YHA Rotorua

The price is low, but I wouldn't choose this place again. I booked a private room with its own washroom through Booking.com, and the photos gave a misleading impression. The walls are so thin that I could clearly hear the neighbours talking, including during sex. The room didn't feel sturdy either. You could feel vibrations when people shut car trunks outside, when traffic passed, or when guests came and went. There's no air conditioning for summer, and although you can open the windows, there's no mesh to keep bugs out. The bathroom wasn't properly cleaned when I arrived. The shower was dirty, with mold on the ceiling and in the corners of the shower floor, and there were spider webs. The sink and toilet didn't look as though they'd been scrubbed recently. If you want more privacy, a steadier building and fewer disturbances from outside, I think paying a bit more for another hostel or hotel would be better.

The beds and rooms were pleasant enough, with a bit of privacy, and the hostel is in an ideal spot right beside a thermal park. The shared kitchens, bathrooms and common areas, though, left a lot to be desired. We also had a bad experience with a family of travelers who were drinking and noisy all night. Several children were banging on the door at 6:00 a.m.

We'd stayed at Haka in Wellington and Auckland CBD before, and those previous stays were very good, so we arrived with high hopes. This Rotorua one has a lot to improve. The kitchen was the dirtiest I've seen. The old pans had peeling Teflon that looked like a health hazard, counters and seating were covered in crumbs and dirt, and the sink was piled high with dishes every morning. We saw at most one or two people trying to clean, and it didn't seem like enough staff for the job. Our en-suite ceiling was covered in black mold, and after each shower there was a horrible smell, probably from bad plumbing. There was meant to be a heater in our room, but they didn't have enough to go around, so we had to ask for one for two days while they rotated them between rooms. We paid for parking, but if someone else took our space, there was nowhere else to park. We had to tell reception, which only helped if it wasn't after hours. Some guests seemed to be full-time residents from lower social classes. We don't mind that if people are polite and clean, but it felt very different from the other Haka Houses. If you stay in your room and don't have mold everywhere, it might be OK. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.

I've spent many nights over the years guiding groups at Haka House locations, which are generally good, though not as good as the pre-Covid YHAs they replaced. Rotorua was a bad experience last night. The first person we dealt with at reception was very rude and unfriendly. All the rooms our group used needed a better clean. There were stained pillowcases, grimy shower curtains and toilets that needed a deep clean. The kitchen surfaces were dirty too, and the microwaves and fridges needed cleaning out. It was very disappointing, and I sincerely hope they sort it out.