Hahei Retreat

After booking, I got an email with a long list of rules. They meant I couldn't bring my nursing infant, who only eats and sleeps and can't walk or crawl. I wasn't planning to spend time in that tiny room outside of sleeping hours anyway. When I said I'd keep the booking, he canceled it, apparently implying I'd leave my baby somewhere else. After reading earlier reviews, I'm glad I didn't stay.

We ended up leaving early because ants got throughout Room 2, including the bed, and into food we'd sealed in a cupboard while we were at the beach. This happened on our second day, even though the room was sealed and locked. We told the owner right away as requested. He gave us ant killer but didn't answer when we asked to move to the adjacent vacant room, and wouldn't let us borrow a vacuum. He blamed us for leaving a couple of breakfast mugs and a bottle out, which I don't think is unreasonable while on holiday. He never apologized, just said it had never happened before. When we asked for a refund, he continued to be unhelpful and came across as aggressive and confrontational. We stopped dealing with him and contacted booking, who were exceptionally helpful, apologized profusely, and arranged the refund. If Brian had been helpful and apologized, we probably would've stayed. The whole booking process had already felt like a lot of hoops, including emailing vaccine passes beforehand, and there was a long list of rules in the room. We'd just moved from the UK and, after more than five months traveling around New Zealand, Brian was the first unfriendly Kiwi we'd met. I expect he'll use his comments below to discredit me. I wonder if he can actually comment and apologize to us.

I had to cancel because Cyclone Gabrielle made the road unsafe, with travel limited to essential trips according to the New Zealand roads authority. There was no power or internet and food was short in the area, yet I still wasn't refunded. I can only say this individual seems to care more about taking the money than about your welfare. -10.

Brian and Helen made us feel very welcome, they’re genuinely friendly hosts. We had a really enjoyable night here and would happily come back. If you’re in Hahei, I’d recommend staying.