Not the best hotel, but certainly not the worst either…read more If you plan on driving, be aware that you'll probably have to park at SkyCity or somewhere else in the area. Additionally, even if breakfast is not included in your reservation, food and beverage staff members may imply that it is included by ushering you into the buffet with no warning and neglecting to show you a receipt at the end of your meal. If you fall into the same trap we did, expect to pay $34 per person per day. The room and facilities themselves were fine.

We recently stayed at the Novotel Tainui for 1 night to attend a wedding. After returning from the…read morereception in the evening, we were getting ready for bed. On pulling the sheet back, there was a large mark on the sheet near the pillow, which seemed to be a sticky gum-like substance. We made a call to front desk (unanswered) and then room service (also a 40 minute wait by the way) to address the issue. We then had to get dressed again and wait for housekeeping - who dealt with it quickly and remade the bed for us. They expressed their regret and apologised. They assured us this would be followed up as it was not a good standard. On checkout the next morning, no mention was made from staff around this housekeeping issue, nor the interruption to our stay (and the feeling that our room had not been setup to a clean standard). I brought up the matter and received a quick and insincere apology before being presented with our parking charges. Whilst we were happy the matter was dealt to - and the housekeeping lady that attended clearly was unhappy with whomever had made up the bed with dirty sheets, we were not happy with total lack of remediation at checkout. Paying what we did for a single night, an insincere apology really didn't cut it. To have such a response from the staff member at checkout was both insulting and completely unsympathetic. To add further insult to injury after we sent feedback, we were offered a free breakfast 'on our return'. Since when does a future discount remediate poor service? I raised this again and the hotel disagreed with any kind of cash recompense. This could have easily been satisfactorily sorted by comping the parking but they managed to make it worse. We won't be back. Hotel is tired and shabby and our floor smelled of Ammonia. Note - Housekeeping response and communication was excellent. It's a shame the same couldn't be said for those whose role it is to be frontline customer service.

I booked the Ventura Inn back in early January for a mid-March stay, but for some reason when I…read morechecked in (admittedly late in the day) I was given a handicap room on the first floor as the hotel was "sold out." I didn't think much of it at the time, but room #1 was awful for us. Handicap room issues aside, it was noisy. I'm not sure if it was the elevator shaft or what, but something made an intermittent low bassy sound all night. Even with earplugs, it was very disrupting. We couldn't get the temperature right. The plugs next to the bed were underneath the nightstand and we had to crawl around on the floor in the dark to plug our phones in. We tried to watch Netflix but the TV app kept crashing so we had a frustrating evening in this room overall. All that said, the beds were pretty comfortable compared to others on our trip. And the included breakfast with a coffee machine that makes lattes was a nice touch. Great location and free parking make me say go ahead and stay here, just don't get room #1!

Our initial thoughts were disappointing, the casual chairs in the room were so dirty that you would…read morenot want to sit on them. The information booklet had a take-away of some sort spilt inside it and the room smelt too. We complained to the Reception staff who promptly moved us to a different room. This one was more pleasant, to the level what we had expected. We turned on the bedside light, and that blew all the lights in the room. After a quick call to Reception out lights were back on and the bulb replaced. The hotel is quite central to town and it's attractions, there is a supermarket within walking distance. We did not get around to sampling the pool or the breakfasts. Would I stay here again, I think I would. If you are just looking for somewhere that has the basics with a spa bath, then give them a try.

Really comfortable good sized rooms, good rates, very clean and tidy. would recommend and stay…read morethere again

A complex of various thermally heated pools, both private and public. The kids enjoyed the speed…read moreslide while the adults relaxed in the adult spa! The water quality was great and we enjoyed trying out the various temperatures and types of pools. Nice country location with spacious picnic areas. The grounds were a little rustic but overall well kept and the price competitive. .

Cute hostel in Matamata that's perfectly located near Hobbiton and the Waitomo glow worm caves…read more The staff was super friendly and great to work with! I never got to meet them in person since I was out really early every morning and came back late every night, but they were very accommodating and made sure we were able to get in and check out with ease. The rooms were great. I stayed in a 4-person room. Each room is its own unit outdoors with a sliding glass door. They do get a little hot but there are windows. There are lockers for each person. Overall, we had a great time staying here.

