Best Hotels in Russell

BE AWARE IF YOU HAVE SPECIAL CONDITIONS DON”T BOOK THROUGH BOOKING.COM. I booked more than 6 months in advance, asking for a bottom floor as my elderly mother (who needs a knee replacement) can't get up stairs. I get to hotel to find out we are on top floor up steep stairs. I speak to Asian man at reception who tells me no English (Hmmm I thought I was in NZ?), I demand to speak to someone, he calls manager, I explain situation - she asks did I use booking.com or expendia I said ”yes”, she said oh nothing much can be done unless you use our own website as those companies don't know the configuration of the motel. Lucky for us a beautiful lady and her granddaughter overheard all this and offered to swap - as the motel was not going to assist in any way. ANYWAY, it only gets better ..... be aware the rooms look NOTHING like the pictures. Plug points don't work, shower head won't stay up so you need to hold it - oh and it's a shower curtain situation YUK! There is an air con unit looks like from the 1980's and that does not work. I could say more but you get the general warning. I don't like to give this type of feedback in these tough times but $700 (hard earned $$) for 3 nights, I would expect more and not assisting us with our request because we used another agency that ”you advertise on” - is very unfair ...... thank goodness for kind soles who overheard this, as Mum would have never got up the stairs. Disappointed. *The cleaning staff are absolutely lovely ladies, very accommodating and friendly - hard to clean when the place is this rundown. To be fair there is a new section to this hotel - this review is for the grey part of the hotel shown in the pictures. *Wish I took pictures of this room :(

This hotel is very good. We booked a room on the second floor. There is a separate room upstairs with a balcony and a good view. It is not far from the pier and the sea. There are many small shops in the town, which are worth recommending.

When you stay at Bay of Islands Lodge - Hostel in Paihia, you'll be in the entertainment district, within a 5-minute walk of Paihia Beach and Bay of Islands. This hostel is 0.5 mi (0.8 km) from Paihia Wharf and 2.1 mi (3.3 km) from Waitangi Treaty Grounds.Take in the views from a terrace and a garden and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access. Additional amenities at this hostel include a communal living room, tour/ticket assistance, and a picnic area.Featured amenities include dry cleaning/laundry services, luggage storage, and laundry facilities. Free self parking is available onsite.Make yourself at home in one of the 12 guestrooms featuring microwaves. Prepare your meals in the shared/communal kitchen. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected. Bathrooms have showers and hair dryers.

Paihia is so big, there is no geographical place to say, live in the circle of the beach, whatever is the same. There is a swimming pool in the hotel, but it is not possible to use it in winter. The room booked by Ctrip was on the first floor, and the light was completely blocked by the pool. It is really uncomfortable to turn on the lights during the day. The room is quite big, and the two-bedroom apartment has a separate bathroom in each room, which is quite convenient. There is a western restaurant on the doorstep of the hotel, and things are delicious.

On arriving for my 3rd stay at Bounty, I was delighted to find Paul the manager, was still working there. As usual, I was greeted to a very warm welcome, more like an old friend than a casual visitor. The motel offers very clean and comfortable rooms, at a very competitive price when compared to others in Paihia. Its location is only 2-3 minutes' walk from all the shops, bars and restaurants and only 1 minute from the waterfront.

Unfortunately overpriced for the standard of accommodation. Do not be fooled by the website photos. Even my photos make the accommodation look good yet when you are in the room it is clear this place needs work These photos are either way out of date and or hide the true state of the accommodation. This hotel is trading off its awards from yesteryear and is in need a refurbishment We stayed in the Superior Suite on Level 3 I have no problem with three star accommodation. I do have a problem with being over charged for poor quality accommodation at 4/ 5 star rates. On the positive: The hotel refunded $100 when I bought issues below to their attention Friendly reception and cleaning staff. Excellent sea views On the negative: Tired looking rooms Water damaged timber in the kitchen Sofa seating stained and worn/stained dining room seating A shower that floods the bathroom floor due to shower head setup A cassette player in the room. That’s right this room has a cassette player. This shows how old the setup is. No battery in remote. Floor tiles looking dated and old Dated pine furniture Dated amenities in bathroom Exposed wires from TV in bedroom running down the wall instead of being hidden behind the wall No robes in room upon arrival Adjoining doors to next door hotel room unlocked with no key to lock it. Great if you want to your electronics to go missing Rubbish bin in bathroom old and not working correctly Reception closed by either 9.30 pm or 10.00pm and no one to answer phone after these hours (or no one picked up when we tried) No room service after reception closes (you have to prebook after hours room service – who prebooks their after-hours service?) Blunt restaurant staff Apart from the pool area an extremely basic common area setup Exterior of hotel needs a paint job and some well overdue maintenance.

This is a hidden treasure. Its tucked away from everything but is walking distance to the shops. The grounds are very well kept and well landscaped. The pool area with seats and BBQs was awesome and well used. There is a spa as well but we didnt use it. The rooms are more like a hotel and very well appointed. Nothing has been overlooked and all amenities well thought out. The bed was super comfy, the linen above expectation. The staff were friendly and helpful. A tub of all amenities was left in our room with a note saying that the room would not be serviced on New Years Day as they gave most of the team the day off to spend with their families. I really liked this as it showed the managers of the property care about their staff. Overall I was impressed and I look forward to staying here again.