Koru B&B Homestay and Cabin — Hotel in South Island

I’ve booked in November a standard studio with a balcony & sea view for couple of nights ( new year eve) via booking.com!||The host ( Nigel) rang me a day after and asked me to cancel my booking through booking.com and just come over on the day as he can’t afford their commission! I did as requested as I felt for him! ||We arrived with our new born baby and instead of the room we have booked we received a disgusting place attached to barn! No view, no balcony, dirty & dusty with a portable toilet which made everything worst with its disgusting ongoing smell 😷||The host is an absolutely rude mad man & racist! I wish I could have record all he said and shared here! After all his offensive comments he said he doesn’t care if we’re not happy & this is what it is! Also he tried to overcharge us with asking more than what it was on booking.com however we didn’t pay which made him more grumpy! Since it was holiday season and everywhere fully booked we had to stay there but it was the worst place ever I’ve seen in my life!! Have to add he also rented out the yard in front of us to a camper van and since the place has neither curtains nor keys, we had no privacy! He disappeared in the morning & we had to deal with no hot water ( with our new born baby) for the rest of our staying! ||As I have booked this place to surprise my husband I felt too embarrassed however he’s all about let it go, these 2 days will go and we’ll forget this accommodation & this horrible host! ||He made the worst holiday for 3 of us not only with false advertising about his place which is literally a barn not standard studio but also with his abusive, offensive, racist language...

We stayed 3 nights with Nigel, and this was our second visit. We love the place. Nigel is a great character, and an excellent host. There is a variety of accommodation options - best to check with Nigel to make sure you find out what is available, and are clear about what is on offer. Accommodation in the main house is great, but there is also a really nice, fully self-contained and large cabin nearby. There is also a caravan, and a small room that is part of a former barn. The property is maintained in top condition, and is only a short walk from the beach where you can feel the power of the Tasman Sea. The location is great - being quiet yet still within reasonable driving distance of Punakaiki and the Paparoa National Park. Nigel was our personal guide for a 12 km run through the loop track up the Punakaiki River, along the Inland pack track and back alongside the spectacular Pororari River. We hope to be able to stay there...

When arrived met by nervous caretaker who appeared embarrassed about the accommodation. Room was pretty much a shed damp and uninviting. We were told when we arrive at 4pm we only had until 6pm to use hot pool/spa that didn't work out as we were starving and wanted to eat. The bed was like out of a budget horror movie springs poking through and the pillows were so thin and flimsy. The toilet was a chemical one that didn't flush. The breakfast was old dry cereal in jars a carton of long life milk and a toaster with no bread... the coffee was a clump of old coffee in a Jar unusable. I know it was cheap but that was not worth even $100. My advice use my money to get a second hand pillow top mattress. Take away offering breakfast and use the money to just have tea coffee sachets and decent milk. Take out the toaster it haunts you when there is no bread or no shop...