Hikurangi Stay Place

It's a strange place, though a lovely old building, reasonably priced, with a good location and parking. The bedroom and bedding were clean, the staff were friendly, and so were the long-stay residents. The rooms felt dated, and the shared kitchen and dining room got a lot of use. It used to be a care home or hospital, and the signage calls it a superior place to stay 🤔. There's still a chapel there. At times it was noisy, with loud TVs and talking from other rooms. On our first night, a conversation in a nearby room or corridor woke me at 5am. We had no hot water in our room on either morning, though there was plenty at night. We mentioned it to the owners, who said there were a lot of people staying at the time, hence no hot water 😕.

The staff were very helpful, and there was plenty of free parking around the grounds. It's good value and a handy base for exploring nearby, with a great e-bike hire place just down the road. The care-home conversion shows in some of the older infrastructure. My room was basic but clean, with two single beds, an electric blanket and an en suite walk-in shower room. There wasn't anything else in the room. A radiator was there, but we didn't need it in summer. The shared kitchen had seating and a TV, plus a microwave, cooker, fridge, freezer, pots and pans, utensils, plates, cups and cutlery, so you can make your own food. There's a separate lounge with plenty of seats, shared laundry, lines for drying clothes outside, and several seating spots in the gardens.

We had a nice stay. The owners were friendly, and for the price we got a small, clean room. There's a large kitchen with some utensils, laundry, and lots of room to relax. It's about 15-20 minutes from the centre on foot, and it's a nice walk. You need to pay cash!

The price is unbeatable and breakfast was included. The owner was lovely and really helpful. Apparently, half the building had no water, but they immediately offered us another room so we could shower. The huge games room has a pool table, table tennis, a bowling area and more. Just lovely, we'll definitely come back!!!