Akaroa TOP 10 Holiday Park — Hotel in Banks Peninsula Community

I stayed in this TOP10 quite a few times and for a while, so I think I know this place well enough to give a proper review : and I couldn't say enough good things about this place.

Let's adress the elephant in the room : the view is absolutely stunning, this kind of sunset (see the picture) is something you'll see there quite often and I really miss it to be honest.

Now about the camp itself : I'd say it's a medium/big camp, with quite a few powered sites and most of them are big enough for the bigger vehicles, if you're lucky enough you can book a Harbour View powered site for a few more dollars. They also got plenty of non-powered sites for tents as well as cabins and appartment-like units if you wanna get more confort. From the campsite you can go in town thanks to (a bit steep) 10min walk down the hill so you don't have to take your vehicle to explore the town of Akaroa.

Amenities are super super clean, cleaned 2 times a day during the busiests months and the team is really fast to clean everything. Speaking of which : the team is super friendly, they would always go the extra mile to make sure you got a great time while you stay there, I remember them booking a cruise to swim with the dolphins for me because I wasn't confortable enough with my english to do it myself.

In Short : This TOP10 is an awesome place to stay, and Tracy, Kylee, Pam and Joe are absolute legends...

Very clean and tidy holiday park, facilities very well maintained. Service and communication before and during stay is outstanding. Many of the sites get views.

We took the 15 min walk down into town, yes there are some stairs but if you have been hiking NZ, a walk in the park.

Akaroa, a beautiful seaside town, variety of restaurants and cafes, beautiful old buildings. Everything in walking distance (ok we did walk for a few hours exploring) but also easy enough to drive around in car or camper.

Can’t park your camper right in town, but 5 min walk either side you are fine for a flat walk on. We parked down near the water for the day while exploring, then just drove back up to the campground for the night. (We did the walk down and back for dinner, store manageable even after a few wines)

The giants house is worth visiting, it’s a 800m gradual walk uphill, or just drive up. Campers made it.

We stayed one night which was enough for us to explore Akaroa, steady drive in and out.

Highly recommend Akaroa for a short or longer stay and the Top 10 holiday park is a great place to park your rig...

I understand that Holiday Parks are businesses. But going a little bit out of your way and giving an extra touch does so much for the overall experience (a blowdryer in the bathroom, extra hooks, give DVDs or laundry baskets out against name instead of money). Along with the boom at the entrance, the overall atmosphere was mistrust against people (theft or misuse of facilities from outside). However, other (TOP10) holiday parks do not seem to need to resort to these measures. We had the feeling that the place was crammed. Because it is steep, but also to fit as many vehicle and tent sites in as possible. Pool was at extra cost; media room was not nice. Second shower block is too far away from all sites. It is a very long way into town.

Why do I then give 4 instead of 3 stars? Because even if the whole place feels very serious (instead of, let's say, happy or welcoming), they are also quite serious about cleanliness, order and quality of their amenities. That has...