Beach Front Motel

Stay Period: May 2026 Booking Grade: Family Studio Assigned Room: 1F *Written from a Japanese perspective and viewpoint. *As I stay 100-130 nights a year both domestically and internationally, this is mostly a personal memo. My priorities are mainly the bathroom, gym, and laundry facilities. ■Overall Impression It's amazing to find such a spacious room with a large bathtub and a great location in New Zealand for 11,000 yen/night. Considering it was a weekend with a marathon (and the starting point was right in front of the hotel), the cost-performance ratio was excellent. There was a supermarket nearby, and I hardly felt any inconvenience during my stay. While the Wi-Fi was slow and the cleaning was somewhat lacking, overall I was satisfied. I would definitely like to stay here again if I have the opportunity. ■Location -Access from nearest station, airport, etc. About a 10-minute taxi ride from Hawke's Bay Airport. Alternatively, take the Route 4 bus from the airport to Dalton St (Napier CBD) (about 30 minutes) + then a 10-minute walk. The bus fare is 3.4NZ$, and payment is only accepted in cash or with a special card called a Bee Card. However, since purchasing a Bee Card requires 5NZ$ in cash, it's probably better for international travelers to just pay the standard 3.4NZ$ fare. For reference, New Zealand is almost 100% cashless; during my 10-day stay, this bus was the only place I used cash, forcing me to exchange money just for this. If that seems ridiculous, you could consider taking a taxi or Uber and paying by card, although this will be more expensive (around 50NZ$). -Nearest convenience store/supermarket "PAK'nSAVE Napier" is highly recommended; it's about a 5-minute walk from the hotel. They have almost everything, including bread, ham, cheese, and alcohol. It's generally cheaper than surrounding supermarkets (like Woolworths). Also, they have self-checkouts, so you rarely have to wait in line. The fact that it's open from 7am to 10pm is also great. There's a small shop right outside the hotel, but unless it's an emergency, there's no real benefit to going there. -Surrounding Environment, Restaurants, etc. There are no affordable restaurants within walking distance. Walking north for about 7 minutes will take you to the center of Napier, where there are a fair number of shops. For reference, "Vinci's Pizza" is a popular restaurant with good value for money, and the service is quick, so even if there's a line, it doesn't take too long. However, in Napier, if you don't have a particular restaurant in mind, it might be more enjoyable to buy bread, sausages, and wine at the aforementioned supermarket and eat them at the hotel. ■Room Interior -Size Quite spacious and satisfying. Conversely, it might be a little too spacious for one person. -View The family studio room only overlooks the parking lot in front, so it's not particularly beautiful. Note that other categories offer rooms with ocean views, but these may not have bathtubs. -Wi-Fi Actual speed was 5Mbps, slow...not very usable. -Bathtub There's a large circular jacuzzi, not really a bathtub, and of course, you can fill it with water and use it like a regular bath. At 175cm tall, I could stretch my legs out comfortably. However, you need to wash your body in the shower. - Hot water temperature: Very hot water. - Water pressure: Sufficient pressure, satisfactory. - Bed firmness: Slightly soft, comfortable. - Refrigerator: Large (slightly smaller than a standard household size). - Microwave: Yes. - Security box: No. - Power outlets: Several on the walls of the room, but none by the bedside. Use the outlet behind the TV for powering Chromecast, etc. - Hangers: None found... (Maybe they were somewhere). - Balcony: None. - TV: Yes, not a smart TV. (HDMI port available, so Chromecast, etc. can be used). - Hair dryer: I don't think there was one... - Toothbrush: None. - Noise (adjacent room, outdoors): Slight footsteps from the 2nd floor were audible, but not too bothersome. No significant noise from outdoors. ■ Gym: None. ■ Laundry: One washing machine and one dryer are available next to the hotel front desk. Laundry only accepts 4NZ$ and 2NZ$ coins. However, there was only one toilet for a considerable number of rooms, so it was always in use and unusable whenever I went. ■Cleaning Cleaning was done daily, and they did a minimum level of cleaning, but honestly, I didn't think it was a thorough cleaning. ■Meals None ■Staff The lady at the front desk was friendly and polite. ■Other - I stayed here to participate in the Hawke's Bay Marathon, and the half-marathon start was right in front of the hotel, which was very convenient. - The front desk staff are only there from 9 am to 9 pm, so if you check out before 9 am, you need to put the key in the key box. - I was surprised that the room entrance wasn't a door, but a large window at the front. Without the curtains, the inside of the room was completely visible from the outsid

Motel is in a great spot that is handy to town and had lovely views if you have a unit on marine parade, however the motel needs to undertake some serious renovations. The rooms were clean and tidy but the carpet was stained, walls with chunks taken out of them,half the power sockets didnt work, the was a significant draft from the front door and the heatpump only wanted to work if it was on 24 degrees heat. The layout of the rooms is also what one would describe as interesting with only some wood blinds separating the original bedroom from the add on bedroom which we assume used to be the lounge so there is no privacy or sound proofing, which isnt ideal if its more than just a couple staying. The water pressure was great. Staff were friendly and helpful. The place does have potential to be great it just needs a bit of care

Clean room friendly staff

So relaxing and comfortable with plenty of eateries that are walking distance. Loved it.

Great motel very close to the ocean. Standard may not be very high, but the room was clean and was being cleaned by the room service every day.