Waitomo Caves Hotel

Hotel

What really makes or breaks these experiences are the tour guides… The cave was really beautiful & the glowworms amazing, though the time spent walking through the cave is short and the boat ride is even shorter (they should write this in on their tour website). I felt the experience was ruined by the short-tempered tour guide who yelled at a few ppl during the tour… Definitely made the experience awkward & less enjoyable. You're also crammed into the boat with a bunch of people, super uncomfortable… also the boat ride is about 3-5 mins or so… very short. I expected more for the $$ cost.

A little bit too touristic and pricy.

Really awesome experience here. If your in the general area your most likely here because of this attraction. The staff were very friendly even though we forgot to ring ahead and confirm our session, we were easily fitted in and did not have to wait. There is a cafe on the premises as well with fair prices on food like chips and sandwiches. The glow worm caves are something else to behold, make sure you get the package that includes the 'dog' caves, the staff will know what you mean. Wheelchair accessible caves available as well as more adventurous ones.

You might as well do the Ruakuri Cave tour instead, which we did after. Most of this tour is wandering through lit caves, but the other tour is far better for that. The brief boat 'trip' was okay, but you get to see plenty of glowworms on the other tour. Also, our guide awkwardly recited her spiel with pseudo-charisma — the guide was much better on (you guessed it) the other tour. You can't take photos of the glowworms because apparently you might upset them if you make noise or use flash.

I loved the Waitomo Caves. Seeing the glowworms is pretty special, in particular when you are gliding through total darkness in a canoe. The guide is a descendent from the person who owns the land and found the caves and is not just knowledgable but also fun to listen to. An amazing experience for all ages.

Fancy old fashioned mansion with very French staff. Looks like it has seen better days though.

45 minute experience was slightly shorter than would be ideal. You only get to see actual glow worms for about 10 minutes. The rest of the time is spent exploring the caves. Be aware of the strict prohibition of any photography. This is justified to prevent someone from accidentally leaving their flash on and ruining the experience for everyone (the glow worms will ''turn off''). The groups were too large with a full capacity group set at 50 people. Stay at the front of the tour for best views. Be wait at the start with your ticket. This is definitely a worthwhile experience as the glow worms are simply magnificent to behold.

$90 (discounted) for a room that was average, with no toothpaste, tooth brush, and the soap in the bathroom wasn't even fancy! Judging by the other reviews I thought this place would be fancy… but nope. Not only that, but when I tried to check in, the lady at the reception asked for my credit card even though I had paid online… nope! I would not recommend staying here.

Spent 3 nights here over the long weekend and loved it! What an amazing building, with a rich and unique history. The staff went above and beyond to ensure our stay was exemplary, and their knowledge of the building and surrounding area was fantastic. Food at the restaurant was fast and delicious — I highly recommend the Eggs Benedict! The rooms were light and airy with plenty of sun, and the decor fit the setting perfectly. However, it still had the modern gadgets such as the flat screen TV to watch the All Blacks on at 4am! If you are ever in the area — make sure you stay here. An interesting and iconic piece of New Zealand history. A characteristic building in a stunning setting — who could ask for more?

Overall we were very disappointed with Waitomo caves hotel. The service wasn't great! Our room which is Room 14 looked comfortable and nice but was far from it. The bathroom was dated and the cold tap didn't work so we couldn't bathe which isn't ideal with a young child. She did offer for us to use a different bath in a room on the other side of the hotel. Also in the evening there was a horrible sound for over an hour. Luckily other stayers complained. As a result, the receptionist banged on our door nearly waking up our baby asking if it was us. It had a spooky feel to it. Later on I found out that we stayed in the haunted room. Breakfast took a long time and wasn't tasty!

Not really nice but clean rooms. Bathrooms are medium clean. Kitchen was very dirty and the equipment was crap. Very noisy as well… but thats why you always should travel with oropax.

We decided to stay at Kiwi Paka Waitomo as we were tired travelling back from Ohakune. We wanted a Pizza and were told we had to order it straight away as the restaurant was closing at 8pm and to eat it in our room. The Pizza was very nice, big enough for 1 adult and 2 children, but overpriced at $27 When we went to the toilet there was a loud buzzing noise at end of hallway. told reception and they said probably something to do with there shower repairs and the shows should be working by now. I am glad our room was at the other end of the hallway, otherwise it would have been difficult to sleep. When we went to bed, my youngest daughter said the springs were sticking into her back. She was tired and cried. I turned the mattress over but it was no different. My older daughter said hers was the same. Out of 4 beds in the room, 3 were like this, as my youngest daughter tried the 3rd one and it was no different. I believe these are the original mattreses from when the place was opened and are worn out and need to be replaced. I had to sleep on the only firm bed which was different type of bed than the others, as I had a back injury. My youngest daughter is only 38 kgs, and oldest 45 kgs, so adults would have found it even more uncomfortable. Reception was closed at 8pm, so there was nobody to see about this to change rooms. They woke up with sore backs, unrested, tired, and cranky.

1920's era Agatha Christie style hotel. Allegedly haunted. Lovely character place, great scenery, great location, great attractions. Very enjoyable.

Large kitchen, okay games room and secure facilities. The rooms were clean and the showers were nice. Would visit again.