Northland Region hotels & places to stay

We loved this hotel. It was very spacious and elegant and very well appointed. Our only criticism was there was no air-conditioning. We had a 2 bedroom apartment and my husband and I stayed in the second bedroom. It was quiet hot and stuffy in the night and there was no window that we could open to let in fresh air. We would have appreciated some air con. Also the pool was too cold for us to swim in.

Booked a room for that says for 5 guests for 175nzd. When we arrived we got charged for 2 extra persons as the booking is for only 2 persons. Nevertheless, my family and I had a very nice stay in Paihia. Our room has a very nice view of the sea, it is just across the beach, centrally located close to shops and major attractions. The room is very tidy, bathroom is exceptionally clean! It was raining all day when we arrived but we still enjoyed because we were just relaxing in the room, enjoying the view. Just a few cons though- my mom was scratching all night, looks like she was bitten by some insect while she was in bed. And there was a weird noise when we turn the tap on in the kitchen.

Natasha met me at the reception with a welcoming smile and a very prompt and efficient check-in, much appreciated after spending 6 hours driving from Auckland to Whangarei in Easter holiday traffic. Went to the room and could not falter anything!!! Wow your housekeeping staff could train some of Aucklands hotel housekeeping staff on how to clean a hotel room properly! Having managed and worked in hotels for over 25 years I was very impressed at the level of service, value for money and the location of your facilities. I will definitely be recommending Distinction Whangarei in our next company meeting for our future conferences and staff accommodation. Thank you for a wonderful and enjoyable stay and look forward to staying with you again soon

This was a great place to stay. Quite area and a comfortable bed. My only issues were it’s not in the main area of Paihia, there’s no where to eat close by so you have to be willing to walk 20-30 mins to get to nearest restaurants and cafes. Also, information book said WiFi details were on the tv panel but I couldn’t find them and because I was out the majority of the day there was never anyone in reception for me to ask when I got back.

We travelled both islands in New Zealand, staying in different hotels, apartments and motels and this was by far the best. We were greeted very warmly and felt very welcome. The owners have a wealth of knowl about the surrounding area and saved us time and money with the advice in continuing our trip. We will 100% return here. You will not regret staying here. Beautiful location and the rooms are immaculate and very spacious. We will remember our stay here forever

Perfection in paradise. From the warm greeting on arrival to our tears when leaving The Sanctuary, this is the place to stay in Paihia. The hosts go above and beyond with 5 star meals, perfect site seeing recommendations, lively conversation, picture perfect views and a massage like no other. Hopefully this review won't prevent us from getting a booking in the future.

The cheerful greeting from Alistair set the tone for a great stay. Rooms clean and comfortable. Loved the fresh milk offered for the room to add to tea coffee supplies etc already provided in room Wi-Fi works well Pool is large and well maintained although it was too cool for our group to enjoy Several options suggested for local dining .we chose Indian spice and received excellent food and a discount by mentioning we were waters edge guests Breakfast was excellent and our vegetarian guests were catered for.We saw another group being offered gluten free choices. The older building doesn’t look great from outside but the rooms were spotless and well equipped both there and in the newer section Well done Alistair and family

Absolutely unbelievable land, so many viewpoints, lots of places to walk, great facilities, lost a star as their hot tub jets weren't working and our suite smelled a bit like fish, otherwise, really clean and modern suites. Had a private hot tub you could book, very nice but had a covering so couldn't see the stars at night. Close to 'town'. Went on a snorkeling trip to the Poor Knights Islands, not very good value and very rocky boat ride there. Chose snorkeling over diving as diving was very expensive, but very picturesque. Lovely staff, super friendly, nice little shop, highly recommend!

The accommodation was good. Comfortable and clean - which is why I booked there a second time. I have no issue with the accommodation itself. The issue I have is with the response I got when I arrived for a second visit and was told that they were fully booked for the type of suite I had booked and the booking should never have been allowed. The person I spoke with was less apologetic to me and more concerned that the booking had been allowed via Agoda at all! I am sure I filled in contact details when I booked online and was surprised that the motel had not tried to contact me to explain the situation before I arrived. Nor had they tried to contact Agoda to find out what had gone wrong. Instead I contacted him later in the evening to let him know that other websites were also showing available units of the type I had booked, so the issue was not solely with Agoda. They could have (and should have) checked this out themselves - and contacted Agoda to sort it out BEFORE my arrival.

