Copthorne Hotel and Resort Solway Park Wairarapa

The room was a good size, with a good bed and facilities, and the staff were all friendly and very helpful. It looks like the hotel used to be quite fancy, but it seems not to have had any updates in the last 20 years. The carpet needs steam cleaning, and the locks need updating.

It's been two months since my stay, and I waited to see whether my feelings would change. They haven't. An Easter promotion email for Solway Park brought it back to mind, and my first thought was that I wouldn't stay there again. I booked and paid for the room online about a month ahead. Check-in and the room itself were fine, though the place was a bit tired, with peeling wallpaper and some maintenance issues. It was generally tidy. I left early, and no one was at the front desk when I went to check out, so I put my key card in the drop box. While visiting family in Masterton, I checked my credit card statement and saw I'd been charged for the room a second time. I went back to explain, and the staff member was helpful and refunded the money, but the mistake put me off. Something wasn't handled properly at check-in or check-out, and it caused me hassle. I'd expect more professionalism, but that was lacking. If I need to stay in Masterton again, I'll choose somewhere else to avoid the same trouble.

The food was awful, and the customer service made the stay even worse. We booked a bed-and-breakfast package through the hotel's own website at least a month ahead, and made that clear at check-in. The shift manager confirmed the booking. Even so, breakfast staff accused us of not paying on two mornings, argued with us at the table, stared us down during breakfast, and followed us along the corridors toward our room. They only stopped after I said how disgusted I was. At checkout, reception still had the facts wrong, and the issue ended only when we showed the booking confirmation email. They had been about to charge us extra for breakfast on top of the package. The breakfast itself wasn't worth the hassle: greasy, undercooked bacon, tinned sliced mushrooms that seemed days old, sloppy lukewarm tomatoes, scrambled eggs as the only option, and coffee at room temperature. Dinner at the restaurant the night before was well below par too. I'm not sure the scotch fillet was even that cut; it was tough as old boots, had no green peppercorn gravy, and came with a spoonful of mash and a small handful of vegetables. The tea, coffee, and hot chocolate in the room were empty when we arrived. After years of staying here, this was the last time. We're very disappointed, and so far there has been no follow-up or apology.

After several bad stays, I'm adding my voice to the other one-star reviews. The service is poor, and staff often seem unwilling to help when you ask for something. I've come to think the hotel doesn't train staff for this kind of work, so they simply don't know any better. The food is another problem. It's either pub grub or overpriced, supposedly gourmet food that can be overpriced or under-seasoned. The all-day menu is appallingly bad, and the full menu isn't much better. Everything seems to be run on a tight budget, even though the prices aren't budget.