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Reviews of Seaview Motel

3 out of 5
Seaview Motel
164 Esplanade, Kaikoura

Reviews

8.2

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 71 out of 183 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 71 out of 183 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 28 out of 183 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 11 out of 183 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 183 reviews" "

8.6/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

6.6/10

Amenities

7.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

8/10 Good

John

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
great view
Just for one night, lovely view, very quite, very clean
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Althou wotif confirmed our reservation Seaview advised no room available
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Old and tired. Bathroom shower very weak. Toilet was a dirty colour.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Was a lovely quiet unit, still some repairs being done in the unit, but didn't bother us :) Still slept well :)
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Unit was clean and dry and beds ok But property was almost derelict and should be given to the SAS for urban guerrilla warfare training I am surprised that Expedia even lists it to its clients and thus be represented by such a place Maybe Expedia needs to inspect the property.?
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Convenient location but very old property and fit outs. No a/c or fan for the summer months. Very old bathroom and kitchen and look very tired
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019

6/10 Okay

Amy

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very nice staff, so we stayed twice. Not a bad choice in Kaikoura. But frankly, the facilities are only about average among motels in NZ (similar price)
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful view of the ocean, friendly staff and great location.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Business traveller, Travelled with pets
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Clean and tidy - great location right across the road from ocean. Walking distance to town
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Mary Kaitlin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great staff, great room, great location
The couple who runs the place were so sweet. I told them that I would be late and they said it wasn't a problem and left the room open for me so that I could come in and crash straight away. Turns out it wasn't necessary as they stayed up waiting for me to arrive. They were really friendly and recommended a great cafe in town for a quick breakfast (the Why Not Cafe). The room itself was spacious and contained everything one would need in a self contained unit. It's really well located, right on the water front and a lovely walk into town. I'd recommend the Seaview Motel for anyone looking to stay in Kaikoura.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location, friendly hosts, longish walk from town and railway station, no evening cafe or dairy nearby, comfortable bed, TV remote missing, shower control tap hard to manage.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019

4/10 Poor

anthony

Disliked: Staff & service
only 1 of the units had a seaview it was old with cracks outside poor parking
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The staff were lovely. I felt the room, although clean needed an update and therefore expensive for what you got.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Friendly staff, simple, clean, warm, good beds, hot shower, close to beach.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Tony was brilliant, didn’t get the lady’s name but she was brilliant too. Really enjoyed our stay
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2019
Response from Sea and sun on 6 Oct 2019
Hello Thank you taking the time to post a review. We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay with us. Kind regards

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
This accomodation is right across the road from the sea. Unfortunately the Seaview motel barely lives up to its name. The only windows in the unit looked out to the boundary fence . Beyond this looking down the neighbours driveway gave us our sea view and a beautiful sunrise. Yes, this motel is on the budget end, but we didn't expect to enter the unit through the bathroom. Immediately inside the front (only) door we were confronted with a vintage wash hand basin and shower cabinet. Fortunately the toilet at the entry is separate. The entry opened into a generous open plan studio. The ceiling height felt low, but the size of the room was welcome One thing not seen since dorm. days: a list of do's and don'ts. DO all your dishes before vacating. Don't leave the heater on if not in the room. Do not cook strong flavoured meals: eg curry. This motel is not within walking distance from the township. Quiet if that is what you are looking for. The host was amiable and knowledgeable regarding the town.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice being by the sea. Nice hosts and very spacious rooms. Bathroom could do with a little tlc.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019
Response from Sea and sun on 30 Jul 2019
Dear guest Thank you for taking the time to post a review and the comments provided. We will look into the bathroom issue but little can be done until the insurance from the earthquake is settled unfortunately. We are pleased your stay was, on the whole, a good one.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great view,. For winter time the room was inadequately heated and the bedding wasn't warm enough. I asked for extra blankets. There was no vent for the bathroom and the room remained damp. Nowhere to hang clothes or towels. There was heavy rain and the roof leaked over one of the beds. We used pots to collect water. When I informed the manager he shrugged his shoulders and said he knew about it. He said he'd told the owner and nothing was done. There is a stairwell to get up to the room, it is usable but is buckled from the earthquake. The manager pointed it out, said it was still safe to use. It is up to a point, but it is slippery in the rain.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Room is quite small. Facilities cramped in a small area. Shower had water not going through the drain quick enough that it builds up. Positive thing is that all you need is the area but just a bit cramped
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Cold with. inadequate heating😚 Uncomfortable couch
Stayed 1 night in May 2019

