Howards Mountain Lodge — Hotel in North Island

This review is written in the interest of public awareness.

All statements above are factual and based on my personal experience.

I stayed at this accommodation for a long-term period, in a building that housed two rooms with three people per room. On the second night of my stay, I found a bedbug crawling up a box I had placed under my bed. I immediately informed the other residents and the manager.

That same night, my roommate and two people in the next room also reported bedbug bites. Despite this, the accommodation offered no assistance. I had to cover all laundry and cleaning costs myself. Worse yet, the manager blamed me for the infestation simply because the first visible bedbug was found on my box. Throughout the rest of my stay, the manager was rude and dismissive to all of us who were affected.

After I checked out, the owner sent me an email stating they would charge me for the damages caused by the bedbugs. Fortunately, with the help of people around me, I was able to receive a full refund without having to go to the tribunal, though the process took about two weeks after checkout.

To be fair, the accommodation itself was not in poor condition. Although the ceiling leaked, the room was warm and reasonably comfortable for the price.

I understand that bedbugs can occur in hostels. My complaint is not about the presence of bedbugs, but about how the situation was handled:

I was unfairly blamed for the infestation without evidence.

The management made no attempt to offer solutions such as room changes or laundry assistance.

Instead of acknowledging the issue, the owner threatened to charge me.

The manager treated us with clear disrespect.

The owner's email contained emotionally charged and insulting language, including “You are not welcomed.”

All of this turned not just my stay at this hostel, but my experience in National Park Village as a whole, into a nightmare.

I hope sharing this helps others make an informed decision when choosing a...

A hut with lots of potential. As usual starting with the positive, the location of National Park Village made this lodge really appealing for skiing, hiking and so on. Combined with the cheap price and good looking reviews made me really looking forward to this place. (We stayed in the 4 bed dormitory) This felling carried on upon arrival, the owner was very nice and the lodge looked very nice. The communal area with the pool table and fire place were also very nice. After some time many negative things were made obvious which probably was the reason why the rooms were so cheap. We stayed here for 3 nights and we are pretty sure that the showers, toilet and kitchen didn’t get cleaned once. For example one toilet didn’t have any toilet paper for our entire stay. Furthermore the showers didn’t have a ventilation system just a window, therefore the ceiling above the shower cabin looked like it was covered in black mould. Also the recycling bin in the kitchen wasn’t cleaned once and was overflowing (attached picture). This brings me to the kitchen, which was ok. The lodge had two kitchens, the one we used was obviously the secondary kitchen because it didn’t feel like it was taken care of. The equipment was just basic, for example there were no large spoons and the drying towel wasn’t changed once and there was only one. Additionally this place didn’t really have a backpackers atmosphere even tho it seemed appealing to this demographic. The Wi-Fi also wasn’t all that great, at the beginning it didn’t work at all but later on it started working ok-isch. Covid obviously left it’s mark here but this place has lots...

If I could give this place a minus I would. Absolute worse place I have ever come across. Extremely unhygienic, with previous guests hair all over the bedding, under the quilt cover therefore the sheet hadn't been changed and replaced with clean sheets. The underlay on the bed was MOULDY, the mattress springs were poking through and duck taped onto the mattress, the room stunk, the hallways are dark and the whole place had a weird vibe. The older man in the jag approached my husband to question why we were leaving my husband tool him up to the room to show him why and he mentioned to my husband that those pillows shouldn't have been on the beds as they were display pillows. In fact those hairs on the pillows did not come from us as you mentioned in your booking.com reply my hair is blonde and my children's hair is not black either. Yes we spent time in the room looking for another CLEANER place to stay. We did not lay on those disgusting beds we sat on the floor which is how we also discovered that the floor was filthy. We were covered in dust, what appeared to be dog or cat hair and human hair. I was not allowing my children to stay in that filth. What's the excuse for the MOULD on the underlay under the mattress? The absolutely filthy carpet? The stench within the place? Oh, and the springs duck taped into the mattress? This place should be shut down. Absolutely DISGUSTING. DO BETTER AND STOP EXPOSING people to this filth and infant stop RIPPING PEOPLE OFF. I didnt expect a luxurious resort, but clean yes thats a given and non negotiable. For reference you can see my hair does not match the hair on...