Centabay Lodge is located right in the town centre and features a nice big outdoor garden area with a spa pool. It’s a little bit scruffier than the other hostels in Paihia, although not in poor shape. Rooms are plain and the kitchen is big and fully-equipped, though it could be better maintained. Guests have free use of bicycles and kayaks; there’s an outdoor barbecue as well. A fair number of long-term and repeat visitors stay here, which gives it a familiar, perhaps slightly clique-y social vibe.
Price Dorm bed $22-24 ($20-22 BBH) Double room $55-80 ($50-80 BBH) Twin room $55-$70 ($50-$66 BBH) Prices are in New Zealand dollars and are inclusive of all taxes.
Very close to town (2 mins away), fairly clean (maybe the shower needed a bit of an attack with the old drain plunger), free movies, very clean well equipped kitchen, free kayaks and bikes to use and heaps of nice people around the hostel. Reasonable rates and very nice owners.
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(Review ID: 11021)
One of the best places to stay, November 7, 2004
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Small and private, cosy, very clean, spotless kitchen, free spa, will play movies for you and very close to town
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(Review ID: 11022)
Brillant place, friendly and clean, October 9, 2004
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The owners are lovely and the locations is ideal. The hostel is kept clean and the dorm rooms are spacious and cheap. We recommend this over Kings Rd, backpacker hell any day!!!
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(Review ID: 11023)
Super Helpful Owners, August 21, 2002
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At the start of our first trip to NZ, after a few days in Auckland we came up to Paihia. Since the Kiwi Express people's ads all say that they guarantee accomodation, we hadn't booked anywhere till it dawned on us that they only guarantee dorm accomodation, which was not quite what we (a couple) were after.We eventually found Centabay who took us in for a night, squeezing us into 2 free bunks in a room with some staff. While it wasn't our greatest night in NZ, Hans and his wife were incredibly helpful, finding us a place to stay with a double and even helping us work out how to get there. (involved a ferry trip!)The Kitchen closed at 11pm, Internet facilities were coin-operated and available 24 hours and the toilet and showers were both very clean. (as you would find in a home). Unfortunately were not able to stay there "properly", but considering how helpful the owners were going out of their way to help a couple of clueless (at the time) strangers I can only imagine them being equally as good or better to those staying properly. Would stay there next time we go to Paihia.
