Southern Secret Motel — Hotel in South Island

We booked this on line based on description and photos of premises for the Erehwon Holiday Home. First problem was that the web site quoted rates of $135 + $20 per extra person over 2. This is also the rate shown on a poster on the door yet we were charged a total of $250/night for a party of 5, one being a child. Booked for 3 nights.|On arrival at the motel to meet the host he seemed friendly enough but required payment in full on arrival, we were then directed to the cottage up the road and round the corner from the motel. Arrived at a 70's looking house very overgrown with trees nearly all round it. Opening the door the first reaction was to the very strong musty odour which he had warned us he had opened the place up prior to our arrival but is was still very strong. Craig came in and gave us a rundown of the property and the local attractions in the area plus a little further away then mentioned that the hot water tap in the bathroom sink was a bit dodgy as was the one in the kitchen, he had replacements but hadn't been able to get a plumber. We later found in the visitors book a guest had mentioned dodgy hot water taps in February 2024, can't believe almost 12 months and still no fixes done. Kitchen tap didn't work at all so we were boiling kettle and pots of water to wash dishes.|Bedrooms were ok but we found very thin, to the point of see-through, sheets and one bed had ripped pillow slips, beds were lumpy and the double had a pronounced roll-together feature. Spare pillows were found on the floor under the beds, hardly the most hygienic place, no wardrobes but did have drawers on any of the 3 bedrooms. Curtains in one room had broken or missing slides and did not meet in the middle when closing.|Toilet cistern took an absolute age (30+ minutes!!)to fill which was not satisfactory for 4 adults and 1 child, this again had been mentioned by a previous guest in the visitors book. Shower over bath had d black mould growing in the corner.|Nowhere to hang towels after using to dry for next use, the weather during our stay was dodgy enough to preclude hanging on the washing line outside.|Description of the property says luxury and Luxurious etc. but that is a very liberal interpretation of those words.|is summary if you want to stay in a rustic 70's house (website says built 1991 but build is similar to our first home built in mid 70s) with matching decor, strange artworks but nice furniture by all means try this but it wouldn't be my first choice.|I addressed these concerns with Craig via a 2 page note we left but have not...

Owner very negative about former guests from the moment I arrived. PMy sister and brother- in-law who were camping over the road were shocked by his demands that they not shower in my room. My sis hastened to assure him that, having owned a camp themselves, they understood and had their own shower. I was alone in a room for two and my sis cooked a meal in her caravan and brought it over to eat in the motel. We warmed up corn and potatoes and used less electricity than I would have used cooking alone. As there was no teatowel, I left the washed dishes drying on the sink. When I returned the next day he saw me coming and met me at the door, berating me for having had guest for dinner. He ignored my explanation that they had brought the meal. When I tried to point out that I was paying for a room for 2 he screamed at me and said if booked for one, then that meant only one would use it. I pointed out the he had upset my relatives on arrival and he called me a liar and said they hadn’t heard what he said as he’d said it quietly to me only! He ignored the conversation he’d had with my sis and screamed at me as I left, absolutely shaken, that I was a liar. I must admit I screamed back that he was the worst owner I’d ever experienced! He was screaming so loudly that people on the road were listening! I was left shaking for the day and felt unsettled to spend the night there alone. I felt he...

There are quite a few accommodation options in The Catlins and I was surprised at how expensive there were for the area. I decided to book a twin room here as it was a reasonable price considering being in the middle of nowhere. Though dated in décor, the room was very clean; spacious bathroom and kitchen area which had a hot place for self-cooking etc; the usual tea/coffee with electric jug, crockery, cutlery etc. Craig is a very friendly man, most helpful and the Motel complex actually offers quite a number of rooms. We've scored a 3 but it's more like a 3.5 - almost a 4, as the beds probably need to be updated, especially the sheets as ours were quite threadbare; a couple of the coffee mugs were cracked - one even leaked water when filled; and the oil heater had rust spots all over it but it...