Mayfair Court Motel

At $169 a night, this was deeply disappointing and completely unacceptable. We’ve stayed in motels all over New Zealand and never found one in such poor condition. We’d booked and paid online without reading reviews first, a lesson learned. We’ll check reviews from now on, and wouldn’t recommend this place. The online pictures must be old because the property looks nothing like them. It seems to have been a popular place once, but has been left to decline. The pool, courtyard, and grounds are disgraceful, and the whole property feels neglected. Things seemed dirty, musty, broken, or run down. Opening the room door hit us with stale, musty air, and the lock was broken. Wallpaper was peeling, there was mold in the shower, a used tissue in the bathroom bin, and old snot residue in the sink. That’s a basic hygiene problem, not a small flaw. Management needs to step up with proper cleaning and repairs, and represent the place honestly online.

The pool was green on the water and sides, so it clearly hadn’t been cleaned in a while. The parking situation was also poor: there weren’t enough allocated secure spaces, and another area was easy to access from the street, had no security camera, and included a large pothole that was muddy in the wet weather. I won’t stay again and wouldn’t recommend it. We had room 6 upstairs for two nights, booked over three weeks ahead at $125 a night. Though the room sleeps three, it only had dining cups, plates, and utensils for two. The old fridge, perhaps from the 1950s or 60s, was rusty underneath and had a very loud compressor. The wall-mounted folding table couldn’t fold away because of its pedestal leg. Seating was poorly arranged: you had to move from in front of the fridge to get anything out, which made the room feel unrelaxing. There was no kitchenette, so I had to rinse dishes in the bathroom hand basin, which I found unhygienic. The bathroom door wouldn’t stay shut and unlatched by itself. There was only a microwave, under the TV, with the Sky decoder on top. Sky had basic channels, no movie channels, though the sports channels were good. We had to ask for milk after settling in. While we were out the next day, rubbish wasn’t collected, and there were no fresh towels or flannels. They were brown, which I’d never encountered at other motels and made me wonder if they were really clean, since white is usually standard. The complimentary shampoo came in tear-open sachets and wasn’t replenished, nor were the tea and coffee sachets. The carpet needed a thorough clean. Sound carried easily, and we could hear guests talking at least two rooms away.

The pool was filthy, and the room lacked a lot of basic comforts. In room 5, the door wouldn’t close and the floor creaked. The tiny shower had a questionable floor and wasn’t comfortable. There was no kitchenette sink or sharp cutlery. The bed was so soft that we rolled together during the night, so it wasn’t suitable for two and we slept badly. The toilet was loud when flushed. I’d book somewhere else for a comfortable stay.

The $95 night was great value. The bed was comfortable enough, and the TV and air conditioning were new. It’s a very old-style country motel with ancient decor, which was interesting.