Editor Pick
Copthorne Hotel and Resort
- May 30, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Red Mezz from Inverness, Scotland
Whenever you're on a trip around the world, and stepping in to strange lands with no real knowledge of the area and how things are done, you are bound to come across some very good and very bad surprises where things like food and accomodation are concerned.
With that in mind, the Copthorne Hotel and Resort in Paihia on the Bay of Islands must be my nicest surprise travelling to date.
It's hard for me to rave to the extent I would like to, because such a large part of the reason I am so enamored with the place and my stay was the incridble price we paid for the two nights we stayed there. However, I think it is highly possible this rate was more than a simple 'off season' rate and ranked much more along the lines of 'wonderful fluke.' We booked on line as we were trying desperately to get out of horrible Auckland hostel, prepared to pay almost anything to have a nice night's sleep after our insanely long flight and the Copthorn was one of the first reasonably priced places we found in Paihia.
I won't tell you what we paid, because I wouldn't want to get your hopes up of finding such a rate. What I can say, however, is that even what the normal off season rate was for the room we stayed in (around $140 room rate) is still Extremely good for what you get.
If you are visiting in the offseason, pay that little bit extra and stay at the Copthorne, as it's one of the single nicest hotel experiences I've ever had.
We arrived to a wet day and a beautifull little ocean town filled with seaside motels. We drove the lenght of the town and beyond waiting to see a sign leading us to ours, and hoping it was not going to be the smallest and worst of the bunch.
Our mouths did nothing short of drop to the floor as we pulled around the corner in the luxurious entrance of The Copthorne Hotel and Resort.
The drive up leads you to a luxurous reception room and plenty of parking. The large wooden building for reception and kitchen is stunningly built, as is the large glass entrance which leads you in. I hesitated walking in, certain we were going to arrive to find we were in teh wrong place.
I all but held my breath as the recptionist checked our names and pleasantly handed us our keys.
This place is immaculate, and is simply the best situated hotel in the Bay of Islands. The backdoor has a small path leading around towards the tennis courts and beach, and as you walk about 30 seconds out you see signs for the famous Waitangi Treaty Grounds where the famous treaty was signed between Maoris and white settlers in New Zealand, and is still a matter of some contention today.
A few minutes stroll finds you on Hawaiian like beaches looking directly onto the grounds and some other Maori buildings along the way.
The staff are spectacular, very pleasant and helpful - I can't think of a single complaint in that area. The rooms were fantastic, beautifully laid out and bathrooms that were a joy to spend hours in.
Somehow, amidst all this luxury, we ended up in a room with a king sized bed, beautifully laid out, and a roomy balcony. With all that there was to do in the area, it was very hard indeed to leave the room.
Sky TV was included which meant we had a number of channels on a good TV with excellent reception and more than the standard 2 basic New Zealand channels.
On our second day in the Copthorne, while having our breakfast the power suddenly went out in most of Paihia because of the tropical storms that had been battering the hotel all morning. The staff quickly and pleasantly brought out some candles and we all happily finnished our breakfast in morning candle light, and the power delightfully returned in about an hour.
There were two shining parts to the experience which over all makes one of the best hotel stays (if not the best) I have enjoyed anywhere in the world.
The first is the swimming and spa area. The entire fenced area has a magnificent view of the palms and the beach a few steps away, and the pools themselves are built of heavy stones and cascading waters to fully enjoy the feel of the place and not just sit in a standard hotel pool.
It was, however, a bit too cold for us to fully enjoy the swimming area, so instead we spent an evening under the mind bogglingly clear New Zealand stars sitting in the steamy warmth of the spa pool.
The second, and perhaps even the best bit was the included breakfast (which was, incidentally, another surprise as we didn't realize when we booked that it was included.) It would have been a bit pricey for us had we paid, but if you can get it included in the price it is my favourite hotel breakfast of all the ones I have enjoyed over the years.
In a wide and airy room which looks out on the pools and the beach you can sit and eat your choice of buffet breakfasts including cooked breakfasts and several differet types of eggs and breakfast meats, cereals, all different types of fruit beautifully prepared. And all the fruit juices you can drink from tomato to kiwi juice - (which I very highly recommend that you try)
All in all, even getting a spectacular rate on this place for our stay in the Bay of Islands, I would happily have paid more for the experience. I can not recommend it highly enough.
From journal The Beguiling Beauty of the Bay of Islands...