[CityBlue]

My parents are coming over at christmas :raebanana and we are planning on going to Rotorua for a couple of nights.

We have been before and stayed in the Princess gate hotel and to be honest it was a terrible place. Dark, musty and dirty.

We were looking at the Sudima hotel but have read a few reviews saying it is in need of a facelift.

So we decided we'd better ask the knowledgable people on here.

Any thoughts..?

Thanks

[IanW99]

My parents are coming over at christmas :raebanana and we are planning on going to Rotorua for a couple of nights.

We have been before and stayed in the Princess gate hotel and to be honest it was a terrible place. Dark, musty and dirty.

We were looking at the Sudima hotel but have read a few reviews saying it is in need of a facelift.

So we decided we'd better ask the knowledgable people on here.

Any thoughts..?

Thanks

Personally, we've stayed at the heritage hotel a few times and definitely recommended, but go to their website and get a late deal, then they are very good value for money.

Would be worth checking out this thread:- Hotel Accomodation in Taupo / Rotorua (http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=16874) for more suggestions.

Ian

[mgbridges]

You might find this useful to:
http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=15244

We had a great week in Rotorua last school hols and can heartily recommend the Fat Dog Cafe in the centre of town. The Pig & Whistle had a good food selection, we had HUGE delicious burgers.

In terms of things to do here are a few comments;
The Luge - FAB, look out for discount vouchers in the local free newspaper
Rainbow Springs - a bit pricey but they have a 24hr deal where you can come and go.
Kiwi Encounter (right next door to Rainbow Springs) - unlikely they'll have any eggs or chicks this time of year but the three resident ones kept in the nocturnal house are fantastic as there is no glass. However, if you've seen Kiwi's before I wouldn't spend the money.
Paradise Springs - only worth it if you are there when the lions get fed at 2.30pm
Wai-o-tapu - wonderful thermal area and just up from the car park there are some fantastic bubbling mud pools.
Te Puia - you could easily spend a day there but it ain't cheap.
Amphibeous Duck - fun but again quite expensive and when we were there they couldn't go out on Lake Rotorua because of problems with weed.
Hells Gate - a bit more 'raw' in terms of thermal activity, we'd have liked to have gone to the spa there but not really an option with a 6yr old in tow
Polynesian Baths - we only went in the family pool which to be honest is showing its age, think the other 'adults' only area would have been nicer.
Kairau Park - right in the centre of town, free thermal activity to look at
Redwoods - lovely place for a walk and a picnic

Enjoy!
Anneliese

[jubjub]

We stayed at the Millennium Hotel its right by the lake front, has a lovely pool and is walking distance to the town centre & restuarants etc oh, and the polynesian spa is just round the corner. They generally do a deal for bed & breakfast too, not sure that would apply at xmas though.

A friend of mine stayed at the Rydges and she said it was good (and she is very fussy!) its a bit further out of town though..

Most of the cheaper hotels seem to be down Fenton Street.

[Red Devil]

We can highly recommend the Ventura Inn... very clean, spacious rooms, friendly staff, well priced and a short stroll from the town centre. We stayed just the one night last month whilst on our 'recce' trip and our 5 year old son enjoyed the outdoor pool, very refreshing after a days sightseeing...

http://www.venturainns.co.nz/newRotorua_intro.htm

[kowhai]

I recommend the Millenium also. We stay there quite often .The buffet breakfasts are quite good - although I would advise you to stroll down to the Lime cafe for a very good quality breakfast instead. ( 5 minutes walk - towards the lake ).The Millenium has a large indoor heated pool, spa and the usual massage treatments. The hotel also puts on Maori concerts in the evenings. As mentioned , the Polynesian pools are literally across the road. If you do decide to stay there, be sure to request lake view rooms.

The only other hotel I would suggest is the Novotel. Its newer then the Millenium and a tad more sterile. Tis ok though. Their seafood buffet is on Saturday nights. rate it as 6 : 10. ( incase you love seafood as much as us ).

[CityBlue]

Thanks everyone!

I think we have plenty to go at there.

We will come back and post where we stayed and how it was once we get back.

Thanks again