Qualmarked 4 star. In the heart of Paihia 5 minutes flat walking from waterfront,shops. Wide range of accommodation from Small Queen Studio(Basic Facilities),King Studios,King Studio Spa, One Bedroom(sleeps 3-4),Two bedroom(sleeps 4) and Large Family units(Sleeps 2-7 people)with Spa Bath and BBQ. Kitchens, Sky TV 50+ channels. Free WiFi, Shared Guest Laundry. Knowledgeable Kiwi operators to help you with tours in the Bay of Islands and throughout New Zealand. Special packages arranged. BBQ also available. Optical Fiber Wifi System. Great Discounts for Tours.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Centrally Located
Quiet
Location
69 Williams Road, Paihia 0200 New Zealand
Dolphin Motel
439 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
The motel room we had was quite large comfortable and had great facilities, a well equiped kitchen, bathroom well laid out and a balcony to relax on. Our room was in a newer block of the motel well maintained, clean and the facilities reflected this. The location was within walking distance to the waterfront, restaurants and shops. The only negative is that tissues were not provide as in Australian motels.
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Firstly, I was impressed with Dolphin Motel management who merged our 2 separate bookings (one a smaller room configuration) so we could accommodate our guest for an extra $25/night without having to switch rooms the second night. We were given a spacious, modern upper floor room with 2 Queen Beds and a kitchenette with everything we needed. It was a comfortable stay, with some little things that could be improved to make it even better. We didn't expect reception to be unmanned in the afternoon- we pressed the buzzer twice. There were several welcome notes stuck to their door for each guest with keys in the room, but they were easy to overlook. A friendly maintenance man? did pass by shortly to point out those check-in notes and where to park our car. We could've used more hanging hooks, especially in the bathroom. More hangers and an extra mirror in the room would've also been appreciated. Bathroom door doesn't lock and there was no box of tissues around, but this seems to be the norm in north NZ. You actually need to read the instructions that was there to operate the TV- it had a Mi Stick that sometimes shut down on its own. Was surprised to find Netflix available and we had some entertaining nights watching shows.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Dolphin is an old-style 50's era motel in that all the rooms are ground level and accessible from the street. Having said this, it has been updated extensively and is a top-notch place to stay in Paihia. Its location to the wharf (and bus stop) is within easy walking distance. The Countdown grocery store is even closer. On a clear night I also think it would be a good place for stargazing. As for the room, ours was spacious, clean, modern, quiet and very functional. The bed was comfortable. We had no complaints at all with Dolphin and would recommend it for a stay in Paihia.
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Date of stay: January 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Book a superior king studio.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We booked for 3 nights and were disturbed to find that there was no one in reception to greet us and give us the key. Just a note on the door to say where our unit was. It was open and the key on the bench. We noted that the couple in the unit next to us were moved to a new unit , not sure why. The cleanliness of this unit in the bathroom was not good. Mould on the ceiling and behind the toilet. This area had not been cleaned for a while as there was other items that should have been cleaned in a daily routine. There were mould spots in the shower as well. My wife noted that there were no cereal plates. Also a light out in the bathroom. In the morning I cooked my eggs in the frypan but then found out there was no egg slice to get them out of the pan. Then when I went to sit down at the breakfast bar the stools were broken, one at a very low level and one stuck too high. We approached the lady in the reception then and she delivered 2 cereal plates for us. No egg slice was available and no one fixed the bathroom light while we were there. She bought another bar stool for us but the rust on the bottom showed the extent that the management has allowed this place to deteriorate too. Not the standard I expect for $150 per night. Also there was an All Blacks test on and the units do not have SKY TV.
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Date of stay: September 2022
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:Suggest you make sure you are in the new wings but I have no idea if these rooms are any better.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dolphin motel was a great place to stay. We were welcomed very warmly and walked to our room. We had the 2 bedroom self contained unit which was big enough for 4 adults. The unit was very clean and had everything we needed. The bed was so comfortable and included daily housekeeping where the towels were changed and bathroom cleaned. The hotel was also a 2 min walk to the main shops and 5 mins to the water.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:We stayed in the new block of rooms
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Rasmey Ra, General Manager at Dolphin Motel
Responded Mar 16, 2020
Thank you for your review glad you enjoyed the Motel and Paihia area
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Brilliant location. Just an easy walk up the road from the town. If you have accessibility issues there are easy access ground floor rooms and the whole 3 to 5 minute walk to town is flat. Margaret the manager is welcoming and helpful. Definitely the motel's asset. Clean and comfortable room.
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lovely modern updated Motel that is well maintained and clean, Really comfy bed Sky TV fast WIFI and warm had a problem with TV and they fixed it within 10 minutes of calling. Plenty of information in room about nearby things to do. Leaflets in Reception will also assist you.
Short walk to shops and ferry to Russel or for cruises booking for cruises is within walking distance. Very quiet no noise from other guests or from road. I would definitely return for another stay.
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Date of stay: June 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled on business
Room Tip:All of them are slowly being modernised
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed at the Dolphin Motel for 2nights, was meant to be 3 nights but left a day early as we’d rather just go home then stay another night in our ant infested room. We were in room 3 which has not been renovated. We bought our own food but most was wasted as the kitchen was over run with ants, moved food to the dining table in the other room but the ants followed. Cupboard doors were hanging off their hinges, there was some sort of liquid spilt down the wall which had become mouldy. The latch to the bathroom window was barely hanging on and the window could open wide enough for people to see in, did not feel safe at night time. The shower is so powerful that the shower head will not stay put, it shoots upwards and the entire floor gets wet which has caused the wooden bathroom door to absorb the water and is rotting away. There’s a note on the wall about the water temp, you get about 20seconds of scorching hot water then about 45seconds of freezing cold water. The power point in the bathroom did not work and neither did the spare outlet in the lounge. The curtains have holes in them and the bright lights in the carpark will keep you awake all night. The location is good and the wifi was excellent but other than that it’s a horrible place to stay. I would not stay again and I would not recommend. There’s plenty of better options in town.
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The motel is a few minutes walk to the main part of town. It was quiet. Our motel unit was modern, comfortable and clean. There was a balcony with chairs to sit outside. The motel is walking distance to the boats and ferry so you can leave your car parked there. There are many restaurants nearby. There was a laundry that guests could use at certain times.
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I would not stay at this motel again. Aside from the location there is nothing positive to say about this venue. The pictures displayed on the website did not depict the room that we were provided with (Room 2), which was a two bedroom family room. The room was VERY dated and in need of a clean. Had there been other hotel accommodation available I would have checked out immediately. The receptionist was rude, even questioning why I needed 4 face clothes for my 2 children, ,my husband and myself instead of 2. There was no cleaning during our stay. The room was very very noisy and there was no privacy, with vehicles parking right outside our ranch slider and people sitting on the small table and chairs outside our room (such that we had to ask them to move so as not to wake our small children with their loud noise).
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Review collected in partnership with this hotel
Date of stay: January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Paihia area.
PRICE RANGE
₱4,538 - ₱6,632 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
New ZealandNorth IslandNorthland RegionBay of IslandsPaihia
NUMBER OF ROOMS
31
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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