Breakfast and dinner served, alfresco dining

Reviews of The Portage Resort

4 out of 5
The Portage Resort
2923 Kenepuru Road, Portage

Reviews

7.8

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 46 out of 132 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 45 out of 132 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 22 out of 132 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 9 out of 132 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 10 out of 132 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

7.8/10

Amenities

7.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Angelique

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
If you're hiking the Queen Charlotte track, the only other option after a very long Day 3 is a backpacker hostel. The Portage has its issues but it's the better option and is fine for one night. The setting is gorgeous, like pretty much everything on the QC. The restaurant and bar, both in the main building, overlook a beautiful bay and the views are stunning. There's a terrace off the bar which is a great place to have a cold beer or glass of wine. The restaurant's pretty good and even has some decent vegetarian options. The staff were all very friendly. A big plus was the guest laundry. We were able to wash our stinky trail clothes for $4 NZD. Our room, however, was pretty disappointing. We stayed in one of the "budget friendly" Weka rooms. It was pretty bare bones, like a Motel 6 with much nicer towels and a comfy bed but without AC or a TV. There was a really grotty, stained old arm chair in one corner and the bathroom was functional but weird. There were lots of dead bugs around. Overall, it's overpriced for what it is but for one night on the trail with cold beer, a shower and a comfy bed, it delivers.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024
Response from Reservations on Mar 23, 2024
thank you for your feedback

10/10 Excellent

Heath

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from Reservations on Feb 26, 2024
thanks for your feedback

10/10 Excellent

Igor

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from General Manager on Jan 22, 2024
Hey Igor! Thanks for leaving us a fantastic 5/5 review! We love the positive feedback from you, and it really helps to motivate our staff. Warm RegardsPortage Team

8/10 Good

Susan

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The staff at the Portage was very pleasant to interact both at the front desk as well as in the restaurant. I stayed in two different type rooms. The Korimako Sunroom (#20) had a beuatiful view of the bay. As stated on the site, this type of room does not have a deck but the view was beautiful. I appreciated that the room had two twin beds and a full bed for our group of 3 adults. The other room type we stayed in was the Kormiako Room (#41 & #42). These rooms have a nice deck to sit out on and enjoy a beautiful day but unfortunately the trees & greenery have grown up and block and view you might have while sitting on the deck. One of our two rooms also did not have a refrigerator in the room. We enjoyed our fish & chips at the restaurant on site.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from General Manager on Jan 22, 2024
Hey Susan! Thank you so much for taking the time to provide feedback about your stay with us at the Portage Resort! We are really happy that you enjoyed the fish and chips (One of our favorites!) and that you loved the deck from the one bedroom you stayed in. Over the winter we will work on clearing out some of the trees to promote the lovely view over the Kenepuru Sounds. We have just purchased new refrigerators, and you will be pleased to know that all our rooms are now fitted with fridges! Come visit again, we would love to have you back.Warm RegardsPortage Team

4/10 Poor

inna

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from General Manager on Jan 22, 2024
Hey Inna! We're sorry to hear you only had a 2/5 experience at the Portage Resort! Please reach out to us if you have not done so already so we may rectify or assist with any complaints you may have had!Warm Regards,Portage Team

2/10 Terrible

Rene

Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023
Response from General Manager on Jan 22, 2024
Hi Rene,We are sad to see that you did not enjoy your stay with us at Portage Resort! Please let us know if there is any feedback that you can provide regarding your stay. Warm RegardsPortage Team

8/10 Good

Jacob

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Reservations on Nov 5, 2023
Hi Jacob,Thank you for your review we hope to see you again

10/10 Excellent

Karen

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Located in a beautiful paradise. Can’t wait to return. Staff were extremely helpful and friendly. Wonderful stay
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from General Manager on Oct 12, 2023
Hi KarenThank you so much for your lovely review. We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay with us! Have a wonderful summer,Warm RegardsPortage Resort

4/10 Poor

Kelly

Traveled with family and small children, Traveled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Unfortunately not only did we find out there was only boat access less than 24hours of making the booking. The non refundable room couldn't supply a roll away bed for our child. Also the room was dirty. Dusty and mould on the curtains. There wasn't enough towels or toiletries. There wasn't even a bread knife to make a sandwich. The cafe is not a cafe. Coffee and stale muffins. Which we weren't offered a plate, napkin or spoon for coffees. Everything was just underwhelming. If you didn't know the place, which we didn't you had no idea where you could explore or even walk. All in all not what we anticipated for two days.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2023
Response from Gemma on Apr 11, 2023
Hello,Thank you for your message.I have been in contact with the booking sites directly numerous times to make the information about the road being closed to our property clearer but have been told it is clearly written on confirmation of booking.I am now working on having this listed on the main booking page for the property.I am sorry to hear your experience with us was not up to the standard we should be providing to you.I am talking to the Hotel Manager directly about your feedback so that we can rectify this. I thank you for your feedback and staying with us and hoped it was a better experience for you.GemmaReservations Agent

