Golden Bay Motels — Hotel in South Island

2 night stay at Golden Bay Motel in Takaka. There are a couple of Motels in Takaka, and all were around the same price mark for the dates of my stay. What drew me to the GB Motel was the lovely outlook from the rooms over the back garden. Far better than looking at a carpark or a fence.

Got a message on the day of Check In, to say my room was ready, and the keys were on the bench. The Motel was extremely easy to find, located on the main drag of Takaka on the road towards Collingwood. Whilst not directly in the CBD, the Motel is still absolutely within walking distance. Heaps of parking, including right outside the unit. The Motel is older, but seems to be well maintained and tidy.

My room was a 1 bedroom unit, with the lounge/living area overlooking the back garden, and the entrance/kitchen/bathroom at the front by Carpark. The bedroom was located in the middle. It was a really odd setup. The bedroom was walled off from the living area, but the walls didn't quite go all the way up to the roof. There was also a large window like gap in the wall. So it kinda didn't feel like the bedroom was really 'separate'. Okay if travelling by yourself, but it could be annoying if you were travelling with someone else.

The Kitchenette was well equipped, with pretty much everything you need to cook a decent meal. The only thing it could use was some more Cutlery. It also had a large Fridge/Freezer unit which is perfect for Self Catering. Awesome to have proper Milk! Hallelujah! Soo many accommodation providers just give out that horrid UHT rubbish, so it was awesome to have the proper stuff.

The living area was well set up, with a couple of comfortable sofas and a dining table. Wall Mounted TV with Freeview. Apparently there was Netflix available, but I couldn't seem to work it out. The ranch slider out to the patio and garden was quite old, and was really hard and heavy to open and close.

There is no Heatpump/Air Conditioning unit, but there was a Nightstore type heater on the wall, which did a brilliant job of keeping the entire unit warm and at a constant temperature.

I didn't find the bed all that comfortable, but that's personal opinion. It's always hard to find the perfect bed haha.

The whole unit was impeccably clean and tidy, with everything well maintained. The linen was clean and of good quality.

Being an older Motel, it meant the walls between neighboring units were actually decent, and meant I didn't hear a peep from anyone. Whilst located on the main drag of Takaka, it's hardly State Highway One, and I didn't really notice the Road Noise.

I would absolutely stay again when I return to Takaka/Golden Bay....

We stayed in Unit 1 over the New Year period, and while Lisa, the manager, was lovely to deal with, the overall experience was disappointing.||Upon entering the unit, we were greeted by stained carpet, dirty tiles, and numerous dead bugs on the floors. Crumbs and spiderwebs in the corners gave the impression that the room hadn’t been properly cleaned. The shower caddy was mouldy and fixed to the wall, making it impossible to clean, and the sides of the shower were scummy and mouldy. Additionally, the oven door wouldn’t close, causing the top of the oven to heat up excessively and become dangerously hot to touch while cooking.||The outdoor area also felt neglected, with overgrown weeds and an unkempt appearance. Even near the laundry, it was difficult to navigate through mountains of weeds, rubbish and overgrown plants.||The photos online painted a much better picture of the units, leaving us feeling let down. It appeared we had been given an older, poorly maintained unit, and it would have been helpful if this had been disclosed prior to booking. Older is fine but cleanliness isn’t!||While the staff were friendly and accommodating, the cleanliness and overall upkeep of the property fell far below...

First time ever in Takaka and this place was pleasant. Dated and felt like I was staying at grandmas but thats not a bad thing. Spacious, clean, had everything we needed and Lex was very easy to deal with. He also upgraded us for free to a 2 bedroom unit instead of the studio unit which with 2 toddlers was a godsend!! Very close to town, a 2 minute bike ride down the road. Great central location to go on drives out to different beaches or the Anatoki Salmon farm, highly recommend this if you have kids. Free shed to keep the bikes in, free washing amenities which is great when you're constantly at the beach and bringing half of it...