Hotel berhampiran Rakino Island, Auckland

We had an exceptional stay here. Initially we had trepidation around the price. The personal service from the manager (Anna) was professional & unobtrusive, which we appreciated, as we came to relax. Our room was amazing. We loved the view and the space. We also appreciated the bar fridge & snacks. (Although more snacks would be good!) We felt that the yukkas obscured some of the view in our chalet, but we loved the outlook & the little bunny rabbits (unwelcome as they are in terms of being introduced). The facilities were great! We appreciated being collected and dropped off at the local vineyards etc - that was a nice touch also- thank you. The breakfasts were wonderful (5 star) - and the variety very good. The meal we had one evening there was pleasant, but not overwhelming. We only dined in once, and enjoyed a meal at Mud Bricks the second night which was lovely. Suggest you hire a car and see the island. It’s a lovely place for scenery. All in all we feel it is deserving of 5 star. I really hope the new manager will be as good as the exceptional staff we met - big shoes to fill! What a beautiful place. We will be back.

Disclaimer: Waiheke Island Resort management will likely refute this review point-by-point, but rest assured they’ll never be on site or do anything to correct the issues that led to the criticism. Waiheke Island is beautiful so enjoy the view, because that’s all you’re likely to enjoy at this place. Waiheke Island Resort has it all: resort in name only, closed ammenities, and unserviced rooms. (Please note: they DID make the beds in one of our rooms, once. But nothing else.) Have a fetish for smoke damaged rooms? They’ve got you covered. Want to book two rooms on the same reservation but ensure you’re on apposite ends of the property? WIR is the place to be. Dead palms? Check Rubbish under the deck? Check Staff without a single care or answer? Check and check Courtesy vans? They’ve got two but don’t expect to ride in one. Electric bikes? The signs say ‘yes’ the people say ‘no’. Food? Not if you’re visiting on a day that ends in ‘y’. Weddings? Let me get a divorce lawyer ready for you on speed dial. This place has so much potential, but for now that’s all it has. Let’s hope they put some money into the unheated pool with cracks so large you’d be right to ask if the property was somehow, no matter how scientifically impossible, damaged in the Kaikoura or Christchurch quakes. Or they could address the many many many steps throughout the place that need attention. The most radical thought? For less than $100 they could ensure rooms have cups and plates. (Especially when the “resort” restaurant isn’t open and the nearest shop is a 1.3km walk from the “resort”.) You’d hope the people working here (note: don’t expect anyone on site outside of 10am - 4pm on those pesky days ending in ‘y’) would care enough to try a bit harder or at least proactively suggest local restaurants or things to do given NOTHING IS OPEN OR AVAILABLE DURING PEAK SEASON AT THIS RESORT but, again, no. No a million times over. Most importantly— and this is the most serious criticism— this property is not for ANYONE with any kind of mobility challenges: you will be required to walk up and down significant inclines and there IS NO ASSISTANCE provided for you or your luggage. Not an issue for us but I would have been incandescent if parents or a mobility-challenged individual were with us. So, re-sort your holiday plans if this is the “resort” on your list for all the reasons above and more.

This review is for the studio cottage I stayed for one night in Feb24. I've stayed at this motel a few times & loved it for things such as the friendly helpfull staff, very good cleanliness, comfortable beds & other furnishings. Great location for shops, good public transport, scenic walks to scenic bays. But of course nothing is perfect. The room was spacious but annoyingly there were no widow screens the keep the mosquitoes out at night so the widows had to be closed, this made the room stuffy, however there also wasn't any air-conditioning or ceiling fans. Also even for a cottage the bathroom was a little tight.

Stayed here 2 nights. On closer inspection room was a bit dusty and looked like it hadnt been dusted in a while.floor didnt look clean either..could of been stains engrained in the tiles but disnt look clean at all. The pool photos do not match the pictures, water was cloudy and green and the sides of the pool were very dirty, put me off going in.dont get me wrong it was a nice enough chalet with a microwave and kitchenette but for 340 a night a bit over priced in my opinion. On arrival owner didnt say much..just that I should turn air con on when I get into room. There was no brush or Hoover to sweep the floor so couldnt tidy that up.

I am aware that the apartments are all individually owned, so this review is only about apartment number 9. The apartment is tired and in need of some repairs. Some of the slats were missing from the blinds in the lounge area. Half of the wardrobe in the main bedroom was locked, so very little space to put your clothes. The bed in the second room is lumpy and the blind does not close properly. Half of the cupboards in the kitchen are locked. It seems like the owners do not really want people staying in their apartment. The microwave is so high that I had to stand on a chair to be able to use it, fine if you are over 6 feet tall though! The housekeeping service was provided daily, but they did no cleaning and only changed towels, topped up toilet rolls and made the bed. There was a small dustpan and brush, but nothing else to enable us to keep the floor clean of sand. The apartments are ideally located, only a couple of minutes to the beach, but because it is quite a gritty sand we were constantly walking it back in to the apartment.

Overall, it was pretty good and very cost effective. Helpful staff. • Luggage storage room available. Laundry service avail on site (4 bucks for washing machine, 4 bucks for dryer & 2 bucks for washing powder), Ironing service was free of charge. • Toothbrush & Toothpaste were available upon purchase @ the reception. Hot water, box fan, kettle, small fridge, tea, coffee, sugar, clean towel, soap, shampoo were all avail. The first two nights I stayed, I had to use a shared bathroom, however, it was very clean. After that I extended my stay where I was moved to another room which included a bathroom. Also, perfect location as it is situated on the busiest street in the city centre where you'll find a lot of restaurants & shops nearby even supermarkets. * The down part was that it gets very noisy at night, you could hear the traffic & people on the street screaming. Plus, the mattress wasn't in its best shape.