BUG review
Seaspray House is a nice small hostel about a five-minute walk west of the city centre. It is tastefully decorated with polished floorboards and has a nice big common room with lots of games, a fully-equipped kitchen. Accommodation in mostly double and twin rooms, but there is also a very spacious four-bed dorm. It only sleeps 14, but the building is big enough to accommodation many more. It is very clean and well maintained and there is a great atmosphere because there is no TV, which encourages people to talk to each other.
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Price Dorm bed $27-29 ($22-24 BBH) Single room $43 ($38 BBH) Double/twin room $66 ($56 BBH) Prices are in New Zealand dollars and are inclusive of all taxes.
DO NOT STAY HERE: Dishonest and Rude Host 20 October 2011
Pros:
none really. The dog was cute.
Cons:
The rude host Janine. She is dishonest and acts like she hates having people in her home.
ellaN
saw things this way
Maintenance
(3)
Cleanliness
(3)
Facilities
(2)
Atmosphere
(1)
(Review ID: 14639)
We had the pleasure of traveling to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup this year and planned on staying a night in New Plymouth/Taranaki to watch a game. I did a lot of price comparisons in order to get the best quality for our budget. Most places required a two night minimum due to the RWC and all were up front about it. However, when I inquired with Janine at the Seaspray house for a one night accommodation, she told me it would cost $340 NZD for 4 people in two rooms for ONE NIGHT. She said nothing about that price being for two nights (I have emails for proof). Thinking that this was the price for the one night I had requested, I booked the rooms in hopes that it would be of higher quality than other places in town. I WAS WRONG. The hostel is really nothing special and towels aren’t even provided. The host Janine was rude to us from the second we arrived. Upon arrival we told her up front that we had a last minute addition to our group making us a group of 5. There weren’t any issues with it really since the rooms we booked already had beds for 5 people. We were entirely honest and took the extra fee with no complaints. It was when she was calculating the extra fee that she slipped up the fact that our charges were for two nights and not one. She then couldn’t even remember what she quoted us at, as if she charges people on a case to case basis and then had to go check her email to clarify. Sketchy? I wasn’t too upset that the charges were for two nights, because our group was thinking about spending another day in New Plymouth/Taranaki. So we settled in our rooms and got ready to attend the rugby match. We met up with a couple of friends at the game and after the game ended we invited them back to our hostel for a quick drink before heading out to the bars. In all we had 7 people quietly chatting in our room at 9pm and 4 beers open. Next thing we know, the owner Janine comes in and begins screaming at us to get out and that we had not told her about these two additions to our group. She was so quick to assume that we were trying to smuggle people in without paying to stay. She was extremely rude to our friends, even though they sincerely apologized for upsetting her and that they had no intentions of staying the night. We all left quickly to join the night’s festivities and later 5 of us returned to sleep. She popped her head in multiple times as we were getting ready for bed, saying things like “no extras?” NO! WE JUST HAD FRIENDS STOP BY OUR ROOM THAT WE PAID DOUBLE FOR!!! Anyways, when we woke up the next morning we all took our time getting ready, seeing as we paid for the second night anyways. Besides, all five of us had to share one bathroom and there was really no way we would be out by 10am. Of course when 10am hit, Janine was standing in our room demanding our sheets and ordering us to pack up immediately. She paced between each of our rooms and demanded that we pack faster. When I confronted her about the fact that we paid for two nights and were being kicked out prematurely, she said that our second night was actually for the night before we arrived and had already expired. WHY WOULD YOU ARRANGE IT THAT WAY WHEN I TOLD YOU WHAT DAY WE WERE COMING IN? SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN UP FRONT ABOUT IT WHEN WE BOOKED IT, BUT INSTEAD WAS DOUBLE BOOKING OUR ROOM TO MAXIMIZE HER PROFITS DURING RWC!!! Anyways, we weren’t going to get that second night and apparently not even a minute more. She basically shoved us out of the place, grabbing a glass of water out of my friends hand as she was drinking it. She was just thirsty for Christ’s sake! That set me off and I sternly confronted the host about the way she was treating us. I think she felt bad after I explained myself and she did say sorry. Nonetheless, she still proceeded to push us out the door, throwing the door open and saying “I think your car is out there in the street”. After everything was packed in the car I went back in and washed that glass that she grabbed out of my friend’s hand. I did this because it is what you do when you stay in a hostel and just because she is a bad host, doesn’t mean we have to stoop to her level. We are normal backpackers and this place is not meant for people like us. This is more of a bed and breakfast meant for older couples who just want to play checkers in their room. I have visited a lot of places and this is hands down THE WORST HOSTEL EVER! The host is psychotic and literally acts like she hates having people in her house. Someone like that should not be running a hostel. DO NOT STAY HERE! THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER OPTIONS! =(
