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Reviews of Tongariro River Retreat - Hostel

4 out of 5
Tongariro River Retreat - Hostel
26 Ngawaka Place, Turangi

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 71 out of 110 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 24 out of 110 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 9 out of 110 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 110 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 4 out of 110 reviews" "

8.6/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.4/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Lina Christina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very friendly and helpful host, nice and clean accommodation and a lot to do nearby
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Tony

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Parking is an issue other wise it’s a great place
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

6/10 Okay

windy

Travelled with partner
Was here few years ago and it's not what i remembered. Run down and cluttery.

8/10 Good

Nganeko

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
The owner mananger person was friendly and keeping an eye on things daily
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jonathan

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great Hostel experience. Lots of food and shopping options available very close. Friendly staff and guests.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

6/10 Okay

Kelly

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
It was adequate but everything was old and tired. The doors to the bathroom and my dorm room would not stay closed unless it was locked.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from retreat on 4 Jan 2024
we are all tired, we try and keep it affordable and homelyplease be nice and kind to everyone you meet

6/10 Okay

paul

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
bit untidy and messy but staff were nice
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
Response from me on 16 Oct 2023
thanks for your comments, the place is cleaned and tidied every day, it seems some patrons cannot leave the place tidy or throw rubbish in the bin

8/10 Good

Lisa

Liked: Staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Nina Gia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The attendant is so good, I think his the owner,sorry I did not get his name,he is very accomodating and granted us with our request.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Aylin

Travelled with group
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Hostel Manager was very friendly, would have picked us up if we would have been stuck at the Tongariro crossing (we were without a car) close to the intercity bus stop
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023
Response from me on 5 Jun 2023
nice to have so many international students having a break from studies, i would have thought i deserved higher rating from you, as you all enjoyed the indoor fire on such a winterery day and did not kick you out at 10 am and let you relax and have great conversations , i especially enjoyed the you tube documentary about your beautiful country, and i will try and find a turkish flag to be apart of the the others

10/10 Excellent

Hanz

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023
Response from me on 15 Apr 2023
i am pleased you had a great stay, have many good adventures and meet lots of friendly people

8/10 Good

Donald

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

2/10 Terrible

Frederik

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023
Response from me on 15 Apr 2023
dont know what you issue is in life, but apparently you dont like many people and share your experiences .have a great day

2/10 Terrible

Priten

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Dirty beds, creepy owner, cobwebbed rooms.
Highly disturbing, unclean, uncomfortable and somewhat strange. The entrance is locked/not easily findable after dark. There was a man sitting in the shadows that saw us lost and advised us to use a back entrance to ‘get in’. The owner suggested he called us as we were late (expedia check in says until 10pm, we arrived at 9pm and didnt receive a call either). The kitchen was nothing like the pictures - it was cluttered and filthy with empty food cans all over the place when we arrived. Our room was even worse - it was cluttered with a folding bed, the sheets had body hairs all over them, we saw spider webs along the ceiling and the window looked like it hadn't been washed in its life - it was disgusting. The room had a stuffy undesirable stench to it too. There are no sockets near the beds to charge your devices either, just one on the opposite side (for our private room was the case anyway). The creepiest thing was, on our 2nd morning, the owner let himself into our private room whilst my female partner was in bed, without seeking permission or with any reason. She could have been changing or asleep, it was 8:30am and checkout wasn't until 10am. We decided to leave straight after this final straw, and having read other reviews by females, its happened to others to. Wish we’d spent whatever it cost to stay elsewhere as this was an eye opening disturbing few nights. No working heater in the cold room either.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2023
Response from retreat on 21 Feb 2023
i couple of demanding and self righteous individuals and entitled to have their own space who came in late at night, and as many people trying sleep or others who were in the kitchen preparing their food in a fully functional and fully equipped. running this place for over 10 years you get to meet many personalities and the conversations and returning of many people who enjoy this place is more than the one or two who do not .When people have something negative to say, its probably due to those people having an underlying mental disorder who have nothing else to do than complain, and in any service industry we all strive to do the best you can and bend over backwards to ensure the safety and enjoyment of each new day.. may you have a good day and better life

10/10 Excellent

Nicholas

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Staff & service
OK, but not great
It was OK, but not the best experience I have had with this type of backpackers-style accommodation. Manager is quite nice and helpful. But I agree with the review below pointing out that the photos are very misleading. They seem to have all been taken on a day when the place was empty and all tidied up. In reality, the common areas are very cluttered and cramped, and not terrifically clean. Kitchen is very well equipped, but kind of a mess most of the time, because quests are not all considerate about cleaning up after themselves. I saw people come in and just leave dirty dishes on the counter. One morning I found a stove burner on, apparently overnight. WiFi is OK. Parking lot is usually full, but the street parking is no problem. Great location close to shops, restuarants and some nice walks. My room was dark and somewhat bleak, but this is not a place to stay if you are going to hang out in your room.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2022

