Hotel berhampiran Caroline Bay Beach, Timaru

This place was ok. Quite basic but also a little bit cheaper. The hotel is only accessible by some sets of stairs above a restaurant so we had to lug our heavy baggage one by one up there. The sound travels easily between rooms and the room doesn’t actually have a kitchen with a sink, there’s a shared one on the floor apparently. That’s a little misleading in the advertising on booking.

We stayed here for one night towards the end of a recent South Island road trip. I phoned and made a booking a couple of days before we stayed, requesting a studio unit with a king bed, and ground floor access (I am not too steady on my feet and find it easier to have few or no stairs). We arrived just before 2pm, I’d phoned to make sure the room was ready. The gentleman at reception was very nice and showed my husband the studio unit, which had 8 stairs up to it – the section that the motel is built on slopes so most units have some stairs to a greater or lesser degree. The proprietor then offered us a two bedroom unit, with only two stairs to get to it, for the same price. We were very grateful, that was a lovely offer and we took it, as it was much easier for me. The unit (number 8) is very well appointed and though it was a cold evening it heated up really quickly once we’d turned the heater on. There is a full sized stove so you can cook full meals if you wish. There’s a dining table and chairs, and a couch. There’s also a single bed in the lounge area. There is a King bed in one bedroom, and a double (might be a Queen?) and a single in the second bedroom. The bathroom is very roomy. The shower was very good, great pressure. There is also a spa bath in the bathroom. There is also proper MySky so you can record channels of your choice if you wish. Everything in our unit was very clean. There is a bit of road noise but since it’s on SH1 that is only to be expected. It certainly didn’t stop us from getting a good night’s sleep – we both slept very well. There is a Pak’n Save supermarket, a petrol station, and various eateries (McDonald’s, KFC among others) a very short distance along the road. Thank you to the Parklands Motor Lodge for making our stay so enjoyable. We highly recommend this accommodation.

Stayed here in a king studio and had a great night sleep. The units are a little dated but very clean . Very handy to Caroline bay and a short walk in to the centre. Good price! The staff are friendly and helpful. We will definitely rebook when passing through or a extended stay

DATE OF TRAVEL: July 2023 Stayed here for 3 days for a business trip. First impressions were.... disappointing. The hotel was empty, the chef was also at reception and the building looks run down. HOWEVER, check in was fast, the rooms were well appointed, if well travelled, and the bed was very comfy. Sadly I didn't get back to my hotel room until late night each night but the breakfast was fantastic and affordable. All the staff were super friendly, welcoming and accomondating. Room walls were thick as I didn't hear my colleagues in the other rooms at all, even when we were talking. Shower was great. Good pressure and the bathroom had all the basic amenities you would need for a regional motel. Though some people may not like it, the interestingly spaced corridors made the hotel feel like a rabbit warren and I actually quite enjoyed that. The gym was probably the best one I'd seen in all of my hotel stays in Canterbury. I was really impressed. Sadly it was closed before I left and when I came back so didn't get a chance to try it. It's only a few minutes away from the main restaurant ***** of the town and the food at all of them was fantastic. Caroline Bay Beach is beautiful and I enjoyed my morning walks there. Would I stay again? Though I may never have a need to again, most definitely if the need did arise. First looks are certainly deceiving with this place but push through it and you'll find yourself a gem of a stay =)

I stayed in one of the newly renovated rooms, a very comfortable bed in a decent size room, the only complaint would be the shower, whilst a large shower, there is nowhere to put soap, shower gel or shampoo which was a minor inconvenience. I didn’t have breakfast but the mixed grill for dinner was fantastic, food cooked to perfection and tonnes of flavour. There are a few shockers in Timaru but this hotel is well worth a visit.

To every one who's reading my review,my mum who has a Disability,my brother an i,we stayed at this Motor Lodge,on Friday 29th October,the lovely couple that run the motel.they made us feel welcome,they also looked after us,and told me if we needed any thing to to see them an they would do there best,to get what we asks for,plus there Disability Unit was a very good one,its just like the hospitals,walk in with a wheel chair,it was very excellent Accommodation,we were all very happy with the service,the cleaners were very good as well,nices to chat to The Manger/Manageress,a very excellent lovely couple to as well chat to,so any one looking for accommodation go to that motel,they do there best,an i am very grateful,as well there meals are very nices Well done guys at the Avenue Motor Lodge,very high rated by me

Due to some last minute issues with accommodation in Dunedin, we ‘scrambled’ to find some good accommodation in Timaru. We were pleasantly surprised with the experience at Coastal Ridge Apartments. The ground floor unit was clean, well equipped, spacious and met our every need. The managers and staff were very helpful and accommodating. When we return to NZ we intend to again stay at Coastal Ridge.

The motel is conveniently located near the Botanical Gardens south of the centre of Timaru. It is on a main road, but we heard no road noise, despite being only two units back from the entrance. Staff were friendly and helpful. We had the impression that our unit had been built a couple of decades back, but had been renovated to a modern standard. It was spacious, with a large living room, a small kitchen, a spacious bathroom, and two bedrooms each with a large double bed (this meant the space around them was quite narrow). We were very comfortable there.