8/10 Good

Ken

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Expedia lists your property as 6.5 km from Picton, which maybe true by helicopter but not by car. Also, I received a message about the road after I got there. Access issues should be listed upfront. Nice place to visit but it was a rough drive.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023
Response from Gemma on Apr 11, 2023
Hi Ken,Thank you for your feedback and staying with us.I have been in contact with the booking sites directly numerous times to make the information about the road being closed to our property clearer but have been told it is clearly written on confirmation of booking.I am now working on having this listed on the main booking page for the property.I was also un-aware of the distance written on the booking sites so i am correcting this now.Thank you for your feedback.GemmaReservations Agent

10/10 Excellent

Ian

Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2023
Response from Gemma on Apr 11, 2023
Thank you for staying with us and your feedback. This is great to hear!We hope to welcome you back to our Hotel soon!Gemma LeedenReservations Agent

6/10 Okay

Graeme

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023

8/10 Good

Jo

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023
Response from General Manager on Jan 22, 2024
Hey Jo Thanks for the review! Please let us know if there is anything further you would like to comment or suggest to us!Warm RegardsPortage Team

6/10 Okay

Peter

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023
Response from Gemma on Apr 5, 2023
Thank you for your review. If there was anything we could improve on let us know.Have a great day!

8/10 Good

Susan

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Seclusion was excellent. The road to the property however has been closed and we were not informed about this at the time of booking through Wotif, or at any time afterwards. Cars have to be left at Picton.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023
Response from Gemma on Apr 11, 2023
Hello,Thank you for your message.I have been in contact with the booking sites directly numerous times to make the information about the road being closed to our property clearer but have been told it is clearly written on confirmation of booking.I am now working on having this listed on the main booking page for the property.I thank you for your feedback and staying with us.GemmaReservations Agent

8/10 Good

Angela

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2023
Response from Gemma on Apr 5, 2023
Thank you for your review. If there was anything we could improve on let us know.Have a great day!

8/10 Good

gary

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The setting was wonderful with spectacular views from our room. Staff was friendly, efficient and accommodating. Had to use bottled water which was a bit inconvenient but not a usual occurrence. Some games and books were available but could have had a larger collection. Lounge area was comfortable and food quite delicious.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Belinda

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great staff and excellent large rooms

10/10 Excellent

Geva

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2022
Response from Tania on Dec 30, 2022
Thank you so much for your kind review, I am pleased to hear that you enjoyed your stay here with us at The Portage. Hope to see you again soon.Regards TaniaHotel Manager

2/10 Terrible

Isaac

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2022

4/10 Poor

Richard

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
The staff were pleasant. If you are used to sleeping in a tent or hut, the rooms are fine but not ok for 4 star hotel. Room smelt damp, was likely due to the water and mould in the window sills/frames. Room was cold and the bathrooms, blinds etc were dirty. No cups, one odd champagne glass, two dirty miss matched teaspoons and the smallest fridge in the world. Room could be made much more welcoming with a good clean and some homely touches easily.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022

8/10 Good

Shelley

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Really enjoyed our stay here, room was great and had a large covered deck with a fantastic view. Dinner was a set menu, but was awesome and the decent serving sizes were much appreciated after a long day on the QCT. Would definitely stay here again.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

8/10 Good

Richard

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The breakfast menu was fairly average compared to the dinner menu
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022

6/10 Okay

Juliet

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Evelyn

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A wonderful resort experience surrounded by stunning nature. Friendly staff no go the extra mile. Delicious food. Outdoor activities - nature trails, kayaks, paddle oars, swimming, badminton and more.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2022

8/10 Good

Teresa

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous place to Stay
The Portage was a great place to stay. The view was awesome and the staff extremely friendly. The only negative was only having 1 restaurant open, so limiting the dining options. The kids loved the paddle boards and kayaks and pool
The pool
Jetting off to have a picnic on a secluded beach :)
View from the room
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2022

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
The open fire in the public sitting area was nice to sit in front of after dinner.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful outlook and lovely sunny facilities. some parts are looking a little tired but friendly staff made up for this. Lovely dinner menu, but a bit more variety in breakfast menu would be nice, ie cereal or toast??
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
Location
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The view from this hotel is stunning at all times of the day. Lovely friendly staff, excellent meals, and clean, fresh, well-presented, warm rooms. Great amenities.
Stayed 1 night in May 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Location is awesome, views amazing. No TV or radio and internet connection was poor. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, good to disconnect for a few days. Board games available.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Fantastic spot worth the effort
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful hotel, with first class restaurant in a stunning setting. It was so nice to arrive to a friendly face on the reception desk after a big day walking the track. Our room was clean and very comfortable with lovely high ceilings and some views of the sea. Nice that the hotel has good facilities such as bar and restaurant and we enjoyed a drink in the bar before our meal and our meal in the restaurant was excellent. Comfortable beds and quiet room. A great stay, thank you so much 😊
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Location was great for relaxing.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2021

