Lake Taupo Holiday Resort — Restaurant in North Island

First time stay, will never stay again! I think as we paid top dollar for our campsite, we expected better. It does seem there were maximum people allowed to camp at the same time, but the facilities ie - kitchen/toilets were rammed and filthy and not big enough to cater for the masses. We camped in a tent, did not take a BBQ as we thought we could use the camping ground ones. Well that was a mistake, as there is only 1 BBQ in the block we were staying. One BBQ! What a joke! There are 2 BBQs in the other block nearer the entrance. Don't even think about using the kitchen, it is very very small for the hoards that used it all at once, and only one oven. Families rammed inside cooking and eating and yelling over the top of each other. Food left everywhere as people could not be bothered to tidy up after themselves, what are their own kitchens like? It was just awful. There were only 2 BBQ tables outside on the lovely grassed area, if there were more tables outside, I am guessing families might have used these instead of staying in the kitchen for over an hour at a time. Fridges/Freezers were also at a minimum, there wasn't any room for any of our food ever, so we resorted to buying copious amounts of ice each day to stay away from the chaos. That kitchen seriously scarred us, it was revolting. The hygiene standards of others saw food in sinks that blocked up, food and wrappers inside the dishracks for your clean dishes to drain. Food on the floor that people had dropped but not bothered to pick up. Now I totally understand that this is not the resort's fault, but it is definitely their problem, and one that needs to be addressed and fixed. Maybe Management should communicate with their cleaners to see how bad it gets. And for the amount of people there each day dirtying up the place, there needs to be a couple of cleaning services a day. Hey wait on, why not have another 2 x sets of Kitchen/toilets for the park? That would really take the pressure off the existing facilities, and maybe invest in another few BBQs while you are at it. I recommend the Management/Owners should have a walk around the park at peak times (ie - Xmas, holiday times) to see what guests are subjected to. The no noise policy..... well we were woken up to an individual at 7.30am on Xmas morning who took their massive speaker to the kitchen, plugged it in and put it outside the door, directed at the campground playing music. Wow, I thought this place was strict on not being too noisy and respecting all campers. Not sure on how you would be able to police this though. We had a speaker, but chose to be respectful and did not blast it with our choice of music, as not all like our music. But we did endure many others favourite hits, many many times. When we booked ages ago, there was a minimum of 7 nights stay, we arrived a day late (our choice) and we chose to leave a day early, we couldn't stomach the filth anymore. There were a couple of positives so I feel I must share, the hydro slides and lagoon the kids really loved. We always showered as soon as the showers had been cleaned, so we never had to que for these or had a dirty shower, they were large, modern and clean. The location is also a plus, very close to the township, supermarkets and scenery. A bit of a shame as we were...

