We only spent one night here but we wish it had been longer. The views were amazing from our room…read more I loved seeing the surfers enjoying the large waves. Our room was spacious. The bed was comfy. Shower was nice and hot. Staff was friendly. Room was clean. Good stay.

We were excited to snag a last-minute room here, especially as it was Lonely Planet's…read moretop-recommended accommodation in the Dunedin area. Pros: The place is very cozy and homey, with an awesome garden and outdoor deck area. Our room was spacious and comfortable, with windows that looked out to other hilltop areas. We slept with the windows open to make use of the puffy comforters! The lounge is always open, with hot water for coffee or tea readily available. Cons: The beds were a bit soft by my standards. The television didn't turn on, not that we really needed it. Surprisingly, there was only one toilet and one shower for the three or four rooms upstairs, which seems a little on the skimpy side considering the number of people who had to share them. The lock on the toilet room wasn't sturdy enough so knocking was a MUST. The shower drain was clogged (ew) by the time I showered early in the morning. Breakfast fell a bit short, being "continental": basically carb overload, with bread, muesli, wheatbix, and cereal offered alongside a large bowl of yogurt and sliced fresh fruit. The location also left a little to be desired, since it was a bit of a drive from the downtown area. Bottom line: an alright B&B experience. For me, the cute things about this quaint guesthouse won me over. And as long as you're okay with sharing a bathroom and shower, I'd recommend it.

This Hostel was a great experience for our group of Americans. Although we are used to the…read moredifferent time zones, the hostel managers were able to let us know about their quiet hours with no issue.

Quaint little old hotel located in central Dunedin. Spacious rooms with no air conditioning. We got…read morein on a hot day and the heater was blasting on me. The room was literally sweating up. Heater had no way of identifying if it was turned on or off. The switch wouldn't have a light on it and all dials on the heater itself were circling. Front desk is super helpful- came up to the room to help me figure out how to turn the heater off. We managed to turn it off and then window is barely open to get air in. The issue is if you close your curtains for privacy, there's no cool air or air circulation. If you keep the curtains open, you lose privacy. Breakfast had decent fresh options and is recommended. The location of the hotel is unbeatable and if they'd manage to fix the HVAC system (or install one to begin with) this would be a great little hotel!

Nice enough a European style hotel. Our room had WIFI though so slow it was difficult to use. The…read moreroom had a fridge and an Nespresso machine. Floor 8 is apparently the premium floor and came with a nice balcony. There was a small bar on the ground floor with an adequate selection. Nothing too plush but decent enough. Valet parking.

Exceptional, truly 5 stars!…read more So we stayed in New Zealand for over month, all over the country. 10 different hotels, ranging from big international chains to small B&B's. Not one of them a bad stay, all ranging from average to excellent, but THE BIRCHES was the best of all, and the only one we give 5 stars. Huge home built in 1907 but lovingly restored/remodeled by the current owners less than a decade ago. They did an EXCEPTIONAL job on the remodel, the rooms and bathrooms are HUGE, with exceptional attention to detail. Every detail. The owners clearly gave substantial thought to having their B&B provide all sorts of little amenities, comforts, and personal touches that show they truly care about the experience for their guests. The morning breakfast was huge, fresh, hearty, well prepared. Coffee the best we had our entire stay in country. The hosts were warm and wonderful and so clearly enjoying their roles as hosts, a wealth of local tourism information, soooo helpful. One note - The Birches is in Mosgiel which is actually about 15 km outside Dunedin proper. Do NOT let dissuade you from staying here, it is not an overcrowded area, traffic flows freely, and driving is easy. You will be able to access everything by car within minutes, and will want a car anyway to visit outlying areas like the Otago Peninsula. Quite, low-key, peaceful; this is where you want to stay. Over the past 30 years we've stayed in hotels, motels, shanty shacks, beach cabins, urban closets, desert palaces, jungle tents, dumps and dives all over the world. This quite possibly ranks in our Top 10 favorite stays of all-time, anywhere. The house is stunning, the hosts exceptional...

We have had some wild weather during our stay in New Zealand, and this time it worked in our favor…read more Albatross like windy days to fly on the currents. They don't flap their wings much. We had a perfect day for flying and we saw many albatross at the observation deck. The tour starts with a short video and guide led discussion. You then walk to the observation deck to see albatross in the wild. They provide binoculars to enhance your viewing. We saw birds sitting on their nexts, preening each other, and flying. It was a great show. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the albatross and many other birds within our view. I'm so glad we were able to go to this tour. I learned so much and the birds were amazing to see in the wild showing us their natural behaviors.

Fort Taiaroa here has hidden tunnels & a 1886 Armstrong Hidden Gun. Besides a military history…read morehere it's the only mainland breeding colony of Royal Albatross. There is a gallery, gift shop & cafe here. Many different tours are offered and a virtual :45 tour from their website. The albatross' are nesting on the grass now. They arrive in September, mate, lay eggs, incubate, have hatchlings & then guard them for a year. The albatross have a 9 Ft wing span & they gently lift off cliffs & glide not flap. They can live to 60 yrs & mate for life. The females go out further for food & are getting caught in fishing nets. There is a female shortage & there are same sex pairs now. The center was fascinating, unfortunately we didn't see any albatross, a lot of seagulls. Thought we saw some gem a distance near the lighthouse.

Barry and Donna are the nicest innkeepers we've ever met! Our room was clean and neat as a pin and…read morevery nicely appointed. I was impressed with how thick and soft the carpet was, they didn't skimp on the underlay! We enjoyed watching Netflix, the TV worked great. They additionally supplied us with US-NZ electrical adapters and a drying rack after we did laundry (did I mention they supplied laundry powder for free?) It's a very short walk to Rob Roy Dairy that has the best ice cream!!! We would love to stay here again next time we're in Dunedin.

Barry and Donna make this place special, hence 5 stars! Nicest Inn Keepers ever! Very helpful, and…read morejust so lovely. The room was good, there's a washer for guests, it's easy to walk to restaurants, not too far from the Botanical Garden. Barry offered us a bottle of milk when we got there, and there were a couple of chocolates in the fridge. Not really a "5 star" hotel, but still a great place to stay that's not too expensive, and is in a good location. The room was clean and nicely laid out. We'd go back if we were ever in Dunedin again.