New Castle Motor Lodge — Hotel in North Island

We are booked for two nights from 20th-22nd Feb at this motor lodge on the outskirts of Roturua. On arrival for check in just before 5pm there was no one on site to check in my wife and I and another German who arrived at the same time. We were given a phone number to call because they had gone out to dinner! We were told our room was open with the key inside. There is a strong smell of sulphur in the air (which is not aparent further into town) so use of the balcony we asked for was not a pleasant experience. Sky TV is advertised but only rubbish freeview and Sports channels are available so if it is raining (as forecast) and not a sports fan you have no entertainment as there is not a single movie channel provided. The rooms are spartan and dimly lit and the outlook is over a very basic gambling outlets car park which is not evident on the photos the motel advertises. We went out for a meal and on our return found the whole motel illuminated with garish xmas type coloured lighting (yuk). After our first night we asked to check out without the hotel levying a cancellation fee for the 2nd night but they refused. Please note that we booked only a day earlier but their cancellation policy is no refund within '30 days' in advance of your booking. This is ridiculous as it suggests they will not be able to replace your booking within a month yet they showed no vacancies on arrival !! Stay clear as there are many other similarly priced options further into town. This is certainly not good...

We discovered this one online and after reading Trip Advisor reviews. This place is a little gem. Definitely one that we will be coming back to for our future stays. Owners are friendly and accommodating. It is at the end of town though if you have a vehicle it is only minutes from everywhere. You can walk to town if you chose to do that and all the supermarkets are close by. Directly across the road is a rose garden and park for the little ones (and big ones). Next door you will find an indoor bowling and entertainment centre. There is also a take away store not far away. Recommend visiting Redwoods which is about 5 mins drive away and also the lakes that are part of Lake Tarawera. We stayed in room 103. This unit had a little kitchenette. Cooking utensils provided as is dish washing liquid. You will need oil, salt and things like that. Bathroom in this room had a very relaxing spa bath. The unit is very spacious and comfortable with some tasteful decor. The wifi is very fast and reliable and the television has many channels to chose from. Nice little deck area with timber table and chairs to relax on with a cuppa after being out exploring the local sights. A nice touch was the different decorative lights at night. Our little one loved this! The area is quiet and seems relatively safe to walk around. As I mentioned, we will definitely be staying at this place again. Thank you for a pleasant,...

Be warned, people! I booked New Castle Motor Lodge for 2 nights with my family (me, my wife and 2 kids) and we fled after one night, totally devastated. The property is very basic and dirty. The service is non existent. The walls between rooms do not hold sound and there were loud drunken guests next to our room. On top of that there was no water in the room because the pump was broken. When I confronted the reception manager (he is most likely the owner as well) in the morning, he got defensive and offered me my money back. I agreed and he issued me a written, signed confirmation of the refund. After that I sent 2 emails inquiring about the refund status, none were answered. As of the time of this writing, 2 weeks passed and no money are refunded - so much for keeping the promise to the client. I do not recommend to come close to this property if you want clean, peaceful and safe stay for you and...