The Rotorua Motel is easy to find with GPS navigation and you can't miss it with its pretty pastel-color and long curb-side presence. Owner Steve greeted me very warmly upon my arrival and we chatted at length about various interesting things. My upstairs room, perfect for a solo traveler, had a separate kitchenette room with all amenities, a nice storage area for clothes, a small table and chairs, and a very comfy large bed with useful small lamps on the bedtables. The art on the walls was very attractive. The location was excellent, just southeast of the charming downtown of Rotorua, and very close to my favorite attraction in Rotorua-- the Redwood Forest, just a several-minute drive away. (With Lake Tikitapu not far beyond that--featuring another great forest walk around the lake.)

Nothing to complain about here. I would make a general comment about the Rotorua town and some of its vicinity-- you are visiting a geothermal area so sometimes a shift in the wind will bring that sulfurous "rotten eggs" smell off Lake Rotorua. Get used to it and enjoy this fascinating area of New Zealand!

A hearty welcome from Steve the manager was great after the day we’d spent travelling. The motel is on a relatively quiet road, close to a number of major supermarkets and takeaway outlets. Ideal location when planning day trips in or outside Rotorua. Studio ‘room' was spacious and clean as too was the bathroom and kitchen. Kitchen equipped for cooking basic meals which suited us as we were travelling on a budget. Free Wifi was a bonus as too was the ample parking. Although there was a swimming pool and spa we never took advantage of these but I did notice many other visitors who did. They all seemed to be having fun. Having read reviews of this motel across a number of sites I was rather hesitant about making a booking however it dawned on me that the tone of many reviews seemed to change after a certain date making me wonder if there’d been a change in ownership? It turns out there's been a change in management which I suspect accounts for this. Completely different to how I imagined it would be after all the reviews I’d read. We’d definitely stay there again.

Having travelled extensively in the past for work many of the issues I found were more cosmetic than anything else so I’m rather reluctant to be too picky. Everywhere I’ve ever stayed seems to struggle with maintenance schedules and probably more so when taking on a business from a previous owner/manager. The bathroom was probably the main area I’d recommend an upgrade. No issue with cleanliness but you could tell it was well worn. The only other issues were a couple of light switches that needed attention and a plumbing leak under the sink in the kitchen.

We did end up liking the location, maybe a little bit away from where we had to be but this accommodation was booked at the last minute with huge events on in the city. So we were very grateful for the comfort of this motel. Rooms were a bit stuffy in the heat of the summer and we did have the fan on overnight for a little relief but air con would of definately been the one. Would come back again though. The owners and staff were very lovely and showed us other rooms we could have that would accommodate us better when we came back and most certainly will.

It was all fine in the end and we did like it but we would of opted for bigger rooms had we had more notice but that was our problem not the motel.

It was a pleasant room - you get what you pay for. Well stocked with crockery and utensils and liked that it had a bench to separate it from the sleeping area.

You can tell the room has been well used and the bathroom not aired properly overtime but didn't really affect anything just the look. The only other thing was being woken up before 8.00am by someone using a chainsaw outside our room to cut down some trees, which resulted in an earlier check out than we planned but the lady on reception apologized about the noise when we handed the key back.

Comfortable accommodation at a reasonable price. Comfortable (and large) bed. Great location. Daily clean/tidy was appreciated. Overall, the positives outweighed the few negatives.

Interior badly in need of some modernisation. Some low-cost fixes should be implemented immediately, eg terrible state of bathroom tap, badly leaking shower cubicle. The outside pool looked in a really bad state I'm afraid.

The room was lovely and clean. Beds nicely made and there was a hairdryer available in the closet. Parking was provided around the back of the motel for customers, this was park where there was a space. The Small kitchen in the room was nice and clean and tidy. The location was very handy to the mall (we actually didn't realise we were close enough to the mall to walk until we got back from going to get dinner)

The nozzel for the tap over the sink in the bathroom was a little too long which meant when you washed your hands often the water ended up splashing up over the person using it and onto the floor instead of into the sink. - would suggest maybe looking at replacing that with something a bit shorter. Would have been nice as well to be able to adjust the thermostat on the heater in the room.

The owners, Steve and Sue: they were very friendly and helpful. Location: only 10 minutes walk to the city centre / Visitor Information Centre, and a few minutes walk to a supermarket. Facilities: my own private hot spa bath in the room.

It would have been good if there had been a wardrobe, or at least a clothes hanger, in the room. I had some difficulties with the TV, but it was no fault of the motel.

I'm sorry I didn't catch her name but the manager was an absolute pleasure to deal with, so friendly and accommodating. Our room was lovely and warm when we arrived it was also fully equipped. The pool was well used by our children and us adults enjoyed a soak in the hot tub. We really enjoyed our stay. We do plan to stay here again. Please thank your amazing manager for us 😊

This budget hotel offered excellent value for money. Our room was warm, comfortable, and had everything we needed for a couple of nights' stay. The staff were very accommodating, and the beautiful swimming pool was a real highlight for my kids.

The tap water is very hot. I spoke with the manager about this, and they are planning to put up warning signs.

Friendly and considerate hosts. Spacious room and enough parking. Convenient to supermarkets, eateries and tourist attractions, not in the centre of the bustling city centre so reasonably quiet at night. Good for travellers exploring Rotorua.

Very weak Wi-Fi signals in the room, need to walk outside the room for internet. No breakfast, in the property highlights - "continental" is misleading ... it means coffee and tea bags. Need to consider buying stuff from nearby supermarkets and make your own breakfast in the morning to save a bit of time for sightseeing.