First time stay, will never stay again! I think as we paid top dollar for our campsite, we expected better. It does seem there were maximum people allowed to camp at the same time, but the facilities ie - kitchen/toilets were rammed and filthy and not big enough to cater for the masses. We camped in a tent, did not take a BBQ as we thought we could use the camping ground ones. Well that was a mistake, as there is only 1 BBQ in the block we were staying. One BBQ! What a joke! There are 2 BBQs in the other block nearer the entrance. Don't even think about using the kitchen, it is very very small for the hoards that used it all at once, and only one oven. Families rammed inside cooking and eating and yelling over the top of each other. Food left everywhere as people could not be bothered to tidy up after themselves, what are their own kitchens like? It was just awful. There were only 2 BBQ tables outside on the lovely grassed area, if there were more tables outside, I am guessing families might have used these instead of staying in the kitchen for over an hour at a time. Fridges/Freezers were also at a minimum, there wasn't any room for any of our food ever, so we resorted to buying copious amounts of ice each day to stay away from the chaos. That kitchen seriously scarred us, it was revolting. The hygiene standards of others saw food in sinks that blocked up, food and wrappers inside the dishracks for your clean dishes to drain. Food on the floor that people had dropped but not bothered to pick up. Now I totally understand that this is not the resort's fault, but it is definitely their problem, and one that needs to be addressed and fixed. Maybe Management should communicate with their cleaners to see how bad it gets. And for the amount of people there each day dirtying up the place, there needs to be a couple of cleaning services a day. Hey wait on, why not have another 2 x sets of Kitchen/toilets for the park? That would really take the pressure off the existing facilities, and maybe invest in another few BBQs while you are at it. I recommend the Management/Owners should have a walk around the park at peak times (ie - Xmas, holiday times) to see what guests are subjected to. The no noise policy..... well we were woken up to an individual at 7.30am on Xmas morning who took their massive speaker to the kitchen, plugged it in and put it outside the door, directed at the campground playing music. Wow, I thought this place was strict on not being too noisy and respecting all campers. Not sure on how you would be able to police this though. We had a speaker, but chose to be respectful and did not blast it with our choice of music, as not all like our music. But we did endure many others favourite hits, many many times. When we booked ages ago, there was a minimum of 7 nights stay, we arrived a day late (our choice) and we chose to leave a day early, we couldn't stomach the filth anymore. There were a couple of positives so I feel I must share, the hydro slides and lagoon the kids really loved. We always showered as soon as the showers had been cleaned, so we never had to que for these or had a dirty shower, they were large, modern and clean. The location is also a plus, very close to the township, supermarkets and scenery. A bit of a shame as we were...

A Mixed Bag with Serious Concerns – Not Worth the Premium Price

Lake Taupo Holiday Resort is undeniably clean and well-maintained, with some great features, such as the swim-up bar and a family-friendly pool. However, my recent stay raised several concerns that cannot be ignored, especially considering the extremely high price tag of $175 per night for two adults in a caravan.

Pool Issues:

The pool is a key attraction, but the management of it leaves much to be desired. While the swim-up bar is fantastic, allowing children to eat and drink (including ice creams) in the pool with little to no supervision is unacceptable. During my stay, I saw at least six drinks spill directly into the pool and one ice cream dropped. I personally retrieved two plastic cocktail cups from the bottom of the pool. This lack of oversight risks turning a great feature into a hygiene nightmare. Additionally, while showing children’s movies in the pool during the day is a nice touch, it would be far better if family-friendly PG-rated movies were shown in the evenings, at least after 6 pm, to cater to a broader audience. I won’t go down the track of the amount of drinking and the non frequent use of bathroom.

Campsites:

The campsites themselves are absolutely packed in, creating an environment that feels more like a children’s playground than a balanced holiday destination. While I fully understand it’s school holidays (I have a large family myself), the setup makes it very challenging for adults seeking a relaxing experience. It’s important for the resort to strike a balance that caters to all guests, not just families with young children.

Overpriced:

The cost is exorbitant. For $175 a night, I expected a premium experience, but I was left disappointed. By comparison, we stayed at Waikite Valley Thermal Pools for $75 per night – a far superior experience with natural hot pools and much better value for money. Charging such high prices while providing cramped sites and lacking basic functionality, such as a usable dump station for larger caravans, feels unreasonable.

Understaffed:

The reception staff were friendly but visibly overwhelmed. With only two staff handling check-ins, shop inquiries, and phones, there were frequent queues and noticeable frustration from both customers and staff. For a resort of this size and price, this is unacceptable and needs addressing.

Positives:

On the bright side, noise was well-managed, and things quieted down around 11 pm, which was appreciated. My granddaughter would absolutely love the pool experience, and I’d consider staying one night again just for her birthday. However, anything beyond that is simply unaffordable and not worth it.

Final Thoughts:

Unless you’re prepared to spend a fortune, I’d recommend looking elsewhere, especially during high season. The resort seems geared towards affluent families rather than offering a balanced experience for all travelers. It has potential, but significant improvements are needed in supervision, pricing, staffing, and amenities to justify its...