The 49 best hotels in Rotorua (2025)

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My partner got a room for us for a little holiday over the weekend. He requested specifically a queen bed and we were met with 2 twin beds– when we asked to switch it they said they couldn’t do anything about it until tomorrow. The next day came and they ended up giving us hope as they said they were giving us a King bed by swapping out beds. We came back from our walk and the beds ended up not getting switched and they just put the 2 twin beds together and put a sheet over it. Not to mention the mugs were dirty upon arrival. We don’t care about not getting the King just asking for some communication and transparency for the time spent there. Beds were hard and pillows were hard. Just overall disappointed with the money that we spent and didn’t get what we deserved out of it. The only plus side was the view of the lake.

Room is fine, clean and adequate. The restaurant is a total waste of money, don’t go there. Vastly overpriced for what they give. I ordered a Southern fried chicken, and five deep fried pieces came out and a tablespoon of chopped salad. Pathetic! My partner ordered steak, the piece was very small and tough. It came with a mountain of chips. In general don’t bother booking here. The spa facilities are closed, the pool is tiny and all looks sad and run down.

It's a great place to stay! Well located. Not far from the main township. The accommodation is rightly named - the lake is just through the gate. As we went out of season, the pool is getting refurbished, but they have two amazing spa pools in use. The service is great! I misunderstood what a deluxe double was (thinking a double bed) and when we discovered it was two separate beds, they were able to change our rooms with no hassle, for us to get a king bed. The room itself was tidy, cozy, and warm. Heat pump and Sky TV added extra comfort to our stay. The only thing I would add is having some plates or bowls in the room. There were only glasses/mugs and a kettle with tea, coffee, and hot chocolate sachets available. But as there were no plates, we had to choose our dinner option wisely and skip breakfast. We didn't eat at the in-house restaurant. We will definitely be back!

Went to the day spa for a massage and pedi. Our treatment package included a cheese platter and glass of bubbles. (Which was delicious and the view was so relaxing). Didn't know at the time but 2 hrs use of the spa, pool and sauna were included.Massage therapist was friendly, social and the massage was amazing. Inside environment clean and relaxing.Highly recommend the experience and look forward to coming back the next time I go through the area.

Booked here recently (October 2023) for 2 nights for our honeymoon. My partner and I were looking forward to using the spa facilities (massage etc) and have a romantic dinner as well. Unfortunately the restaurant was closed (which the resort told us days before we got there). What made it more upsetting is we didn’t know the spa facilities were closed until we went to walk in to see if we could get a massage. Reception didn’t even let us know the whole spa treatment part was closed for the whole month, probably because we would’ve booked somewhere else closer to city centre. Other than that it was clean and a decent place to stay, just a little far from the city centre and shops.

We felt the hotel was very tied, very dated, and too far away from central Rotorua.Housekeeping needs to be improved.Even the grassed area around the hotel needed to be mowed, although it did have a great view of the lake in the room we had.It's not really a resort & not good value for money.

We like the place since it is beside lakeside, it is only 12-14 mins from the centre. It is a quite place away from the noises from the main road.We love our room since it has its own jacuzzi, with complete toiletries.Clean and comfy bed, they have microwave but you cant cook.The resort got its own Lift which is very convenient most especially if you got luggage.They have also 2x swimming pool, and jacuzzi outdoor which is open from 8am till 8pm. This resort is ideal for family or with couple.The only thing is at that time their restaurant is closed for renovation so you have to travel to centre to eat or do take away.

Some of the facilities here were under maintenance when we visited: steam, sauna, pools. Be aware that the ground floor rooms do not have windows- just the big door you enter from. Nice and quiet location right by the beach. Rooms are generally well maintained.

Very nice quiet place, suits are very spacious, unfortunately our room Heatpump was not workingThe Asian lady at reception was not so welcoming. I guess her favourite word is ‘NO’Other than nice quite place, spa bath in the bathroom is very relaxing.

The highlight of our stay at Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort was undoubtedly the breathtaking lake view from the corridor and swimming pool. The facility boasts an incredible location with stunning views of the lake, which provided a serene backdrop throughout our stay.Our room, along with the washroom, was of a decent size and offered comfortable accommodation for our family of four during our three-night stay. However, while we were able to enjoy the jacuzzi, we found the swimming pool to be disappointingly cold as it lacked temperature control. Additionally, the steam room and sauna were not functioning properly during our visit, which was a bit of a letdown.On the downside, we were quite disappointed with the cleanliness of the room. Despite our three-night stay, the housekeeping staff did not change the bed sheets or refill the tea and bathroom amenities, which left much to be desired in terms of cleanliness and attention to detail.Despite these shortcomings, we were pleased with the affordability of our stay, especially considering the good deal we secured through Agoda. Overall, while the hotel offers stunning views and decent accommodations, there are areas for improvement, particularly in terms of cleanliness and facility maintenance.Thank you.

