Beach nearby, kayaking

Reviews of Oceanside Motel

3.5 out of 5
Oceanside Motel
32 Buffalo Beach Road, Whitianga

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 143 out of 265 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 98 out of 265 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 19 out of 265 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 265 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 265 reviews" "

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Peter

Traveled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Stunning location looking over to sea.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Cynthia

Traveled with partner
Nice place right on the beach.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

2/10 Terrible

Keith

Traveled with family and small children
Disliked: Staff & service
This family owned motel charged me for being a no-show for a stay that I called them 6 weeks in advance to cancel. I spoke at length with their manager, Dan, for over 15 minutes (calling from the USA) as I explained to him that I may have more than one reservation and I could have one booked direct and one through Expedia. He told me with certainty there was only one reservation and he would cancel it. Two weeks after my stay would have ended, I find a charge for $900 USA on my credit card. I called and spoke to the husband and wife who own the business and they refused to return a single $ stating that Dan knew he can’t cancel a reservation made through Expedia, so it’s my fault that they charged me as a no-show. And their reason for giving me no refund and no accommodation, “we’ve already paid a fee to Expedia”. Never mind that they had full knowledge that I would not be arriving and could have booked the room to someone else! I have travelled to New Zealand over 15 years and dozens of places and have never dealt with as reasonable and rude a couple as these owners. If you are used to friendly New Zealand hosts and American level of Customer Service, STAY Away and definitely book somewhere else!
Response from Jill on Dec 29, 2023
Afternoon Keith,We are so disappointed to read this review. We have taken this further with Expedia, who you made the booking with, and they have advised us you never cancelled your booking. We are unable to cancel a booking unless it has been made direct with us which our manager explained to you. We explained this to you also when you phoned.Regards Jill & LesOwners.

10/10 Excellent

Steffi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Awesome spot!
Down for the night so partner could join a fishing charter next day. This is my go to place when in Whitianga. The owners are great, so helpfull. You cant beat the location or the sunrise view! Thanks so much! see you next time :)
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Eve

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Older property, you can see it is well looked after though and thought has gone into minor details/amenities. It was very clean and today inside and out
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ian

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
If you like long walks along the beach, then this is literally the hotel for you. Close enough to make the wharf and downtown walkable (about 15-20 minutes depending on your speed), but far enough to not be in the middle of it all. Oh and the view of the Mercury Bay and beyond is perfection for relaxing with your morning coffee (especially if it rains on the bay - the rainbows are quite something).
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

6/10 Okay

Paul

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
We did not like the layout of the bathroom. Entering the room straight into bathroom, no door to toilet, was disconcerting. Shower cubicle strange.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Glenn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice clean good size good heater
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Just Great
Nice clean beachfront room. Huge kitchen if keen on cooking. Walking distance to the wharf, where eateries operate. Even has collaboration with Grace O'Malley's for 10% discount, just that we forgot to show the card... Only drawback is need some time to figure out the hot water for the shower...
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Neville

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great location for early morning sunrise & beach walk. Handy to Harbour House Cafe for good coffee & dinner at Kufe bar & Restaurant. Enjoyed our stay at Oceanside. 😊
Stayed 5 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Charlene

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Clean, clean, clean. Fabulous hospitality. Gorgeous view. Quiet. Ty from Canada 🇨🇦
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lucinda

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kendra

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Perfect stay with the beach across the road! Owner is fantastic! Highly recommend!
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023

8/10 Good

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
highly recommend
Les and Jill were very friendly and felt very much at ease there, especially given the cyclone. The room was spacious and with a great view.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
thoroughly enjoyable!
Great location, easy walk into town. Fabulous view.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lisa

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
What a great place to stay, lovely and clean and the view was amazing
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Codie

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location, clean, and tidy 🙂
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lia

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Amazing view, great staff & room was clean & modern
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2022

10/10 Excellent

Rachel

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location In Pauanui, shopping centre across the road. Beach & international Golf course nearby & Tairua 20 km drive. Would recommend this motel to others
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2022

10/10 Excellent

Mike

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very accomidating and freindly
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2022

10/10 Excellent

Karen

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This was a lovely property overlooking Buffalo Beach. It is very close to cafes and restaurants as well as the town centre would definitely stay here again.

8/10 Good

Ange

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great location. Beach was just across the we road. Could sit out the front of our own pstio with sea views. Easy walk into town & restaurants. Unit was spacious, with seperate living room (uncomfortable couch) Shower could do with a little TLC. Comfortable bed and friendly staff
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2022

6/10 Okay

Amanda

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Was quite dated and small could hear people walking around upstairs when we were in bedroom
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022
Response from Les on Jul 5, 2022
Hi Amanda, Thanks for the review. We have 3 room types, here at the Oceanside, your room, 1 of 3 One Bedroom units, 3 x Deluxe units and 3 x Executive suites. All rooms have the great view that you enjoyed.

