Haruru Falls Motel & Conference Centre — Hotel in Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community

The location is phenomenal. Right next to the Haruru Falls. You can listen to the roar and trilling of insect while you fall asleep.

The pool is absolutely amazing. Unfortunately I had to wait until 7pm to swim, because there is absolutely no cover. It's completely exposed in full sun.

I arrived after the office closed and check in was a pleasure. I received email instructions shortly after booking, but then also a text message about 2pm on the day of check in. I was given all codes, told where to find my keys, had an enclosed map to find my unit. It went without a hitch.

The unit was very hot and one fan didn't help. When I open the front door and the back door, then the kitchen door keeps slamming shut because there are no door stoppers.

The bed and chairs are very soft, which many people would love. Unfortunately being older and heavier I did struggle to get up.

The kitchen is perfect with regards to having a built on stove top and all the cutlery and crockery you would need (including pots and pans) to make meals in the unit. Unfortunately it doesn't have a microwave, it had an oven, but there are no instructions on how to use it. I didn't realise it was an oven until my containers started melting.

There were no power points next to the bed, so you can't charge your phone.

The TV has a multitude of options like Disney+ and Netflix or YouTube, but it doesn't have actual TV like TVNZ 1 or Bravo. I was there for 3 days and had to miss out on all my usual freeview programmes.

The staff were incredibly friendly. A cleaning lady came on the 2nd day asking if I needed more towels or my rubbish removed. This is unusual foe short stays and I appreciated it.

I would have liked a little booklet with rules (e.g. what time the pool closes), how to work the oven, nearby attractions, how to work the TV, where powerpoints are, etc.

The place is, for the most part, quite good and value for money. It is a bit dated and with some improvements can be...

The property is in a great location, quiet and silent. The room has quite comfortable beds, it is large, with a table and chairs. The cleaning lady is very kind.

The kitchen has furniture that needs updating and few crockery for cooking. In the bathroom there is a half tub with a polyester curtain for showering and it is unpleasant. At the reception there is a rude girl who should be kinder and read the messages that the customer sends through booking, but perhaps she has not been trained well to do her job. She seems like the owner of the place, but she does not take care of the customer.

In 4 days of stay we never had the room cleaned or the towels changed or the garbage collected (we had to throw it in the outside bins ourselves). Some lights do not work. The TV offers basic Netflix and TVNZ, no normal TV, so no world news and there is no TV instruction sheet, so you can think that the TV does not work.

In conclusion for me it was not a 4 star stay, so the price is high compared to the service offered which is almost zero, but the structure is really in a nice place. I hope the owner reads...

Spent Easter weekend here. Nice to get out of Auckland during the cyclone. Our room was nice. View of the falls was right across from our room. We felt so safe there as the motel has a barrier arm that is locked in the evening from 6pm. You are given an access code to enter after hours. We didn't get to use the swimming pool as we were busy visiting family and surrounding places. Would definitely book this motel...