Scenic Hotel Bay of Islands

Check-in - great. Easy. Informative Car park- great. Right in front of my room Bed was comfy. But one of the pillow cases was stained. Were the linens changed? Maybe not

Breakfast was included, but on the second day the buffet was 'not available' and I was only allowed to have a la carte hot food. Not quite the same. Bathroom was annoying - the fan turns on automatically when the light turns on, but doesn't turn off for several minutes, and it's VERY LOUD. So, even if you just want a drink of water, you have to listen to the fan for about 3 minutes after. A bit further out of town.

Tidy and a good sized room. Comfortable beds. Great shower pressure. Nice pool for kids to enjoy, has a shallow section which is great for the little ones. Has a restaurant on site, unfortunately didn’t get to try it out during our stay. Our family loved this hotel, we enjoyed our stay and didn’t want to leave. Highly recommend!

Couldn’t get a carpark directly outside our room, as taken by another guest (not enough parks for guests staying at ground level and above rooms) so had to park away from the room. Quite a walk to the main shopping street from the hotel, as we had young kids we just drove down. Otherwise loved this hotel.

Room was well presented on arrival. I loved the garden outlook on my lower floor room. Outdoor games provided were fun to play by the pool. Bedside lights perfect and I liked the stereo option. The laundry rack was a great bonus to hang up beach towels and wet clothes.

The Bathroom configuration was a little bit tight for myself, husband and 15 yr daughter to move in and out of easily. After the room was shut for a period of time, it did smell slightly odd, maybe musty, not sure. Maybe because of the hot/raining weather.

The young Māori girl on reception, she was fabulous and it was beautiful to hear her greet us in Māori. She was very informative explaining dinner menus and how to contact her for room service.

Overall a really fabulous place for a weekend getaway. There was advertisement for an all day menu available from 11am, but wasn't able to find a menu to view. Room was very dusty and the holders in the bathroom were loose. No information in the room for dining, contacts etc. Lucky we had our phones to check online. Other then these minor things, beautiful location and the 800 block we were in, lovely!

Marie was our hero, for finding us a deluxe room (there's no going back once you experience the deluxe!) after I had inadvertently booked "superior", thinking that was what we booked last holiday. The balcony looking out over the courtyard jungle is so lovely and peaceful, and the comfort of the beds was actually what brought us back!

The first night (in the "superior" room) was a massive disappointment, but it wasn't the hotel's fault. A loud family in the unit next door was irritating and the soundproofing between rooms is not great. Beds not lush, like in deluxe, but we slept.

Staff were friendly, helpful and went the extra mile. Victoria was particularly lively, although all the staff we encountered just looked after us so well.. it was our 19th wedding anniversary and when we mentioned that to the restaurant, the staff went out of their way to ensure we had the most lovely night. Would highly recommend to anyone getting married or celebrating their wedding anniversary or any special occasion. We will stay again. Thanks 😀

Nothing

Close to the beach. Beautiful nikau palm gardens. Plenty of parking. Fans and AC in the rooms.

Male staff member came into my room without knocking or asking to enter. Should’ve knocked and clearly asked if anyone was in and should’ve waited until after check out time. As a solo female traveler I dont feel comfortable with this.

Nearly everything about this property was close to perfect. The room itself was very comfortable and the breakfast in the restaurant was delicious.

Two things let it down. Firstly , the parking. There was no allocated parking which meant we had to park some distance from our room as all the ones directly outside our room were already taken. As it was raining quite heavily, this was not at all convenient. Secondly , on entering the room it smelt damp. You stopped noticing it very quickly but it was there nonetheless.

The breakfast was really nice. Plenty of choice, either cooked or continental. It is a buffet but seriously, one plate is enough. The staff are friendly and helpful. I really liked the location, which is not too far from the beach, as it made me walk the 5-10 minutes into the centre.

The mattress was not the best, way too soft, with clear indents where people had slept, despite a mattress topper. Lighting in the room was dim. The ceiling is wood, and paintwork quite dark, so this adds to the gloom.

Loved the high ceilings in the room we were in. It was roomy and comfortable. Staff was excellent at resolving anything. We ordered room service and got the slow cooked venison, I would go back just for the venison. Breakfast was included in our booking. Breakfast was good.

I booked online, but was charged at the motel an extra $30 more than what we had booked. The next morning staff at reception helped resolve the issue and refunded what was overcharged.