Acacia Waters

The property itself is beautiful, spacious, and good value, but our experience with the host was very disappointing. There were miscommunications, money withheld, inaccurate accusations, and a serious privacy concern. We booked through Holiday Homes NZ. My friend accidentally overpaid $1160, and the host promised to return it on January 2. He didn't, keeping the money for over five weeks after our stay, including through the holiday season. That's a huge sum to withhold and felt incredibly unprofessional. When the refund finally came, $120 had been deducted for a blanket we never took. We checked all our belongings carefully, and none of us even remembers seeing the blanket on the bed. The owner didn't make a genuine effort to look for it, and was condescending when we asked whether he'd checked the house thoroughly. His email insisted the blanket had been at the end of the bed and ended with "end of story." There was no way to reason with him, just accusations without proof. The listing said there were no security cameras when we booked, but we later found one overlooking the spa. Being filmed unknowingly in bathing suits in that intimate area felt like an invasion of privacy. We reported it to Holiday Homes NZ, and the listing has since been updated to say there are cameras. We understand why a property might have security cameras, but they should have been disclosed. Despite the appeal of the house, the host's behavior and misrepresentation marred our stay. I hope this helps future guests make an informed decision.

The house was beautiful and in a great location. It wasn't quite baby-friendly, and the Wi-Fi wouldn't connect in the downstairs room, so I couldn't set up the baby monitor. Still, we'd definitely come again. (:

The hosts were extremely helpful, and the facilities were lovely. It's a superb bed and breakfast with beautiful views.

A stunning house with gorgeous views, and the hosts were awesome and helpful.