Omarama Hotel — Hotel in South Island

I had the experience of staying in the Omarama Hotel recently. I use the word 'experience' wisely. The hotel is centrally located in Omarama which is a great base for exploring this part of New Zealand.The hotel is located on the junction of two State Highways, so all seemed positive. The hotel is quite busy in the evenings and attracts a sizable food trade,the quality of which I cannot comment on as I did not sample or indeed examine the menu. The hotel bar, which is also the location for the restaurant, is also very busy and has a very busy trade. It probably was one of the most consistently and relatively lively pubs that I encountered during my time in New Zealand.The bar attracted quite a few locals and of course some guests and holiday makers who were staying in nearby accommodation. ||We booked on a bed & breakfast basis and were told in advance and on checking in that the guest rooms were on a 'shared facilities' basis which is not unusual in the context of New Zealand accommodation. The young lady who showed us to our room highlighted the 'facilities' on our way to our room and suggested that we consider using the wheel chair facilities as they were more user friendly ,which was indeed quite true. The ladies and gents facilities were,to say the least, quite bleak and spartan. The room itself was clean and tidy even if it was quite basic in terms of furniture and equipment etc. The chest of drawers complete with centre mirror and two wing mirrors is surely a collector's item and a source of considerable nostalgic banter about life in a bygone era. While the room was generally comfortable the creaking floor boards on the corridor removed the need for an early morning call as they creaked tunefully to the foot steps of early risers who were availing of the 'facilities'. The breakfast was entirely of the self service variety as we did not see any evidence of staff in the breakfast room on either of the two mornings that we dined there. The absence of even a carton of juice, the limited choice of cereal and the fact that some guests had to explore the nearby kitchen area to find some pieces of cutlery gave a whole new meaning to 'self service' There was of course a toaster and an ample supply of bread together with basic tea and coffee making facilities. The hotel is decorated with many interesting pictures and reminders of its former glory including some fairly memorable and imposing emblems of the local rural and farming hinterland. A number of these photographs,particularly in the breakfast room, caught my eye and are undoubtedly of local historical significance and point to the longstanding high profile of the hotel in the local area. However the photograph acknowledging developments in the hotel in the early part of the twentieth century appears to mark an end of progress, as the celebration of the arrival of the 'wireless'included in the caption to the photograph, obviously refers to radio frequencies as the hotel appears to be largely unaffected by some more recent developments such as WiFi or indeed many other so called modern conveniences. This certainly was a trip back in time and being of a sentimental nature I found the experience both charming and...

After several days of cycle touring and staying in country pubs I was expecting the same level of service and genuine hospitality from the Omarama Hotel. First surprise was being told that the single room prices on the website ($45) were incorrect and that I would be required to pay $70. This got me a single bed in a corridor where the floor was uneven, had holes in it and creaked loudly whenever anyone walked down it, which was frequently. There were no guest tea and coffee facilities and when I inquired was told I could probably get something from the dining room but there 'there is no milk'. the is the only place I have EVER stayed at in New Zealand that doesn't cheerfully make tea/coffee available for guests. On asking if there was a washing machine I might use I was told 'no, because we would have to charge you for it'. by this time I wasn't surprised. But I was surprised to read in another review that there was a 'lounge' and that there there was a basic breakfast available. Neither of these things were offered when I asked about room availability and what I would get for it. The worst deal I've come across in...

We found this accomodation very disappointing, and hugely overpriced! The room was very old. The window was broken and wouldn't shut, therefore open to the south. Needless to say the room was very cold and had no heating. Luckily we had an electric blanket although could only have one side on at a time because there was only one power point. Creaking floor boards in the room and in the hallway kept us awake. There was no going to sleep at a reasonable time as you could hear every word spoken in the bar. Breakfast was white toast, blue milk, and some cereal . Although you could order a cooked breakfast if preferred for an extra cost. The young female staff were very friendly and helpful. Showers and toilets were very basic and not enough for a lot of guests. The person who we assume was the owner or manager was not...