Lakefront Lodge Taupo

The studio was unbelievably small, with barely enough room for the bed and nowhere to sit except on it. The window looked straight at another outside wall, so there was no outlook. The Social Club restaurant next door was superb, though, and we had a lovely meal. Hotel staff were friendly and helpful.

We had a newly fitted ground-floor room. It was small, but nice and good value. We emailed ahead to request it because my wife has a disability. Parking was a problem for us and other guests. There was no dedicated disabled parking, and most people, including us, had to park on the street. The staff couldn’t understand why we were reluctant. Goodness knows how they got resource consent! The windows didn’t ventilate the room well, though a fan helped a lot. There was no air conditioning either.

The staff were excellent, and the room was clean and tidy. We had no issue with its size. The bed felt a little hard to me, though that's just personal preference. The setting is lovely, right across from the lake, and the bar has a beautiful view.

The electric car charger tucked at the far end of the car park was a welcome extra, but the stay was disappointing overall. We arrived worn out after several delays and could hear the bar and restaurant before we even got inside. I'd booked a lake view room as a treat, hoping for some quiet before we went out, but it was beside the bar area and the noise was uncomfortable. The receptionist was great and moved us to a larger, quieter room, then refunded the difference. Getting the refund processed seemed technically difficult and took calls to management and the eft-pos company.