Vista Motor Lodge

The staff were lovely and eager to help, and we had a brilliant meal at the attached restaurant. The room itself, though, was dated and needed some attention. I had to ask for the cutlery, cups, and plates that should have been in the unit. The windows and mirrors were smudged, so I cleaned ours myself, and the curtains weren’t fully attached to the rail. Everything we put in the fridge froze. One window had broken latches and a notice saying not to open it, but it was already open when we arrived and was very hard to shut safely.

Very disappointed, and I won’t stay here again. The sheets, blankets, and mattress protector were stained and clearly hadn’t been cleaned. I only noticed late at night, and we left early while the office was still shut, so I couldn’t tell anyone then. The fridge was just as bad, dirty and smelling awful. I emailed them afterward but haven’t had a reply.

The room smelled damp and was disgusting, the worst motel room I’ve ever seen. There was mold on the curtains, bathroom, window, and inside the fridge, the curtains were torn, the shower wall was broken, and the floor hadn’t been vacuumed. I didn’t stay long enough to find out what the bed was like. The office lady was friendly and the cats were cute, but that’s where the good points ended. I was told to get milk at the dairy because their delivery hadn’t come, then found out the restaurant was closed even though it showed as open online. She offered to bring a meal to my room, maybe lamb or fish, and said she’d call to confirm, but I never heard back.

After a long day travelling to Wairoa, we were welcomed warmly. The place was clean and tidy, though dated. The public restaurant is closed on Mondays, but the cook came in to make a meal for guests and brought it piping hot to our room. The staff were especially helpful, and we enjoyed chatting with the road crew staying there from Gisborne.