Pink Palace (Paihia Pacific Resort Hotel Bay of Islands)

Member Name: kirstymack80

Product:	Paihia Pacific Resort Hotel Bay of Islands
Date:	12/11/05 (142 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: comfortable, friendly, yummy food

Disadvantages: none

While on my recent tour around New Zealand, we stayed in 12 different hotels. Yes indeedy folks, it wasn't even worth unpacking in most of them. The Paihia Pacific Resort Hotel is situated in the Bay of Islands, on the North Island. This was our base for two nights while we visited 'nearby' Cape Reinga, which was, in fact, about 4-5 hours drive away at the very northernmost tip of the island. But that's nothing to the New Zealanders!

* The hotel *

Well from my title you can imagine the décor, yes it's got a pale pink exterior. But don't let that put you off. Our tour bus was greeted by the owners, who pointed us in the right direction to our rooms. There are three blocks of accommodation which are all tiered. Our block had two levels and there are fairly steep steps up to your room if you're not on ground level, so it's not for the very infirm.

Facilities include a free sauna, gym and sunbed (bonus!) and the hours are generally around 8am to 8pm. There is a laundry, car park and conference room. Reception is not open 24 hours - 7am to 9pm. As such we did not have a check in as our tour guide went in to collect our room keys, which had already been allocated.

* The room *

The bathroom was situated on the left as we entered, and the room was spacious. There was one double bed and one single by the window (we tossed and guess who ended up with the single? Yup, li'l ole me). There was also a sofa and table.

After a quick inspection there were a few minor gripes. There was no mirror in the main room - this was situated inside the wardrobe (which wasn't immediately obvious). Also the lighting was pretty poor in there - the room appears dark most of the time and if I was reading or writing I'd have to sit on the sofa which was underneath one of the two ceiling lights. I had no light at all over my bed which meant I couldn't read or, in fact, see the tv. The double bed, on the other hand, had attached table lights on either side of it and prime view of the television. Hmph!

On the plus side there were some good points about the room - tea and coffee making facilities, a fridge and plenty of space so we didn't get under each other's feet. There was also a table fan and a heater to cater for all weathers. Let's just say the heater got used a fair amount!

There's a direct dial phone but if ringing home I recommend purchasing a phonecard as hotels always charge a hefty amount! Phonecards start at $5 and my friend and I both had around 15 minutes each of phone time with this - bargain!

The outlook was fairly pretty too - out of the window we could see other houses and palm trees and from the door we could see lots of shrubs, trees and rose bushes.

There are 13 air conditioned superior rooms, 23 standard rooms and 2 rooms with facilities for the disabled.

* Bathroom *

Again fairly large. There were lots of towels which were changed daily (believe me, this isn't always the case in hotels!), a box of tissues, the handy little useless freebie of the washing up liquid, I mean shampoo and the piece de resistance, a hairdryer.

The shower was a little temperamental too - gushing out *extremely* hot water when you least expected it! That sure used to wake us up!

* The restaurant *

Situated up a few steps above the reception, this is a *major* plus to the hotel. The Volcanic Stone restaurant is the 'hottest place to eat in the Bay'. Why? Because it's served on your own sizzling hot stone that is heated to 400 degrees celsius so your meal stays hot right up to the last bite!

We ate here both nights, as did most of our tour group. If you don't want to go the Stone route, there are other main courses such as chicken, salmon, fish and steak all around the $25 mark (£11). However the stonegrill specialties I have to highly recommend - they come with potatoes and vegetables and you can have practically anything you want on there. I had steak but there's also chicken, lamb, surf 'n' turf or a mixed grill. It's absolutely delicious and one of the owners will even give you 'instructions' on how to cook the steak to your own preference. My friend likes hers cremated but I like mine medium, so it's up to you as and when you take it off the heat and start to eat! Yum.

We also had breakfast here and the guys very kindly laid on our very own 'early' breakfast as we had to be out of the hotel at some ungodly hour for our tour. The continental breakfast is $13.50 and is served buffet style but there are cheaper options available and hot alternatives if you're a bit hungrier.

Room service is available.

* What's nearby *

The beach is just 150 metres away. There are also other restaurants, bars and shops along the waterfront within easy walking distance of around 5 minutes. There are banks nearby plus a Kingfisher convenience store which is located in the same road as the hotel, around 150 metres away. This is open from 7.30 am to 9 pm.

We were also very near the port which took us to Cape Brett the following day, which is a fun cruise to see The Hole In the Rock and you get a chance to visit the nearby island of Russell and go up on deck to admire the view. Lots of fishing, scuba and sailing around this area if you're keen, plus kayaking and generally anything to do with the water!

* The staff *

This is where the Paihia Pacific came into its own. The two male owners were fab and were very 'hands on'. We saw them many times throughout our short stay and they were always on hand with a joke and were very friendly and helpful.

There are a couple of other staff, a lady and a young guy that work in the restaurant. Again they are very friendly and asked us about our day and always told us about the specials in the restaurant and were very pleasant.

* Reception *

This is a small area with wicker furniture and plants - the whole place feels tropical with a cozy feel so why not sit here and sip on a cocktail? There are information leaflets with ideas on where to go/what to see which are free to pick up.

* Check out *

Is at 10 am. Prices of rooms vary according to which month you book but it's worth checking out the internet for deals as sometimes a free breakfast is included or a suite upgrade is available for a small surcharge.

* Other info *

Part of the Mainstay group.

27 Kings Road
Paihia
Bay of Islands

Phone 64 (0)9 402 8221
Fax 64 (0)9 402 8490

www.paihiapacific.co.nz
email: info@paihiapacific.co.nz

* Overall *

I loved this hotel. Many of the others we had stayed in on our tour were large and impersonal. They were literally a room for the night. With the Paihia Pacific Resort the owners were fantastic, very patient and always had time for a chat which really makes a difference to an enjoyable stay. This is a small, relaxed hotel, and a bit out of the way compared to some of the others we stayed in, but it was my favourite. It's quiet and comfortable for a short stay - perfect. If you do go to New Zealand and pass this way, I definitely recommend popping in.

Thanks for reading.

Summary: tropical setting, comfortable hotel.