The Hostelz.com Review
Berkenhoff Lodge is a quiet retreat away from the busy centre of Taupo, yet it is a pleasant twenty minutes' walk or five minutes' drive to the shopping centre, and a fifteen-minute walk to the lake foreshore.
The hostel has a well-equipped kitchen, an upstairs lounge with a view of the back lawn, and a bar downstairs that is open each evening from 6 p.m. offering BBQ meals for those who prefer not to cook their own. During the day the bar room acts as an extra lounge for reading and playing games such as pool and darts. The bar area provides access to a spa and swimming pool, great for relaxing and making new friends. In the upstairs lounge and dining room you may like to try having a conversation with a couple of resident parrots, or fill in a spare hour with a jigsaw puzzle.
Displayed in the hallways are collages of guests partying in the bar, while one of the outside walls is done up with a mosaic of happy people. The managers will pick you up from the bus station by arrangement, and will also drop you off at the bus station if notified in advance.
The hostel has a well-equipped kitchen, an upstairs lounge with a view of the back lawn, and a bar downstairs that is open each evening from 6 p.m. offering BBQ meals for those who prefer not to cook their own. During the day the bar room acts as an extra lounge for reading and playing games such as pool and darts. The bar area provides access to a spa and swimming pool, great for relaxing and making new friends. In the upstairs lounge and dining room you may like to try having a conversation with a couple of resident parrots, or fill in a spare hour with a jigsaw puzzle.
Displayed in the hallways are collages of guests partying in the bar, while one of the outside walls is done up with a mosaic of happy people. The managers will pick you up from the bus station by arrangement, and will also drop you off at the bus station if notified in advance.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
February 2007
Their Description
Berkenhoff Lodge Details
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Berkenhoff Lodge Reviews on Other WebsitesHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Just right I had a lovely time here -- the staff were friendly and it was homey. The day I booked in we had just done the Tongariro Crossing and met up with some new friends who I passed the hostel number to and we managed to all room together. I don't think I have a bad word to say really except I think the rooms would be a little cramped when full. The kitchen does close at 10 but to be honest, after long busy days i was asleep by 11 most nights and up by half 7. The hostel is about twenty minutes from town, which was a nice walk in. Whilst I was there there were a range of people -- single backpackers, students, families, couples. I would return there next time I go back to NZ. — Helen , England (2008-12-15) Good location, sh*tty rest. I've worked at the Lodge for six weeks and I can say that it's basically a nice place to stay. The problem is the grumpy owner and the ridiculous restrictions in that place. The kitchen closes at 10 p.m., what really sucks if you're up to watch a movie in the common room and feel like a snack or just something to drink with it -- as even being staff, I couldn't get anything from the kitchen after this time. Furthermore did the owners of the place make my stay a real hard thing. I was nearly fired three times as I had forgotten to empty the rubbish bin in the bar or even because they thought I had forgotten to switch of the way too expensive internet machine. Summing it up, it's a nice Place with rotten staff. — Michael , Germany (2008-11-25) Awesome This is one of the best hostels i have stayed at in New Zealand. the bar has a great friendly atmosphere and the staff helped me book all of my activities in Taupo (the bungee jump and skydive were awesome) and they also helped me book my ride to wellington plus my nights accommodation. the kitchen is very nice although closing at 10 o'clock at night, but i did hear that other hostels closed earlier. — Robert Taylor , UK (2007-08-03) The staff member I dealt with (in this case a woman) was pretty grumpy and arrogant. Despite being two hours earlier than I said we'd be, she stated in quite a belligerent way how lucky we'd been than she had held the room. The room itself was not exactly spotless (the cleaner had failed to remove fifteen beer bottles left in a large cupboard and there was a fair amount of hair in the shower). You have to take your pillows/sheets to reception to get back your key deposit -- upon doing this, several unpleasant stains on the mattress protector sheet were revealed! Also our room was next to the bar, with very little sound insulation. Luckily there were only a handful of people in there and we were knackered so did manage a fair amount of sleep. Ours was a five bed dorm with its own en-suite shower/loo -- it was ok as we were a bunch of mates, but it would have been a bit of an unpleasant crush with a group of strangers. The security is pretty poor -- no proper window locks and a flimsy door lock, but we had no problems. The walk into town is twenty to twenty-five minutes through a residential area -- fine for us, but there are hostels closer to town and the lake (unfortunately for us all full). If I was staying in Taupo again I'd look elsewhere, but at 21 bucks each I'd stay again if I was desperate. — Jo , UK / NZ (2007-04-08) Had an extremely poor experience here. Turned up to find we were in an eight-bed dorm instead of the four-bed dorm that we had booked and confirmed. We didn't make a fuss and this was ok, except that the managers/owners confronted us in the dorm with abuse and told us to leave in a less than friendly manner. We hadn't done anything to deserve such abuse and our options were limited due to a large sports event being held in town that weekend. Thankfully we found somewhere more friendly to lay our heads. Not recommended. — Lilian Sherman (2006-11-26) Although this hostel is situated quite far away from the center of the city, it is sure to supply you with everything you would need. There is an attached bar and outdoor swimming pool. The staff isn't' the most friendly I've encountered, and the kitchen closes early, but all facilities are kept remarkably clean. The lounge is very friendly and it's easy to meet people. — Team Canada w/ Captain America (2005-03-29)