Hotels are not often our first accommodation choice when we travel, primarily because of the cost. However, our visit to Rotorua a few weeks ago was planned on short notice, which meant that most of the affordable accommodations were already booked (or so we thought). Because we were desperate to find an available hotel in less than a week, we resorted to scanning the various hotel booking websites and we ended up reserving a double room at Holiday Inn Rotorua.
Hotel room rate during our stay: $108/ night, the reservation was done via Booking.com
Buffet breakfast at Chapman’s Restaurant and Bar: $20/ person instead of $29/ person as advertised. Just go to the front desk and let them know that you would like to your voucher for the breakfast buffet.
The hotel is located at 10 Tryon Street, Whakarewarewa which is an 8-minute drive from the city center which means that it’s away from the hustle and bustle but still close enough to visit attractions like the Polynesian Spa, Skyline Rotorua, and many more. Within very close proximity to the hotel is The Living Maori Village which offers attractions like a geothermal wonderland, traditional Maori performances, and you can even enjoy an authentic traditional feast. Apart from The Living Maori Village, there is also an art gallery, a dairy, and an ice cream shop in the area.
There is an abundance of parking spaces due to the available on-street options, however, the spaces right in front of the hotel are limited.
The Holiday Inn Rotorua has a swimming pool and two spa pools. They are all heated, as most pools are in Rotorua, and was perfect during our winter visit; towels are provided as well. As for the hotel and restaurant staff, although we didn’t really end up in a situation wherein we needed assistance, we still found that them friendly and accommodating.
The accommodation in general is clean and well-equipped with all the basic amenities, including a heater in the room which made our stay very comfortable. We will definitely stay at this hotel again.
This post contains unbiased and unpaid review of the hotel and the booking website.