This was the second haka lodge I have been to during my travels around New Zealand and it whole heartedly lived up to the high standards the first lodge instilled. You would be hard pressed to find facilities on par with this haka lodge. You feel at home which is an immensely difficult thing to achieve for a hostel. It offers privacy for those that want it and plenty of social opportunities for those that seek it too. The view is absolutely incredible and you will find yourself waking up early to catch a glimpse of the sun rising. You couldn’t ask for a better location in paihia! You are within close proximity to everything you could possibly need. By far the best part of Haka lodge is it’s staff. They are helpful, friendly, attentive and most importantly “real”. I would strongly recommend this haka lodge to any one!

Ive given casa Bella 5 star in all categories cause we have stayed there a few times now the down fall is WFI zabu I believe is there cheap and nasty internet provider there's a limit on the devices that can logon and you've got about 1 hour online could be shorter depending on what your viewing that's if you are able to get access which we didn't get anything at all!!!

This is an exceptional bed & breakfast. We stayed for 4 nights at the end of Oct and had the time of our life. Inge is a superb host and made us feel so welcomed. Her breakfast is to tie for - 5+ stars! And the view from the breakfast room is better than you see from the photos! Inge is very knowledgeable about the area and made excellent suggestions for places that we need to see. She also helped made tour bookings for us (with discounts!). We will definitely return and visit.

We initially booked for only one night, but decided to stay for 4 and make this our base for exploring the Bay of Islands to the north and east. The room was not big but quite comfortable, with a small balcony that overlooked the garden. Being a standard room, it had no aircon. Instead it had a ceiling fan which was so high up that it was useless. The pedestal fan kept us cool but was a little noisy. Good modern bathroom also with a very nice range of organic toiletries. The hotel had good facilities for the price (restaurant, internet and pool) although of these, we only used the internet. We liked that the hotel was at the southern end, just out of the centre, but still an easy walk to the cafes, activities and shops. The staff were pleasant and attentive.

Our first stop on our North Island tour was the Bay of Islands, and the staff at Breakwater Motel really helped our holiday get off to a fantastic start. When we checked in, I asked about what to do around Paihia, and they helpfully gave me relevant brochures and information. After picking an activity (swimming with dolphins), they rang around and found me the best time and price from the local tours, and we were all booked for the next day! They also suggested some good places to eat. The room was very pleasant; one of the few motels that we stayed in with a bedroom separate to the kitchen/lounge, and a decently-sized bathroom. Everything was nice and clean. Parking was in a bay literally right outside the front door. The WiFi actually worked, was decently fast, and the data allocation was relatively large for New Zealand (200MB each). The location is perfect: the last motel on the Paihia strip, so very quiet, but only a few minutes' walk from the central wharf area with all the shops and restaurants. The only downside to it all was it was the most expensive place we stayed in during our entire tour, but I think that reflects the prices in Paihia generally.

Loved it! Gorgeous little place in the woods in kerikeri town. About a 5min walk to restaurants etc. Secluded! With a pool and a cute cat. Booked on the day through Agoda.com. Unfortunately booked at the same time as a walk in. Rung to confirm arrival time after 8pm and he lovely lady gave me another room, an upgrade for the same price. So relaxing. I sat on the balcony drinking my red wine and eating my Thai takeaways while I wrote. My room 8 had a shower and toilet in the room with nice shower gels and a makeup face towel and wipes, plus a hairdryer. Other rooms don’t. Lots of tea and coffee and a full set of crockery and cutlery too. Small fridge with milk. Blinds and curtains. Super comfortable bed and sheets, just make sure you close all doors! I let 2 mosquitoes in and spent a whole tracking it down. There is insect spray in the room. You are surrounded by nature so there will be insects in your room. There is a walk from the property to the fairy pool, just behind the car park. Lovely bush walk which takes around 15min.