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was old and tired for the price. Entry to the unit was via the bathroom. The tv was positioned very high up the wall which made it uncomfortable to view. Also we had to drive a couple of kms away to use a laundromat as there weren't any facilities on the premises.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
The bed was great. The entrance was bizarre; never before have we opened the door to a motel and found ourselves in the bathroom! The parking was not convenient.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

Joanne, Perth WA

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Fantastic location right across from the beach and away from the main area but not that far that you couldn’t walk to it.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2019
Response from Sea and sun on 11 Apr 2019
Dear Joanne Thank you for your review, we appreciate your comments. Best wishes

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
I think our room was a converted garage. Living and kitchen area were good but bathroom was in need of an update although it was clean. For the price I paid I didn't expect a notice telling me to wash my dishes. Room location away from the road was quiet.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Staff & service
Good price and had all the essentials for a short stay.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019

8/10 Good

CGL

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Great location: across the street is the beach. Very clean
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Sea and sun on 22 Mar 2019
Dear GCL Thank you for taking the time to post a review, we hope you enjoyed your time in Kaikoura

8/10 Good

Judith

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice views from the motel of the beach. Local water not drinkable without boiling but we were advised immediately.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from Sea and sun on 22 Mar 2019
Dear Judith Thank you for posting a review. We are told the water problem in the town will be fixed very soon which is good news. We hope you enjoyed your time in Kaikoura

10/10 Excellent

Ron

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We enjoyed our stay .the view across road in morning was breath taking.took sperm whale tour was also incredible up close to 2 giant sperm whales ,dolphins ,albatross
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Far from train, old and worn though adequate. Staff helpful.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019
Response from Sea and sun on 19 Feb 2019
Dear Anonymous Thank you for taking time to post a review. We hope you enjoyed being in Kaikoura. Best wishes for the rest of your travels. For anyone reading this review and coming by train or bus we are around 25 mins walk through the town from the train and 15 mins from the bus stop. I hope this assists in planning your trip.

6/10 Okay

Ian, London

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Good location for the swimming with dolphins trip we had booked, but this motel could do with a bit of a renovation. We were unable to pay for this hotel upfront as we had with every other hotel, and were then told at check in that we had to pay a credit card charge or pay cash. Not happy with that. Internet wasn’t very good but the young receptionist did help us out with that.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019
Response from Sea and sun on 22 Feb 2019
Dear Ian Thank you for taking time out of your holiday to post a review. I am not sure what you mean by not being able to pay upfront - by contacting us direct we could certainly have taken payment prior for you. Perhaps this is an expedia thing that we need to address. With regards to the internet we have made various improvements but the fact remains the network hardware in the area is old and I am afraid the connection seems get overloaded at times. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Kaikoura and the dolphin swimming experience, as I write they are in the bay straight out from the motel performing leaps and acrobatics. Best wishes with the rest of your travels

6/10 Okay

Nina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Good enough, if you temper your expectations
The motel has a mixed review. It was nicely located across from a beach, about a 1/4 mile to restaurants and the I-Site, and a 1/2 mile to the trailhead for the peninsula hike. The two destinations are in opposite directions, but very walkable, or if driving, the parking was easy. Our upstairs accommodations ( Crow’s Nest) had a nice view from the enclosed deck across a quiet two lane road to the water and a few picnic tables. There is a small kitchenette with very basic supplies. No tissues ( Kleenex) or paper towels are supplied. There is no room servicing apart from the trash being emptied. As there is no AC, the room temp the second night we were there was 85 degrees until around 11:30pm (even with every window wide open and the ceiling fan running), when the unit finally began to cool down. The couple who manage the property was pleasant and helpful, though. We were told that the hotel suffered damage in the 2016 earthquake for which the owner is waiting to be compensated for by the insurance company before making the repairs. For us, the only apparent physical problem was that the hot water line to the bathroom sink was non-functional....the shower did have hot water via an instant heater on its line! WiFi was virtually non-existent; the property managers admitted that the WiFi unit is underpowered for the distances of the property and that the owner of the property is aware of this, but it doesn’t sound like any upgrades are planned.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Sea and sun on 12 Feb 2019
Dear Nina Thank you for taking the time to post a review. We hope you enjoy the rest of your time in NZ