Loved this hostel! Parking is in the front of the building an they close the gate at night for…read moresafety, so I loved that! The lady at the front desk is Crazy nice and very helpful! The washer and dryer also works great, so it is a great laundry spot. The rooms are very clean! The location is close to town for a quick bite to eat and close to Hobbiton! I would highly recommend staying when you are in the area!

Prior to coming to New Zealand, my friends + I purchased The Middle-Earth Trilogy deal for…read moreadmissions to 3 of the biggest tourist attractions on the North Island: - Hobbiton Movie Set - Waitomo Glowworm Caves - Te Puia Maori cultural center all for about $277 NZD ($235 USD). Such a good deal considering each of the tourist attractions would usually be priced as follows: 1 Adult tour admission - $75 NZD Te Pō - Indigenous Evening Experience Combo - $150 NZD Waitomo Glowworm Caves + Ruakuri Cave Combo - $83 NZD Although each location was at least a couple hours apart by car so we had to provide our own transit, it was pretty easy to plan out and reserve which day we planned to arrive at each location. We decided to do Hobbiton in the morning and Te Puia in the evening together on one day and then do the Waitomo Caves (both the Glowworm and Ruakuri Caves) on an afternoon a couple days later. Splitting them apart gave us ample time to road trip around the country, and especially since it was raining during our April visit, we definitely needed that extra travel time. Each location had ample free parking (Waitomo being perhaps the only slightly challenging one) and were easy to find. Highly recommend for anyone spending several days in the North Island! [Pictures to come soon!!!]

Visiting Hobbiton was easily one of the highlights of our trip to the north island. The experience…read morebegan with a scenic bus ride across a working sheep farm, during which we learned about how the location was discovered and transformed into the iconic film set that it is today. Once we arrived, we were taken on a guided walking tour through the beautifully preserved set. Along the way, we saw some of the most memorable spots from the films, including the famous hillside where Frodo sets off on his adventure. One of my favorite parts came toward the end of the tour, when we were able to step inside a hobbit hole. The interiors were meticulously decorated, making it easy to imagine what life in the Shire might actually feel like! At the end of the tour, we stopped by Green Dragon Inn, where we enjoyed a complimentary drink (there's both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options available). Overall, this was such a magical experience! Be sure to book ahead, as the popular tour times tend to get booked out pretty far in advance during peak season.

Hobbiton is exactly what you think it will be. If you're a fan of the movies and most importantly a…read morefan of Hobbiton, you are stepping into a real life fantasy. I was there for a wedding and we received our own private tour, so I can't say whether it was like the standard tour. You start off from essentially their home base. You get on a bus and drive across to an active live sheep and cattle farm. The sets are built on the farm. The hobbit homes are all exterior and gorgeous. The details are immaculate. They even have real smoke coming from chimneys! There is a built out interior for tourists to traverse and the details are amazing. I found an accordion in one and it worked! There are alcoholic beverages at the Pony, but alcohol content is low. Probably to keep us from acting out scenes from the movies. The tour guides were also awesome, funny, and knowledgeable. Magical place. 10/10

We used one2one photography services for newborn photos of my son. I found them online and was…read moreimmediately attracted to the fact that you receive the digital copies of your photos and own them. There is no inflated pricing for prints and whatnot. You just get your files and do what you want with them once you have them. The pricing for the session includes the time for the session and editing the photos. We met Arie at a residence for a "studio" type photo session. Both he and his assistant were great in working with our family (including our 3-year-old son and our newborn son). They were helpful in suggesting poses and were receptive to our requests and suggestions as well. The session lasted about an hour, and we'd gotten all the shots we were interested in (and that was about all our 3-year-old could take as well). We received a link to download the proofs, review them and then selected the photos we wanted for further editing. We received all of the files (original, edited in color, edited in black & white) on a CD. We couldn't be happier! The photos are gorgeous and now we can use the files to create prints and gifts as we wish. I would happily recommend these guys for any of your photography needs (they do weddings, school balls, portraits and commercial work).