Parakai Geothermal Motel

Once we got in, the unit was very clean and laid out well. The unusual setup is basically a private Jacuzzi tub. You turn a valve to let hot geothermal water flow in and heat the pool, then you can soak in private. It’s actually pretty cool. The check-in was the difficult part. This is self check-in, and I booked through a Booking app. I was meant to get an email with the access codes beforehand, but it never arrived. Since there’s no staff at the property, I had to scramble to reach someone on travel day and make sure we could get into the unit. The hotel website chat was helpful. The problem was escalated, and eventually geothermal staff contacted me. They gave me a phone number, and I had to provide a credit card deposit for damages, which was meant to be refunded. After I did that, we got a text with the gate code and lockbox number. Communication on the day could have been better. I’d recommend staying here, just make sure you have all your check-in details in advance because there’s no front desk.

Avoid this place like the plague. The woman was unfriendly, and taking credit card details over the phone felt insecure. They live two hours away and there’s no front desk.

My partner and I have stayed here four or five times now. On our latest trip we accidentally booked the wrong date and only noticed when we were five minutes away, at 8:30 pm. There’s no staff member posted there, and the booking couldn’t be refunded, but we called anyway. They were pleasant and fixed it straight away by changing the booking. The staff have always been helpful whenever we’ve needed something, then mostly invisible the rest of the time, which is ideal for a weekend away. The rooms have been tidy and clean every visit. They’re a little dated, but we don’t come for the rooms, we come for the geothermal spa. Each room has a private spa pool on the back deck, and it’s clean, hot and ready to use. There’s another place on the same road that’s okay, but I’ll keep choosing this one. Cheers.

I gave this place another chance after a year. Big mistake. When we arrived, we had to find a cleaner to let us into the room. It was clean and tidy, but very worn and definitely due for an upgrade. The bathroom door wouldn’t open because the lock had jammed. I called for help, but there was nobody around except a cleaner, and the main bathroom by reception was out of order. My partner is a builder and had to remove the handle so I could use the bathroom. These rooms need urgent maintenance. We left soon after and I won’t be back.