BUG Review
You might be tempted to turn around when you get a look at Berkenhoff Lodge from the outside. The old house could use some serious sprucing up, with peeling paint and a general hangdog appearance. The inside comes as a big surprise, however. It’s clean and cheerful and in good shape. Rooms are older but well-maintained and most of them have en suite bathrooms. The kitchen is big and clean and there’s a large dining room that features a pair of talking parrots, Tickle and Lolly. A TV room has comfy couches and a log fire. Other facilities include an outdoor swimming pool and spa pool and an on-site bar that also serves food. There’s just an authentic, homely vibe here that some newer places lack.
Price Dorm bed $24 ($20 BBH) Double/twin room $62 ($54 BBH) Prices are in New Zealand dollars and are inclusive of all taxes.
Pros:
Plenty of off-street parking
Cons:
Location not very close to centre of town or public transport
PhilipNZ
saw things this way
Maintenance
(3)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(3)
This hostel is rather more suited to people with there own transport, as it is about a kilometer from the center of town and no public transport (the hostel does do pickups and dropoffs). However unlike some of the other Hostels in Taupo it has quite a bit of off-street parking. The Hostel has three main communal areas a bar, a tv room and a dining room at seperate parts of the building which allows for some sepation of noisy and quiet activity in the evenings.
Most rooms are ensuite (not so good for dorms but there are some communal facilities).
Overall maintenance and cleanliness seemed fairly average - no major complaints
Staff were reatively helpful however some seemed more friendly than others.
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(Review ID: 3400)
Cheap hostel with bar, pool etc, but a fair walk from town and quite shabby, April 8, 2007
Reviewer: Jo-B from British but living in Wellington, NZ
Pros:
At 21 bucks a bed without a discount card it's cheap
Cons:
Grumpy staff, out of town location, shabby building, dubious cleanliness
Jo-B
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(2)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(2)
The staff member I dealt with (in this case a woman) was pretty grumpy and arrogant. Despite being two hours earlier than I said we'd be, she stated in quite a belligerent way how lucky we'd been than she had held the room. The room itself was not exactly spotless (the cleaner had failed to remove 15 beer bottles left in a large cupboard and there was a fair amount of hair in the shower). You have to take your pillows/sheets to reception to get back your key deposit - upon doing this several unpleasant stains on the mattress protector sheet were revealed! Also our room was next to the bar, with very little sound insulation. Luckily there were only a handful of people in there and we were knackered so did manage a fair amount of sleep. Ours was a five bed dorm with its own ensuite shower/loo - it was ok as we were a bunch of mates, but it would have been a bit of an unpleasant crush with a group of strangers. The security is pretty poor - no proper window locks and a flimsy door lock, but we had no problems. The walk into town is 20-25 mins through a residential area - fine for us, but there are hostels closer to town and the lake (unfortunately for us all full). If I was staying in Taupo again I'd look elsewhere, but at 21 bucks each I'd stay again if I was desperate.
Pros:
Can't think of any
Cons:
Not at all friendly
greengal
saw things this way
Maintenance
(2)
Cleanliness
(3)
Facilities
(2)
Atmosphere
(3)
We booked and confirmed a 4 bed dorm, only to arrive and find ourselves in an 8 bed dorm when we really needed a good sleep. That was ok, we didn't make it an issue just mentioned to the receptionist that we were dissapointed.We were confronted by the owner/manager who told us we were lucky to have a bed at all and told us in a fairly offensive manner to leave. There was a large sports event on in town, but luckily we managed to find somewhere else to stay. They kept $10 for their inconvenience....Not sure how they get any customers when they are treated in that manner, very unsatisfactory experience!!!
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(Review ID: 12556)
not my type of hostel, October 25, 2003
Reviewer:
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(2)
Cleanliness
(2)
Facilities
(2)
Atmosphere
(2)
rooms are small and the en-suite bathrooms are filthy,concrete floors with cracks. rooms are cramped. and not clean at all.the kitchen facilities are good, but the bar seems to be a local hangout place. There a beter options in Taupo.