The hotel has a beautiful location on Holdens Bay. We enjoyed the morning walks by the lake. The room wasn't overly large, especially if you're traveling with a lot of luggage. However, we found the room to be clean, and all amenities were available. A plus point was being able to watch live sports in our room. The staff was friendly, but there were many people of Asian origin who weren't very proficient in English, making communication relatively difficult. Also, note that breakfast is à la carte only, with a limited choice. We didn't use the pool and jacuzzi, so we can't provide a review of those.

Stayed here with my wife 4 yrs ago and we very much enjoyed the whole experience, from rooms to massages and spas. However something seems to have changed. Stayed there a few days ago with my wife and the best way I could describe it is that it is run more like a house than a resort. The spa, sauna, and pool use is included in the price, however when I walked into this area all the lights were off, the area was run down, saunas and spas not on so spas were lukewarm. They then said they only turn them on if they know people want to use them. They then tried to add hot water from a hose into it which added 1-2 degrees, made it barely warm. Had some sauna time but it was finally warm enough and then had to go to dinner which needed to push out due to everything taking ages to heat up. And the small pool outside was drained with green waste in it, they said it isn't used very often however I never read or heard anything about it not being in use, neither about needing to let them know if we wanted to use the spa. The larger outside pool was good, some kids were playing in it but it was near lake temperature. Fridge in the room froze whatever we put in it overnight, bathrooms needed shelves in shower and hooks. Rooms were 'tired/run down'. Photos/wall repair work at the least. To be fair, the staff were courteous and relatively friendly, mainly the chef who I saw from time to time, the food was actually very good. Tasty and good portions for the price. Lovely to walk out along the lake. Perhaps summer is different as we have only been here twice in the fall, but they were both very different experiences. Some fun and funny memories none the less. Food photos we took below don't do it justice, we clearly ate some already, this was the big breakfast and French toast, very much enjoyed.

Quiet, out of way place by the lake. Be aware there are many flies there at night, make sure you close the window at night. One notable point I would like to suggest is that, please use sharper steak knife for your restaurant meal. Very nice meal by the way. 5 out of 5.

Nice Resort and pool, great location. There is a park and in between the hotel and the lake. Check in and staff were great. Hotel was quite, wifi was strong. The sand flies can be pesky in the evening. Unfortunately I didn't get to try any of the spa amenities, but maybe next time.

Very clean and tidy room, lovely linen, comfy bed, friendly staff, great view of the lake and nice walking options outside the gates. Enjoyed being away from the city, so nice and quiet here, look forward to coming back in summer.

Wai Ora was a disappointment. It looked so lovely in the photos, but a number of factors let it down.The room itself was OK. The king-sized bed was two singles put together with a sheet over the top. Thousands of flies enter every time you go in or out of your room every evening but they do provide a fly killer to take care of it, which unfortunately then leaves hundreds of dead flies everywhere all over your belongings. Appreciate that it's not the hotel's fault, but we didn't see the same volume of flies further away from the lake.Fridge had a tendency to freeze anything we put in it, and the hot water was intermittent.Although we didn't go in the pools, they looked very much worse for wear and in need of some TLC. The floor of the warm pool in particular looked very rough.Reception wasn't staffed all the time, so when we went looking for someone to find fly spray in the evening and some bowls in the morning, we couldn't find anyone.On balance, if we were to go back to Rotorua, we'd choose somewhere further away from the lake and maybe a bit more central, as everything was the other side of the town.

The room was ok, but our fridge stopped working overnight so our cheese went warm and had to be thrown out. The shower grouting looked dirty, it was clean, but was like staying at an average motel.

Nice little place to stay away from Rotorua Central. The hotel room doors open up right to the swimming pool which is really cool and the beach is accessible straight from the hotel. Just a few steps away which is great experience. Had all the basic Amenities needed from a hotel. They were gracious enough to help with the late check-in and had kept our hotel room open with the keys inside so that we could enter the room right away when we came in the middle of the night. Really good experience and would definitely visit again if visiting Rotorua.

The pics of the hotel looked lovely (and it probably was when John Key officially opened it in 2008) so we were quite looking forward to arriving. Let's just say it's seen better days. Everything is a bit worn and it's not what comes to mind when you say "resort".If you're coming to/from the airport the location is good but not so good if you want to go into town and don't have a car.They asked if we wanted a queen/king or two single beds so we went with the one large one. This turned out to be two single beds pushed together with a sheet over the two beds. So no one was sleeping in the chasm in the middle.The minibar (fridge only - no snacks) was old and noisy when it turned off and on during the night. Black-out curtains were great.The pool was empty when we arrived and only just filled up the night before we left. If people are booking a hotel that advertises having a pool, it would be nice to be told before paying that the pool might not be available for a couple of days.It's not that the place is awful, it's just that I would expect to pay less for what it is.

77 Robinson Avenue, Holdens Bay, Rotorua 3010, New Zealand•http://www.waioraresort.co.nz/•+64 7 343 5100•Tips and more reviews for Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort