Baylys Beach Holiday Park

We stayed in a rental campervan without hookups, and it worked well. There's a short walk to a beautiful beach, while back at the park the shared kitchen has a BBQ, fridges and all the cooking gear. The hot showers were clean. There are basic through to deluxe cabins as well as camper hookups, and everything seemed well cared for.

The owners, Kylie and Andy, made us feel very welcome, and the kitchen was well equipped. We stayed in a cabin again, as we have on all four of my visits over the last two years. Ripiro Beach is about a 10-minute stroll away, and its sunsets are well worth the walk down. Sharky’s is handy for a quick meal and drink. It also makes a great base for exploring the West Coast, the Kauri Forest or Kai Iwi Lakes. We'll be back again.

Falling asleep in my tent to the sound of waves crashing on the beach was a highlight. We spent three nights here over Christmas. It was busy, but there were plenty of facilities to go around, and the little holiday park sits in spectacular surroundings. Highly recommend.

I paid $50 for an unpowered site, which felt like top dollar, and found a run-down place with no dump station. When I asked to cancel and go somewhere that had one, they wouldn't refund me, saying the nearest station was only half an hour away and back. I stayed and tried to make use of the facilities, but that was a mistake. The bathrooms were old and disgusting, full of flies, and the lights kept switching off every few minutes. I had to keep going outside to reset the shower timer. I would have been better off finding a nice freedom-camping spot. Worst campsite I've stayed at, and it doesn't deserve to be called a holiday park.