The Sands Hotel Hokianga — Hotel in Kaikohe-Hokianga Community

I have to start by saying that the front desk ladies were all lovely, polite, kind and patient, as well as embarrassed and should never have been put in the position they found themselves. Eventually, a full refund was given, but none the less, travelers should be aware of our experience. And the hotel needs to take action... ||Original room booked was Villa 4, with spa, private outside space and luxury bathroom. The bathroom was great, the rest of the room and kitchen was beyond tired. The sofa and chair had stains on, 2 x legs of the chair were broken and the dining table was so old, marked and stained also. I didn't venture to look inside the kitchen drawers nor the spa. 1 x light fitting wasn't working either. That was enough, and at $355.50 a night, when the hotel states luxury, thats what I was expecting. ||We didn't unpack, I went straight to reception and showed the lovely lady the photos I had taken and asked to be moved. Apparently only 1 other room available (hard to believe). I decided it was better than the previous room, we were both wowed wit the stunning scenery of the Hokianga Harbour (who wouldn't be!) - It was getting late and the thought of a long 3 hour drive home was not on the cards so we decided to accept the room. I was offered a refund for the difference. The second room being $290. ||I am going to let the photos talk for themselves.... However, what the photos don't show was the shower, which had no trap. Running the water for around 15 seconds was long enough for scum and debris to come up the pipe and fill the shower tray. It really was disgusting. ||We were offered a free breakfast but after the shower debacle, our confidence on the standard of cleanliness was pushed to the limit. We left early the next day! ||The reception staff were left to deal with my complaint, which they did in a very understanding manner, but no management, nothing, no letter from them as a way of apology, inconvience or just why they are still offering accommodation which is so clearly not up to standard. |It really was the second most disgusting experience whilst staying in a hotel, motel, campground, even a back packers... ||Management, you really need to get your priorities right. Shame on you for charging these prices and if you were to say you would stay happily in the rooms we were offered, then I will call your bluff, that is a...

Looking at other reviews, i beli||Pros:|- The location is stunning, with beautiful views of the harbour and sand dunes.|-The on-site restaurant served a great dinner.|- The beds were very comfortable.|- All the staff we interacted with were genuinely lovely and helpful.||Cons:|- Unfortunately, the rooms we stayed in were in need of significant maintenance. We booked a two-bedroom unit, which was in poor shape — the bathroom light was missing a bulb and thick with dust, the kitchen had maybe been renoed but left with patchwork floor tiling, and the front and back doors had issues with their locks. |The back patio paneling had also been partially removed, though this was acknowledged and apologised for at check-in and didn’t affect our use.|- There is a refurbishment programme underway. On arrival, there were builders smoking right outside our front door, which wasn’t a great welcome. The next morning, construction began on the unit directly next to ours (shared wall) at 8:30am. The banging was loud enough to shake the walls, and the workers were outside our back door talking and smoking. We had to ask them to move away from the unit.|We called reception and were kindly moved to two connecting rooms on the other side of the property, but the issues continued — both rooms were dark due to the lack of central ceiling lighting(the rooms only have bed side lamps and low lux wall sconces in the bedroom and patio area), one had a cracked bathroom sink, there was unfinished painting on the walls, and a broken privacy door.|- During room servicing, we asked for clean glasses and were told they didn’t have any — the cleaner advised they just rinse the used glasses in the bathroom sink, which was disappointing and unhygienic.||The plan had been to book a room where we could relax during the day on the beachfront, as there isn’t much to do in the surrounding area. However, the condition of the rooms and the ongoing construction made that difficult.||While the room layouts, beach front location, and staff are lovely and have great potential, the property is simply not at a standard that justifies being marketed as a 4-star hotel. At present, the rooms we stayed in are more in line with a basic motel experience. Until meaningful upgrades and maintenance are completed, I wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending it as...

We had an incredible stay at The Sands Hokianga for business and a little bit of a getaway as a couple.

We experienced a warm, inviting and hospitable atmosphere with great customer service and manaakitanga from the team. We loved the warm buzzing bar / restaurant area especially the playlist and menus championing te Reo Māori! Such an important feature for this destination! The check in and check out were a breeze from booking online to our exit. Extra points on solid wifi connectivity and TV access - we love a nice wind down movie!

We decided to dine in to experience the restaurant and food. We chose the Kawakawa Calamari for an entree, a pork belly and sirloin for our mains and shared an apple peach crumble.

The calamari was great! Big portion for two, generous (delicious) sauce with a big salad. I thought it was a main! The sirloin was a winner - cooked to perfection, the size was bigger than I expected with the taste on point however the pork belly could have been abit more moist, more tender. The crackle was leathery. The purée and sides made up for it.

Over all we would rate our first dining experience a 7.5/10

As we are big on supporting local businesses, we decided to come back a second night during our time in Hokianga and we must say, we were impressed and felt The Sands redeemed themselves.

This time we ordered another calamari (because it was really that great!) and added the prawn entree based on recommendation of the staff. We opted for the Fish & Chips to be different and of course tried the Pork Belly in the hopes it improved. Thankfully, this dinner really made up from the other night.

The prawns were 👌🏾 Great portion, again enough for two - complimented with the calamari, it did not miss a beat! Fish & chips was a hit, generous plate size, very filling and tasty! The pork belly was the redemption! This time it was tender, succulent and packed with all the right flavours. Absolute compliments to the chef and the staff!

Second rating for our second stay was definitely a 10/10 We will definitely come back. Next time we’re up!

Keep it The Sands, we can see all the work going into this place, it’s such a beautiful destination worth...