Kaiteri Lodge

I was unsure what to expect after reading the reviews, but a friendly staff member welcomed us and explained the hostel. Yes, it is a backpackers' hostel. We'd booked a family room even though there were only two of us, and it suited us perfectly. It was spotless, with an ensuite, table, chairs, kettle and fridge. The shared kitchen was spacious and had what we needed. The equipment isn't all brand new, but it was perfectly usable for making a proper meal. We had a great stay, so don't let the negative reviews put you off.

We didn't get a wink of sleep on the first night. Doors slammed in the noisy hallways well into the early hours, and other guests stayed outside socialising late. It was a really disruptive evening. The bathroom was generally unclean, with black mould, but the noise was the main reason we booked somewhere else and cut our stay short. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a good night's rest. It seems more suited to young people than families. The location is great.

The ensuite rooms had hardly any fresh air, no air conditioning, and bathrooms that smelled and looked mouldy. The hallways were very loud, with doors slamming, and people drinking in the shared kitchen after midnight. The bed had sagged so badly it was basically just springs. After a sleepless night we moved rooms, only to find the new one backed onto a bar with live music late into the night. The staff understood and refunded our third night. This is a two-star backpackers at best, despite the advertising.

We booked an ensuite room for the summer break because I'm pregnant, and my partner, friends and I thought it would be easier than camping in Kaiteriteri. We camp most summers and are a pretty outdoorsy group. The website had very few photos, mostly just of the bed, and its description of the shared facilities was about all we had to go on. We expected a basic place, but not this. This is a backpackers' or youth hostel, nowhere near the lodge or campsite cabin we thought we were booking. Calling it a lodge, or saying it hosts weddings and functions, is a joke. The information online was misleading, and this doesn't deserve even one star. The shared facilities were disgusting. The Broil King BBQ looked like it had never been cleaned and wouldn't ignite. The freezers were broken, with thawed, rotten food still inside. Staff also left the elements on after dinner, which seemed dangerous and made us feel they didn't care about other people. In our room it was hot and cramped, with expired mattresses that sank under us and no storage, so all our gear had to stay on the floor. The bathrooms were gross, smelled of vinegar and had mould on the shower liners. The noise was too much, and we could only last a few days before checking out. We stayed polite when we spoke to them. We agreed that if we checked out early, they would try to book the room again and refund the remaining nights if they got bookings. Otherwise, we would keep our keys and use the rooms for storage until we left Kaiteriteri. They insisted we check out so they could clean and get the rooms ready in case of more bookings. Instead, they gave their Kiwitours customers free room upgrades at our expense. That left no chance for new bookings and meant we couldn't use our rooms for storage. They twice told us they had booked out nights, then came back saying there were no bookings after all. It sounded like they might have double-dipped. We're still expecting a refund for four nights. This whole mess and the serious misrepresentation caused us distress while trying to manage our holiday in Kaiteriteri. The owner, Antony, was dismissive and said only, "don't have time for this." If he doesn't have time, he should sort it out quickly and pay customers back. The business is poorly run, and I'm not sure how it's still operating. Apparently it's being knocked down soon. The beautiful nearby attractions must be what draw people here. Don't stay here.