2/10 Terrible

Allan

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Not Good
The Weka room was hard to reach, on a dangerous path, poorly lit. The room was run down, badly in need of a refit, and worst of all someone had been smoking in it. There were no No Smoking signs. It was horrible to sleep in. The Lounge and Dining room were okay, but dominated by loud drunk track bikers. When the Manager rang us later he seemed to doubt the smoking.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2021

10/10 Excellent

KATHY

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A very welcome stay after a 24km walk through the Queen Charlotte track from Punga Cove. Lovely meal and very friendly staff.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Dinner in the restaurant was a big disappointment. I ordered a chicken Ceasar salad which came with a raw egg. The salad was coated in oily parmesan cheese. It was perhaps the worst chicken Ceasar salad I have ever ordered to be perfectly honest. My partner ordered mussels which were not great either, quite a few of the shells were closed and they were quite tasteless. The only part of the dinner which was good was the dessert, the saving grace. Unfortunately, the $28 packed lunch we ordered for the next day's hike was also pretty bad - a sandwich with a slice of cheese, lettuce, tomato, and an inedible orange. We also noticed a lot of flies in the restaurant and bar... really gross when you're trying to have dinner/drinks. Overall, the staff were really friendly and welcoming so this was nice, but it's a shame that such an amazing location has such low-grade food... it was the last place we stayed at on the queen charlotte track, and it would have been good to finish it with a good impression. I hope The Portage take this review on board and try to improve - other guests we were walking with were in complete agreement that the food was way below average, and definitely not worth the high prices.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2021

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Single-glazed windows with lots of condensation and no ventilation in bathroom and spa bath area. Heating inadequate for room. Bar and restaurant lacked adequate heating. Overall a very disappointing stay, despite the great staff!
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2021

10/10 Excellent

Helen

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome view and location
Awesome location, weather not great but views of bay beautiful and moody. Food outstanding, great service by young staff. Grounds could do with some weeding but I’m being picky
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice swimming pool, free to use kayaks. Nice food, friendly staff.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The lounge and dining area are beautifully located overlooking Keneperu Sound. The surrounding gardens are attractively landscaped.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2021

10/10 Excellent

JANINE M

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good tranquil stay, hotel showing it’s age
Older hotel, on a hill so most rooms have steps or a steep hill to climb. Our room had a fenced patio (fence in need of repair). Spacious room with comfortable bed, good wifi, reasonable shower and a spa bath. No TV, though that wasn’t a problem for us, no aircon, good views of the water from the patio, but the shrubs in front of the room were too high and dense to see through. No kitchen, just tea/coffee making facilities. Not even a plate, knife, spoon if you wanted to do any meals for yourself. Restaurant is good, staff young, friendly and very professional. The food was reasonably priced, very good chef. Drinks rather expensive. Only the main restaurant was open so no options for eating elsewhere.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2021

8/10 Good

Teresa

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful quiet spot in beautiful Marlborough
My daughter and I stayed a night here in early January. On the whole the service was great, and the evening meal at the hotel restaurant was delicious. Just one tip,I would suggest to the wait staff that a drinks menu should be brought at the same time as the food menu. It took a while to get hold of one. No TVs in the rooms so load up your ipads etc. if you like to watch a bit of telly before you go to sleep.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great hotel on the sound. Very close to the Queen Charlotte track. Can do hikes or biking from there. They also have kayaks. Great views from our private deck. Really enjoyed our stay there over Christmas - It was the perfect holiday. The staff seems to work very hard to ensure everyone is happy. Highly recommended. A small note about the drive to the hotel: if you get nauseous on winding roads, it’s highly recommended you take a Dramamine pill ahead of time (if you’re the passenger) or be the driver as it helps a bit.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
QC Track
Biked Queen Charlotte track and had a very enjoyable and relaxing evening at The Portage. Beautiful setting and very comfortable bed for tired bodies
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

8/10 Good

Nicholas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Recent stay while walking the Queen Charlotte
Service was particularly good on check-in, and main building. Had received a recent refresh Our room was quite large, although the bathroom hadn’t been renovated for quite some time.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

10/10 Excellent

Benjamin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very comfortable spacious room. Lovely small swimming pool Friendly helpful staff throughout
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020