Mountain View Motel, Taupo

It's really quiet here, with no disturbances, and the price is reasonable. I enjoyed my stay at this motel. The staff were polite and gave me a welcome gift of chocolates. I'd definitely recommend it.

Customer beware. This motel was so bad I'd give it zero stars if I could. I know it was a budget room, but I've never had to buy industrial-strength bug bombs before I could sit down. There were pictures hanging off the walls, ancient kitchen units, and mismatched second-hand bed bases. Each room has so many beds it could fit a small family or double as a shelter. A kitchen sign warns against really using food because of the ant infestation, and the sofa was visibly grubby. Getting up the stairs meant trying to keep my shoes clear of years of bird droppings. The wallpaper was peeling, the TV didn't work, and the upstairs view advertised as a mountain view was actually of other rooms, brick walls, or windows. The owners say they've been refurbishing since December 2024. I'd start with new beds and a kitchen, or just bring in a bulldozer. The washbasin was brown plastic, the toilet moved when I sat on it, and the aluminum shower tray was unsettling. I'd only recommend staying if you were desperate and couldn't find a park bench, which would be better.

The unit was old but comfortable, with nice beds and good shower pressure. We stayed in the large unit for six, though the fridge was tiny. Reception staff were very obliging.

The new owners have supposedly been refurbishing since December 2024, but it feels like only the rooms shown on the website got done. The mountain view is a joke unless you're Superman and can see through walls. The kitchen looks like Miss Gitty's from the original Mad Max films, and the rest of the room feels like Max Rockatansky decorated it after the second film, or like an overenthusiastic 70s fan did it. Beds are mismatched, with enough squeezed into the two-bed unit to sleep 75. The place has the feel of a decadent op shop or Trade Me listing. Ants are another problem. The hotel left instructions on dealing with them, but the kitchen sign says not to eat there because food attracts them, so dining out is really the only option. I dropped in a couple of bug bombs, Jake Sully from Avatar style, before heading out, then came back to peeling wallpaper and wondered why reviews called it amazing. There's a brown sink, and the mirrored shower tray feels like showering in an elevator shaft. The old electrical sockets don't inspire confidence either, unless Tesla installed them, and I mean Nikola Tesla, not Elon. Years of encrusted H5N1 decorate the stairs and railings on the way up. A true traveler's delight.