would say stay away.
I was my own travel agent on this, so part of the blame is on me for incomplete research, but I offer this up to help anyone else who may be considering this place in the future. read more