Wairakei Resort Taupo — Hotel in North Island

Wairakei… not the place it used to be :(

A rude and inefficient check in taking over 20 minutes and requiring management intervention is unacceptable for a straight forward booking. The check in clerk also lied, falsely saying we had a pool view room and then I asked if we could have an extended check out on Tuesday, (hotel emptied on public holiday Monday) knowing that she still said no. When we finally arrived at our room, it did not look over the pool, had no view and was right at the end by the carpark and next to a very noisy heat pump machine. We were immediately annoyed that we had been lied to. If she had just told us the truth I would have been understanding about it as we knew it was busy with it being the long weekend. That evening we were too tired to go out for dinner and wanted to order room service. We rang reception and asked if they do room service and she said yes and to dial a 4 digit number. I said we don't have a phone in our room. She said oh sorry I'll put you through to the bar now and when we got to someone at the bar they said no we don't do room service. I was absolutely horrified that a hotel that had gained a 4 star rating has removed this as a service, not to mention the dramatic increase in the menu prices. In the end we had no choice but to get uber eats that we had to go collect from reception because we were not going to get dressed up and go to their bar to be served a $38 burger. The pools are hardly maintained and were not cleaned our entire visit, another huge bummer is that their private spas were permanently closed and the old two spas that they had up and running were not private and the jets were not working! That evening we went to their geyser bar for dinner. I asked if they would make me a pina colada. They told me it would be $2 more than the most expensive cocktail on the menu so I decided not to have one. When my burger came I was expecting amazing for $38 but I was given a burger served with an undercooked egg on the top. We then had someone who seemed like the manager come over and apologize saying it was the first night with this menu which was clearly another lie. I have to say although the resort is in a beautiful setting and the room is quite comfortable, its poor management and staff that lie and contradict themselves has made me extremely saddened by this visit. It is clear to me that this resort is extremely understaffed. I feel Wairakei has become a false advertisement as it's clearly operating on its old glorified reputation, but still charging very high prices for half the experience! The fact that the resort was fully booked on the Sunday night and they didn't have a fully operational room service available just shows that they are unable to cater to a large number of guests anymore. Its not right to cut costs, hike the prices and lower the standard while maximizing revenue if its at the customers expense! I couldn't even have breakfast because it was $46 and I would have loved to have eaten in their absolutely gorgeous pavilion restaurant. I cant believe they don't even serve dinner here and instead squash everyone in like sardines in the bar, with very little atmosphere and is more like a sports bar with rugby playing on every TV, yet still being charged extortionate a la carte prices! After dinner we asked reception again if we could extend our checkout and even though the resort was pretty much empty they only offered us till 11 when they easily could have given us a much later check out so we could enjoy a swim and a shower before leaving the room. Overall, I feel enraged that I had to spend so much money for a place that was once one of my favorite places to stay in the world since I was a child and I have traveled extensively in my lifetime. It needs to have its 4 star rating removed as it does not have the facilities and staff to warrant this...

My husband has been frequenting this hotel on holiday since he was a child with his family for the past 20 years, and he was all too excited and could not wait to bring me here for our honeymoon. We have spent the past 10 days here and when he drove me out of the gates I could have burst into tears. In my opinion this is the best hotel I have stayed in. We are from Auckland and I had been saying to my husband how I was so against having our honeymoon anywhere in Auckland due to the high stress and business of the city. As soon as we drove up to the gates on our first day here, I instantly felt a calmness about me and my entire demeanor changed from my usual stressed out self. I could not get over the tranquility of the place and the beautifully kept grounds and gardens. The receptionist at the front desk was so welcoming towards us and gave us a big congratulations on our Wedding. Check in was extremely quick, prompt and efficient. As soon as we entered our room we were presented with a lovely Wedding card congratulating us as well as a lovely assortment of local chocolates. It was such a lovely and kind gesture. The room was so beautifully clean and had everything that we could have possibly needed and more. We had the most picturesque view from the sliding door which led out to the outdoor heated pools with the mountains in the background with the rolling steam coming off the pools. It was absolutely breathtaking to say the least. We had a lovely outdoor deck area which we spent many hours sitting and talking in the beautiful sunshine. The housekeeper was so friendly and accommodating no matter what time of the day or night it was. She came in every single day and made our bed up for us so beautifully and gave us fresh towels every day in the bathroom, skincare products, and topped up our milk and coffees and teas. She went above and beyond and she made us feel so at home. The breakfast buffet in the morning was spectacular. They truly catered for all dietary requirements. The variety and the presentation of the buffet was really beautiful. My husband and I absolutely devoured our breakfast every morning with not a crumb to spare. The staff were always so friendly and helpful. We spent our days here lying in the hot pools and when we got hungry, would just hop out and frequent the pool bar for hamburgers and cocktails. We dined at the on site restaurants which were all fantastic and the food was top notch. Once again the restaurant staff were all so friendly and welcoming towards my husband and I. We had many a tea and coffee outside whilst lounging on the deck chairs. Before bed we would frequent the spa pool and sauna before heading back to our hotel room. I also frequented the fitness center to get a bit of exercise in and treated myself to a lovely beauty spa day at the on site beauty therapist. We watched some lovely movies on the TV in our room as they offer SKY movies. We slept like a log every single night without waking once in the night due to the tranquility of the place. We woke up every morning feeling so revived. I just simply did not want to leave and was dreading our final day here. This place absolutely rejuvenated my entire being and my spirit. I cannot wait to return here and carry on the tradition with our own family in the future. This honeymoon will forever be engrained in my heart as well as my memory and will be one to go down in the books. Thank you to all of the staff at Wairakei Hotel for your beautiful service and for making our honeymoon as special as it was. It is definitely worthy of 5 stars and more. I would hands down recommend this hotel to anyone who is in need of a tranquil and serene experience. My husband has promised me that we will be returning in a years time to relive this experience and continue the...

Stayed for one night while passing through and unfortunately the experience wasn't a good one. The room we stayed in, in the original heritage wing, was old and worn and in desperate need of an update. Paint peeling on the walls and stained furniture throughout room made me question the legitimacy of the website photos (definitely not what I thought I was getting for the price I paid). Cracks in shower/bath made it appear like it was dirty. The windows with a carpark view was missing half a sheer so we could not fully open the drapes without sacrificing privacy. Shower strength itself was fantastic and this, along with the comfortable bed were the only two redeeming factors.

The bright light from the corridor outside our room which was kept on all night (and visible through the 2cm gap under the door) interrupted sleep constantly. The floor in the hallway was so creaky (and incase you've got a fear of tacky red carpet, be warned), you could hear every movement outside the room. Service wise, it was okay. Pre arrival, staff very slow at responding to emails or non existent at one point.

A word of caution...a few signs throughout the room stating rooms would be serviced every few days (citing sustainability as the reason and how we need to support them with that). If I was paying a full rate for a room and was staying a few nights, I would be very unhappy.

Buffet breakfast so expensive at $46/person. Options rather limited and would have expected a waffle/pancake option. Bread section sad and limited to cheap loaves of supermarket bread and mini croissants. They also had Marmite and no vegemite which was disappointing. Please do some research into what other hotels offer in their breakfast buffets and note the prices are at least $10 cheaper per person.

Checkout easy and I'm sorry to say but I was glad to be leaving. I would not come back unless huge improvements...