Best Hotels in Lake Tarawera, New Zealand

When we booked the cheapest motel we could find for the short stay of two nights, we were not prepared for such an interesting experience. The rooms were scrupulously clean. Top marks for that. Towels changed every day. But oh what a strange place. There are two parts to the motel. We were put in what had once been a very expensive 1950's house converted into motel rooms. Up a very steep staircase, into the room, which has been decorated in what can only be described as someone's idea of art deco come 1950's. We had such fun figuring out what parts of the house had been altered to accommodate our space. The bathroom is very adequate and rather quaint. The toilet stall is housed in what would have been the homes original shower, with all the original pipework covered up by pictures. Access to the bathroom from the bedroom - step onto a mat - check under the mat and start laughing, because the pipework for the original toilet is still there. But hey, it was clean, the rooms large and after all, it's only to sleep in.

Stayed many times, very nice hotel with swimming pool, kids love it very much. Dinner at the hotel, very satisfied, delicious meals and good service. Although the facilities are not new, they are clean and undamaged. The rooms are quiet and comfortable.

The place was nice, but not as exceptional as we expected by others reviews. Things are a little worn in the room we were in. In the morning my wife went to use the spa/hot tub and after filling it with water she turned it on and it spewed out extremely dirty water. Manager said it was because the hotel was old. I disagree. - it simply needed a better cleaning. Use bleach and fill, run and refill the hot tub until it comes out clean. It’s not rocket science. They don’t offer any kind of refund but they did offer us a couple of candy bars and an apology.

Nice hotel good location easy to get to main land city too but also close to all the major activities and beaches Room clean and spacious comfortable bed good view of ocean Rooftop pool and bar with view over ocean and beaches Staff friendly but a little bit more knowledge would have helped! Asked if we could hire a couple of cycles but said they don’t have any asked if they knew where we could hire them and they didn’t know but as soon as we walked down to the main road we found some self renting cycles… also asked where you can smoke and was directed to go through other hotel and out where the 7/11 24/7 shop was and there’s smoking area in courtyard but when we went back to our hotel we found a smoking area on the rooftop not sure why they didn’t tell us this… Entrance to hotel a little hard to find as you access it via underground car park or via the other hotel Would stay here again though..

I stayed here for two nights in May 2023. The hotel is located on the main street in Rotorua, about a 10-minute walk from the main shopping centre. Just up the road, about a 5-minute walk away, there are a couple of supermarkets. The airport is a 10-minute drive away. The hotel has plenty of parking. The room was very big with a small kitchenette, large bathroom, table and chairs etc. However, the room was showing its age and could do with an upgrade. Unfortunately the room was cold. I had the heating on but, given the size of the room, it took a long time to heat up. It was uncomfortable. There was no extra blanket for the bed. The wifi worked well. The service at the front desk was good. For what I paid, this hotel was good value. However, for my next trip to Rotorua, I would be prepared to pay a bit more for something warmer and more up to date.

I stayed in the Sudima Lake Rotorua Hotel for three nights while attending a conference. The Sudima was selected as it was the cheapest of the four listed by the conference organisers. The accommodation and buffet breakfasts were standard and wouldn’t in themselves warrant a review, either positive or negative. What did warrant a review, however, was the check-in experience. This is the reason for the level-two rating. Having stayed at a range of accommodation – from higher end to backpacker - I cannot recall anything like it, either here in New Zealand or overseas. There was one person at the reception desk and only one other guest checking-in before me. That check-in took a seemingly interminable time, but that can happen for whatever reason. My check-in appeared normal, but thereafter the experience ‘went to custard’. Assigned a room on the third floor I duly went with my bag to the room. Arriving there the magnetic door card wouldn’t open the door. I then returned to the reception desk, explained the situation and was provided with a new set of door cards. I then proceeded back to the third floor and, yes, the door cards this time successfully opened the door. However, upon entering the room I was surprised to find evidence that someone else was using the room. Material around the room showed that this person was also a conference attendee. (Interestingly there was a half drunk bottle of whisky on a table, but alas it was a blend and not a single malt so there was no temptation to take a few swigs.) Using the room’s telephone, I called the reception number but there was no response. Anxious that the room’s inhabitant may return I returned once more to the reception desk to be provided with a new room and corresponding door cards. Another ascent to the third floor finally eventuated with valid room occupancy at the Sudima Lake Rotorua Hotel. The time lapse since first entering the hotel stretched to about 40 minutes.

A comfortable and spacious apartment with a private spa bath at the convenient location. Positives: Lovely staff Clean, tidy and comfortable room Fully equipped kitchen Big fridge Private spa Free unlimited WiFi/internet Good shower Washing machine and dryer Comfortable bed Split system air conditioner Private free on-site parking Negatives: Whilst the TV was large, it was an old plasma model that could not display gradients of dark colours and the picture was distorted (dark blocks) Blackout curtains however light leakage which my husband was not a fan of since he likes complete darkness while sleeping

We booked a two-bedroom suite, one room with one queen bed and the other with four single beds. The hotel has a spa pool and two separate rooms in the spa pool, the water is flowing, so don't worry about health issues. Although the hotel is located in the suburbs, there is a supermarket nearby, and it is not far from driving to the municipal garden. It feels great.

It is a motorhome and campground. It seems to be very popular in New Zealand. When you arrive at a holiday, the family rents a RV and runs around. The scattered spots are few people, so you can only play like this. There is a public kitchen with tableware, but it is less than the seasonings. Bathing is going to go all the way to the open air, and the hot springs are also. The hot springs are not bad, it feels like the door to hell, but of course there is no such landscape. In fact, the door to hell is just a good place to go shopping, so the meaning of the bubble is not so big.

Peaceful and picturesque location by the lake with well sized rooms and comfortable mattresses. Free laundry facilities, parking and good quality shower gel/shampoo. Room cleanliness could be better. Fridge door had old food stains on it, ironing board cover was stained and our floor didn’t seem to be vacuumed during our stay. It’s not close to restaurants/cafes, apart from McDonalds, which is problematic as the hotel restaurant is shut Monday and Tuesday- the days we happened to be staying. So no dinner or breakfast options available on those days. Staff are friendly and helpful. We had a ground floor room, but I suggest asking for a top floor which has a balcony and better lake views.