6/10 Okay

ROWAN

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
NOT VALUE FOR MONEY - NOT RETURNING AT THIS STAGE
The room that we were given was, to explain it best, mid way finished from being repaired after a natural disaster (I completely understand but personally would not have let the room out). It would have been a really nice place to stay if they had finished what was desperately needed (e.g. they had put up plaster board in the bedroom, badly, without finishing it off was just nailed in, holes in the ceiling of the bathroom just to name a couple). At this stage I would not be returning to stay for the high price that we paid and the room that we were given :(
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018
Response from Sea and sun on 12 Feb 2019
Dear Rowan Thank you for taking the time to post a review. Best wishes for the rest of you trip.

8/10 Good

Brenda

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Great location but basic
The hotel is right across the street from the sea. It is really close to everything either walking or driving. The room has what you need if you want to cook which was great. It’s an older hotel but you could tell they have upgraded parts of the room. The kitchen looked new and the dishes were nice.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Sea and sun on 6 Feb 2019
Dear Brenda Thank you for posting a review, we are pleased you had all you needed and were comfortable. Kind regards

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Staff are wonderful but the building is very run down...i would not recommend staying there.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Sea and sun on 6 Feb 2019
Dear guest Thank you for taking the time to post your review. Regards

8/10 Good

Shayne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good value and warm welcome
We just had a one night stay but clean, quiet, and comfortable. Warm welcome on arrival. Good in-room amenities. Away from main shopping/restaurant area which made it quieter (which we loved). Straight across the road from the main beach, although only a few rooms appear to have sea views.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019
Response from Sea and sun on 18 Jan 2019
Hello Shayne Thank you for taking the time to post a review, we are very pleased you enjoyed your stay.You are correct -there are 4 units with sea views, the rest are cheaper in price because of this, and we have been at pains to make sure the information regarding views or not are on the room descriptions so people are not disappointed. We hope you enjoy the rest of your trip Kind regards

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Good location. Place getting quite tired but clean and comfortable.
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Sea and sun on 15 Jan 2019
Dear Guest Thank you for taking the time to post a review, we appreciate it. We are pleased you had a comfortable stay Kind regards

10/10 Excellent

Anna

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Really comfortable in a stunning location
Surprisingly large rooms, located directly across from the very picturesque beach.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019
Response from Sea and sun on 10 Jan 2019
Dear Anna Thank you taking time to post a review, we do appreciate it. We hope you enjoy the rest of your trip. Kind regards and happy new year

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel close to beach, short walk distance to town
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2018
Response from Sea and sun on 31 Dec 2018
Dear Guest Thank you for taking the time to post a comment. We appreciate it.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Easy to find self-contained studio flat close to the sea.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018
Response from Sea and sun on 31 Dec 2018
Dear Guest Thank you for taking the time to post a review

8/10 Good

William, Butte, MT

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This town is still recovering from the 2016 earthquake so your expectations need to be modified. This motel was pretty nice, considering that fact. Our room arrangement was a bit funky, but clean. Nice view of the ocean, but driving distance to food and groceries.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018
Response from Sea and sun on 31 Dec 2018
Dear William Thank you for taking the time to post a review. We do appreciate it. Kind regards

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous views though the main window could have done with a clean and I had a terrible lumpy pillow but otherwise a very comfortable well set up unit that was great value.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018
Response from Sea and sun on 19 Dec 2018
Thank you for taking the time to post a review we appreciate it and take your comments on board. Safe travels

10/10 Excellent

Dickson

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Look old but new.
Nice and cosy place with free car parking and easy access to the city and supermarket. Stone throw to whale watching.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018
Response from Sea and sun on 11 Dec 2018
Thank you for taking the time to post a review, we do appreciate it. We are pleased you enjoyed your stay.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018
Response from Sea and sun on 11 Dec 2018
Thank you for taking the time to post a review, we appreciate it!