10/10 Excellent

RACHEL

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Absolutely fabulous very central, was graet friendly staff.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2022
Response from Les on Jul 5, 2022
Hi Rachel, Thanks for giving us a great review.

6/10 Okay

Yang Chen

Traveled with family
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
the view was wonderful
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

8/10 Good

SHARON

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It was right next to the beach and not that far from town so we could walk to the restaurants. Just 1 day they didnt service our room so we had to go down and get towels and coffee and milk
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2022

10/10 Excellent

Jason

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022

10/10 Excellent

Piata

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Location was perfect, right across from the beach.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2022

8/10 Good

Carmen

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A lovely Seaview!
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2022

8/10 Good

Mervyn

Traveled with family
Ocean view
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Marie on Oct 31, 2021
Hello Mervyn thank you for your feedback we appreciate our guests comments here at Oceanside kind regards Marie

8/10 Good

Jane

Traveled with family
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Comfortable & spacious. Fabulous location right on the beach with awesome views & walking distance to town. Friendly staff.Definitely recommended 😊
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Marie on Oct 27, 2021
good morning Thank you for taking time to post feedback the team here at Oceanside Motel appreciate our guests comments we look forward to hosting you again in the future kind regards Marie

10/10 Excellent

D W

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Awesome beachfront location, great getaway!
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2021
Response from Marie on Oct 27, 2021
good morning Thank you for taking time to post feedback the team here at Oceanside Motel appreciate our guests comments we look forward to hosting you again in the future kind regards Marie

10/10 Excellent

Douglas

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Ideal base for a family gathering.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Comfortable and Clean unit with everything that was needed for our stay. Owner was welcoming and friendly.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in May 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Beautiful view from our unit. Within walking distance of the town centre.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2021

10/10 Excellent

A K

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great! Easy and great location.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

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

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Comfortable room with a stunning view! The spa bath was a great added touch.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The friendliness of the Hosts. Jill especially went 'the extra mile' . We went to dinner at a restaurant recommended by the Motel. After our excellent dinner, our waitress informed us that we had a treat to come(it turned out to be a shared chocolate cheese cake). They would not disclose who ordered it. It was for our 64th. anniversary celebration, that day. We subsequently found out that Jill from the motel had arranged it. Some people are so kind.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2021

6/10 Okay

Bruce

Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Friendly organised welcome on arrival. Flexible and allowed us to book in an hour earlier than planned. Clean and well maintained accomodation. Great location with easy access to all ammenities. Great value to the cost. Highly recommend.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2020
Response from Les on Aug 11, 2020
Thanks for reviewing your stay, here at The Oceanside. We appreciate your comments and are glad you enjoyed your stay. We all marvel at the magnificent views of the Mercury Bay that all our units experience.

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2020
Response from Les on Jun 23, 2020
Thank you

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2020
Response from Les on Jun 23, 2020
Thank you

10/10 Excellent

Long, Australia

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The room has a fantastic ocean view and the staff here is so friendly and helpful. Definitely come again!
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2020

8/10 Good

Carolyn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Positioned directly across the beach and a 10 minute walk to the shopping area makes this motel ideal. It’s an older building that has been neatly updated. Very comfortable bed. The bathroom would be unsuitable for people will mobility issues as there are large steps up into the spa bath to take a shower. Also the space for the toilet is very tight. The free wifi was intermittent and slow. The TV was oddly positioned.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020
Response from Les on Mar 5, 2020
Hi Carolyn, Thanks for reviewing your stay with us at The Oceanside. While our Executive Suites are unsuitable for people with mobility issues our Deluxe units can, with their ramp access and 10 cm shower up-stands. The Wi-fi suffers from over use. We have done as much as we can to boast the wi fi throughout the complex but it is the internet connection that fails. Ultra fast broadband is being installed now so hopefully the problem should be gone by August 2020. I'm glad you enjoyed our location and, hopefully, took advantage of the 10% discount we get from selected restaurants. Thanks again for the review.

10/10 Excellent

Nick, Edinburgh

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Well equipped large rooms with massive balcony overlooking stunning views
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from Les on Feb 11, 2020
Thanks Nick for reviewing you stay with us. We are glad you liked the spaciousness of our rooms. We all enjoy the fantastic ocean views and spectacular sunrises viewed from all our units.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great view and location. Friendly hosts. Thank you!
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Les on Feb 9, 2020
Thank you for staying with us at The Oceanside. We hope you enjoyed the fantastic ocean views and sunrises that all our units provide. Regards Les & Jill