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Hostels Guide > Australia & Oceania > New Zealand > South Island > Kaikoura Hostels > Dolphin Lodge

Dolphin Lodge

Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand

6 of 11

Hostels in Kaikoura

Address

15 Deal Street, Kaikoura Map

Location/Contact

The Hostelz.com Review

The Dolphin Lodge is an excellent hostel. It is located in the residential district that sits about 50 meters above the main street of town. This provides great views out into the ocean, especially if youre up early enough for sunrise.

It's just a fairly small home, so it's not one of the big hostels you will find in larger cities. It has a very cozy feel to it. The rooms and facilities are clean and comfortable, with a moderately sized but fully adequate kitchen and small living area with a roaring fire. The showers and toilets are clean and very nice. There is a TV room with quite a few movies to be hired at no cost.

The staff are very friendly and accommodating. The place is run by a middle-aged couple who live there as well, along with a few cats. The pricing is standard.

Outside there is a nice large deck with picnic tables to eat at or just relax and read a book while overlooking the ocean. But the best thing about the Dolphin Lodge is the wonderful spa outside. After a long day of travel or whale-watching or swimming in the ocean, the hot spa feels great.

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Your Comments

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Comment by Mi, Sweden

March 2008

Lovely!
Homey, friendly, and clean. Simply lovely.

Comment by Kourtney from Michigan

January 2007

This was the most wonderful hostel! It has a very homey atmosphere, a fantastic view, the hill to the side is perfect for watching sunrise, and the hammock and spa in the yard are great for night time. Town is just a few minutes walk away, and the pubs in town have a real NZ feel. I would never stay anywhere else in Kaikoura.

Comment by flopsy

February 2006

This hostel was absolutely lovely, a nice change from the busier hostels in the cities and you are made very welcome by the family atmosphere here. The rooms are small but comfortable - what more do u need. It is located perfectly to get to kaikoura's attractions - the seal colony! and whale watching. It has a beautiful garden, with spa and gorgeous views of the mountains. Make sure you get down to the beach and take in the night sky, you won't see anything like it in the cities. I definitely recommend this hostel.

Comment by Kate and Ian

December 2004

This is a great little hostel, really homey and with a very friendly staff. It's very small but it makes a nice change after lots of big, faceless YHAs. It's incredibly clean, with a nice big garden and hot spa. I would definitely recommend staying here.

Comment by Mary and Roland from Germany

December 2004

We did really enjoy our stay and will always come back to the Dolphin Lodge. We were there seven years ago and we went back this year in November (2004). The Dolphin Lodge is well equipped, clean and the owners are very friendly and helpful. We can always recommend this place.

Comment by Olga

March 2004

The Dolphin Lodge is set up on a hill with a lovely deck overlooking the coastline of Kaikora. On a clear day, you can enjoy the site of the snow covered mountains and the azure blue sea from the deck. The hostel is converted from a house, so it is relatively small. However, it has many nice touches that make it an excellent place to stay for a couple of days. The best freebies of the place are the mountain bikes that you can take to cycle the the ceal colony or around town and the spa pool to soak in while enjoying the fabulous view. The kitchen has only one full sized fridge and one small dorm fridge, but this seems to be enough for the amount of people there and there is only one bathroom with just 2 showers. These seem to be the only downfalls.

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6 of 11

Hostels in Kaikoura

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