Left Break

We booked this place on a recommendation and so pleased we did. After reading the negative reviews I felt slightly nervous but I would advise people to really think about what they want when booking as this place is exactly what it says - an eco paradise. It has a hostel feel to it with shared facilities and social space but the beauty of it is the incredible view. We stayed as a young family and it was perfect for us, trampoline for our son and good coffee for us. Would return in a heart beat. The greenery and the stars at night were truly magical, so clear we even saw planets!

Honest Review – Amazing Views but Needs Improvement The location is great and the view from the top is truly incredible. However, I was disappointed with several aspects of my stay, and I hope this review is taken as constructive feedback. The place has a lot of potential, but it feels like it lacks proper maintenance. The kitchen had a bad smell, and the sleeping cabins had no power outlets — the only ones available were in the kitchen, and they were always being used. The number of bathrooms and showers was not enough for the amount of people staying there, and they weren’t very clean either. The bed wasn’t very comfortable, and we had some cockroaches coming in through holes in our cabin (number 12). To make matters worse, the outside light of our cabin was broken, making it extremely dark and unsafe to walk at night — especially concerning for women, due to the lack of visibility. We also ordered a pizza from the café and spent over $60, but it came on a plate already sliced, with no fork, knife, or even napkins. When I asked for napkins, I was told they were looking for some, and I was handed a kitchen towel to clean my hands and mouth. That was extremely disappointing. For the price they charge, I expected something more structured and well-maintained. It feels more like a hostel with hotel prices. Everything in New Zealand is very expensive, and unfortunately, our money doesn’t stretch very far — so when we plan a trip, we really hope it will be amazing. I had originally booked for 3 nights, but I ended up asking to leave a night earlier because the experience just wasn’t enjoyable.

Something is not quite right here. We came 6 years ago, and found the atmosphere to be incredibly relaxing. We came back this weekend to stay overnight and decide whether we might have our wedding here (couple in our early 30s). It was the opposite of relaxing. We stayed in the smaller mud hut. At 8pm a large group of 20-somethings arrived in the larger mud hut, which was right next to ours, with front doors facing each other. The mud huts are very nice inside but there are gaps around the doors, so there is very little sound insulation. Our neighbours proceeded to drink heavily in their room from 8pm onwards. My immediate reaction was that this didn't fit with the "relaxing retreat" vibe - the front deck and the kitchen are for socialising, the accommodation at the back is for relaxing. Despite that we gave them the benefit of the doubt, figuring quiet hours might be from 10pm onwards. So we went back to the kitchen area to read until then. We checked with a staff member, who told us that they don't enforce any quiet hours. We managed to fall asleep but were woke at 1am by the same neighbours, who were now intoxicated. I asked them to move to the front deck area - they returned after 30 minutes and began taking ketamine. We were kept awake till 4am. This appears to be accepted behaviour here now. Which is fine - just needs to stop being marketed as a relaxing retreat, and instead as a youth hostel/night club.