8/10 Good

Ross, Paraparaumu

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
This is a lodge not really a motel. There's a lovely welcoming atmosphere.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2022

4/10 Poor

Justine

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
The photo’s on the backpackers website which are the same on wotif must have been taken in better times. Suggest they update their photo’s to be a truer representation of what to expect when booking nowadays. Sheets had hair ball in them, new towel was damp on arrival, room didn’t seem entirely clean. Host was the best part as he was nice, friendly, chatty and welcoming. I feel a bit bad complaining as the man was so nice. The office was locked the morn I left therefore couldn’t address these things at the time. I think some maintenance & removing of clutter would spruce it up a lot. Should throw away the trampoline that has no mat in it. I bet the bird would like its cage cleaned/scrubbed as the bottom was filthy and mustn’t have been done in a while.
Response from me on 6 Nov 2022
thank you for your response, I do my best to get the place back to the standard that you should be accustomed to, as far as the trampoline mat is concerned, the new mat is on order, and will back to normal when receive.I try and keep the place well, but with no staff like many businesses it often get tiredsome, but I cope

10/10 Excellent

Adam

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2022

6/10 Okay

Laurence

Liked: Staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022

8/10 Good

Tsz Kit

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022

8/10 Good

fritz

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022

8/10 Good

Andrea

Travelled with group
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The beds were great, very comfortable and clean. the host was awesome, a very likable character who was willing to accommodate a last minute change to occupancy. Very laid back and flexible without compromising quality. Great kitchen, dining and lounge facilities really felt like one of the family, a home away from home. Very much looking forward to returning there again in the near future.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2021
Response from Gemma on 28 Dec 2021
Thank you for staying with us! Safe Travels

10/10 Excellent

Kenneth

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Visitor from Rotorua.
I found the Golden Fern Backpackers suitable for my 2 night stay there. For the price of accommodation I found it very reasonable with clean rooms and ablution blk and a tidy common area to partake in food, and Kitchen and lounge area to relax and watch TV.. I ;ll be back.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We were unable to stay here due to illness and were promised a refund but never received it. We spoke to the manager, Alana Bird, as well as emailed. We confirmed together that we would get a refund but later found they had taken all our money and they were uncontactable. We tried calling and emailing multiple times and never received a single response.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
OK, I did not see any staff.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
had a good stay, price was reasonable. Thanks!
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was a great place to stay on my way to Wellington from Auckland. The owner was great and the on-site cat was a welcomed friend.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

2/10 Terrible

Jonathan

Disliked: Staff & service
Worst service ever
Absolute joke, arrived during reception hours to find reception locked up, followed after hour checkin and no key provided. Had to book elsewhere, waste of money.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very clean and convenient to find everything
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A lovely backpackers tucked away from the main drag of Turangi. Rocked up after hrs, used the lockbox codes to get in and was greeted to a clean spacious yet cosy room, exactly what I needed after a long drive. Food was great at the next door from a nice restaurant. Great shower temp and water pressure. Will use this facility on my travels through Turangi again.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2021

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
I didn't like the fact that we did not get the room we paid for, we got given a family room instead and had to share the bathroom and toilets. I thought it to be too expensive for one night,$251.00 for a backpackers. I know it was Easter weekend but still it was way too expensive.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2021

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2021

8/10 Good

Sarah-Hope

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2020

10/10 Excellent

Joao Pedro

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

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

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Never saw a receptionist but self check in and out not a problem. Very efficient.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Clean and cosy
Had a lovely 4-night stay at Golden Fern. Was there for the Tongariro Crossing. Room, shower and kitchen were clean and in good condition. Free laundry service and parking. 2-min walk to the i-site, supermarket and center close by. Would happily recommend :-)
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2020

8/10 Good

Skye

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019
Response from Alana on 26 Dec 2019
Thank you for your review! We really appreciate your feedback :)

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Welcoming owner, excellent location, clean, common areas made us feel at home.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019
Response from Dazza on 25 Sept 2019
Thank you so much for your great review! we are glad you enjoyed your stay and wish you all the best in your future travels! Kind regards Dazza

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Dazza on 27 Aug 2019
Good morning Anonymous! thank you for the great review!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Dazza on 8 Aug 2019
Hello Anonymous and thank you so much for your great review! We wish you all the best for your future travels !

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Fabulous location...right smack in the middle of the island for those of us who need or want to travel leisurely between Auckland and Wellington
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Dazza on 31 Jul 2019
Thank you so much for your review! The place will get better and better as the owners are adding more for travelers as well!

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfy stay
Great backpackers to stay and rest after a long day of hiking near the area.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from dazza on 29 Jul 2019
Good morning Anonymous and thank you so much for your great review! Yes the area is really beautiful and we are glad you enjoyed it. Safe travels!

10/10 Excellent

Matt

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place to stay
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Dazza on 23 Jul 2019
Thanks for the great review Matt!

10/10 Excellent

Matt

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great place to stay
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Dazza on 23 Jul 2019
Hello Matt! FABULOUS REVIEW AND THANK YOU!