Sandy Feet Hotel — Hotel in Christchurch

WORST HOSPITALITY EXPERIENCE IN NEW-ZEALAND. The owner is such a rude man, who talked to us in a very disrespectful way and didn’t honour the booking engagement. When we had our check-in, he showed us a different room that we booked for 3 nights. “LEAVE IT OR TAKE IT!” Was his words—- Shocked, which let us without words for few seconds as we obviously didn't want to stay there. Such a RUDE answer! A “Sorry” would have been more than appropriate for his mistake. Every room have different features, you don’t end up luckily with the ensuite, and each have their own booking space online! Unfortunately we couldn't move as we didn't have the car anymore and loaded of luggages as we were leaving the country. HENCE the whole purpose of the 3 days booking that we did few days in advance. We negotiate to move the last night to the room we initially booked. No communication till the last day, when a friendly housekeeper told us the room was ready and told us that if we leave the room before 11:30am it will be perfectly fine, as it was a last-minute notice. Not 1 minute later, Rude person came. No "Hello", just "please Leave the room NOW" showing it with hands as he was showing exits in the plane! Maybe we needed a picture as well?? Rushing us without notice and on top of that, using bad manners. End of afternoon, back to the room, it's cold, a rainy autumn day, end of March, we decided to switch the heater, where it's mentioned "do not use in summer". 30 seconds later, the owner knocked and say "Do not use the heater, it's written "DO NOT USE".”. Yes, we read it as well, the whole inscription mentioned "summer". It's not a big deal, you can tell us in a "Normal" way. Why using such an aggressive authoritarian tone?? Not needed and again, disrespectful. All in all, such an Horrible communication, please do something about it for whoever are coming to your place, which of course we don’t recommend.

We plenty understood from the beginning you were the owner, who didn't take responsibility of the mistake of the booking, but We are Your Guests, the one you provide accommodation for, and make a living out of it. So a minimum of respect, as a person in general, and as working in hospitality would be more than needed...

Pros: Location of the accommodation was great - 15 minutes into the city centre. The bedroom itself was like a small studio, good quality bed (though keep in mind that it moves a lot as it's on wheels) and essentials for a short term stay. The size of the room was very spacious, and we were right beside the kitchen and back door. This property was very quaint and suitable for people wanting to be near both city and beach. Cons: This is not a hotel, it is a home that has been modified to resemble a hotel - so be prepared that hot water will run out if the lodging is full! I had some concerns about privacy during this stay. My full name and room number were displayed on a whiteboard at the entrance, along with other guests, which felt intrusive and not what I was expecting. When my partner asked the host to remove my last name for privacy reasons, the response was dismissive, with the host remarking that none of his other 18,000 guests had raised this concern before. This left us feeling uncomfortable for expressing a legitimate concern.

The ensuite bathroom also raised serious issues. It lacked a fan, resulting in visible mould on the ceiling, and strangely, there was a small fridge placed directly opposite the toilet, which felt unhygienic.

The property’s overly strict rules further added to the discomfort. There is a no noise policy after 10pm (which is reasonable if not for the extremely thin walls) and guests are prohibited from using the kitchen after 10pm, with the host issuing an immediate $50 fine if disturbed—a policy stemming from a previous guest leaving the stove on overnight. Combined with thin walls that let noise travel easily, the environment felt more restrictive than relaxing, more like a boarding school than a...

We arrived at Sandy Feet Hotel at 6pm — parked the car, grabbed our bags, and made our way to the front gate... only to find it shut. The exterior was fairly unassuming, and there were no clear instructions on what to do next, except a vague note telling guests to park on the road.

So, in the rain and freezing winter cold, with our luggage in tow, I gave the owner a call and politely let him know we had a booking and were waiting outside his driveway. His response? “And? What would you like me to do about it?”

I was honestly flabbergasted. Still, I held my composure and asked, “Could you please let us in?”

His reply: “Just lift the latch and let yourself in.”

Right. That wasn’t hard — but the snarkiness really wasn’t necessary. Still, I let it slide... mainly because he had a cute dog.

Now for the stay itself:

We only booked a night and were in the room for about seven hours total, so expectations were minimal. We had the Studio with Garden View, which is a cosy, private room detached from the main house with its own terrace. That part was lovely — peaceful and secluded.

There was a heater, though it didn’t do much; my friend and I kept waking up cold throughout the night. The biggest thing to note: the toilet and shower for this room are in the main house. So yes, if nature calls, you’ll have to walk through the cold and potentially the rain just to do your business.

Admittedly, I didn’t mind too much — it’s all part of the charm, maybe? But it’s definitely something to be aware of if comfort and convenience are a priority for you.

Location-wise, it wasn’t too much of a hassle for us since we had a car. But it may not be the most accessible if you're relying on...