Howick Motor Lodge — Hotel in Howick

We were welcomed by staff at the motor lodge when we checked in and saw them everyday on site, they were friendly and kind and went out of their way to help whenever possible. Pooja was lovely and helped us when we needed it. We stayed in a family apartment which had a kitchen, table, sofa, coffee table, king size bed, tv and tv unit, a wardrobe/cupboard and 2 bedside tables downstairs. It has stairs up to the messinine level which had 2 single beds and a bedside table in between, a cupboard and a fan plus 2 reading lights. Upstairs was also the bathroom with a separate toilet, shower, sink and toiletries stocked up as and when needed. Outside we had a small courtyard with a picnic bench which caught the sun most of the day, was clean and was painted a light colour rather than just brick which made it nicer. The apartment was cleaned daily and beds made with fresh sheets. Even the washing up was done if we had left anything from breakfast after going out early (not expected but was very sweet of them to do). There is a laundry on site with washing machines, tumble dryers and a outside washing line. Inside the apartment we had an ironing board and iron which was very useful (although the iron could probably do with being updated as it didn't get very hot meaning it took longer to do the ironing!) There is also a swimming pool though we didn't use this.

Its in a great location with lots of facilities nearby such as shops, petrol station etc. Howick beach is a 5-10 min drive, access into more central Auckland is 20-25 mins dependent on traffic. Lots to see and do in the area and Howick Village is really lovely.

Overall I would give this 5 stars, it is slightly dated in places but it very clean, tidy and the staff are lovely. We felt...

Free parking right outside the room - that's about it for nice. Negatives : Hard to get in and out of the property with the busy road. The office is not always manned - a sign saying to ring someone - not answered in any great hurry. The whole place is very run down and dingy. Their front photo with swimming pool is a deceiving draw card. There was a lot of unclean spaces in the room, outside in the 'porch'. Terrible decor, rusty fittings, bathroom extremely dated, dusty, crappy couch that was uncomfortable.||The windows looking outside were filthy (see my photo), the couch was dirty and lumpy, the taps took a long time to come on and poor pressure when they did, the shower faucet is from the dark ages with a dribble for a pour and a cold stainless steel shower floor, stairs are narrow and creak (you have to climb to 2nd floor for the loo and shower (bed is downstairs), the porch does not look anything like the hotel photos (disgusting concrete, damp, stained with an old wooden table and ashtray - that's it - not like the advertised photo with wine, new wood, plant, clean ground), the door to the outside was broken so had trouble going outside anyway! The bathroom looks big on the panoramic photos, but it's small. The hairdryer is super old fashioned with hardly any pressure (luckily one in the cupboard). We didn't notice rather late in the evening that we had not been given any coffee sachets - had to call out of hours to get them - not good service. Toilet paper is...

If you’re after an adventure holiday without leaving your hotel room, this is the place for you! The towels were so frayed they looked like they’d survived a pirate battle, and the flannels were basically transparent — I wasn’t sure whether to wash my face with them or use them as a microscope slide.||Toilet paper was a rare and precious resource, running out quicker than front row tickets to a Taylor Swift concert. And the shower? Let’s just say it was hosting its own ecosystem. The mould was thriving so well I half expected David Attenborough to pop in and narrate. I joked that if I ate it, it might cure the bug I had — two stars for medical innovation potential!||Would I stay again? Only if I bring my own towels, TP, and...