Glowworm Motel

8.0

Excellent

132 Guest reviews

8.0

Excellent

132 Verified Reviews

Read all reviews

Cleanliness8.2/10

Service8.8/10

Comfort7.8/10

Condition7.4/10

Neighborhood7.6/10

Amenities8.0/10

Very convenient for me in the circumstances. Chris was very friendly and welcoming.

This was older style accomodation, but more than adequate. The rooms were clean, everything worked and the host was a wholesome helpful property manager. We would stay again when next in the area.

Excellent service. Nice information and history given regarding the area and things to do while you are in Waitomo.

It's an older property with limited amenities, however the room is clean and the area is safe. It's off the beaten path, but not far from Waitomo Cave.

Nice clean and tidy self-contained unit. Pleased with accommodation. Pity it was hard to find where to check in. Good signage would solve this. Planting some low maintenance native plants (pongas and using limeston rock features) near the front without costing a fortune would be a lovely addition to the name. Would stay again.

Lovely warm welcome. Lots of information given about the caves and walks. Room was great with everything we needed.

We had a good overnight experience staying at Glow Worm Motel. Of course it is not a 5-star hotel, but pretty neat and the rate is just compare to other motels in the area. Located near Glow Worm Cave, dining areas, fuel station, etc. Host is very accommodating and provided guide and tips to go around in Waitomo.

Convenient location between the family event we attended near Pirongia and the local touring afterward (Waitomo cave area). Comfortable room. Only down mark was the shower which was a little sparse in its water flow and pressure

Great place to stay and have a break

The people were so hospitable and helpful. Provided lots of helpful advice about local must-go destinations and eats. Very clean rooms with nice kitchenette and cooking supplies.

Had a pool, which in the 30deg heat was awesome. Chris was great too. Very personable. Cheers

Great stay and great service!

We checked if we could check in early and they allowed us to! It was very helpful for our schedule. They helped us get everything we needed during our stay and were very helpful in telling us about the area. Room was spotless and beds were comfortable and not broken down. Thanks for the great stay!

Nice room, nice shower, all clean and well maintained. Exceptionally friendly reception with valuable hints on glow worm experience just on a nearby bush walk and on coastal route south. So helpful and welcoming!!!

Perfect accommodation to see glow worms (and hedgehogs).

What a great place, hosts were amazing, great location, great customer service, super helpful with information, and keen to make sure we had the best time at the place and in town. THANK YOU!!

My family of three enjoyed over 1 night stay, we were greeted by the friendly owner who kindly gave us some advise about the local area.

The man who checked us in was very nice. Took the time to tell us where the glow worm cabes were and gave a map how to get there. Brought us milk for coffee and helped with the washing facilities. Would reccomend :)

Decent size room with mini kitchenette. Owner was super helpful and friendly. Quiet and green space, just off Hwy 3 heading toward the caves. So a great spot for a night if you're exploring the caves. I knocked a point off for the terrible shower (very weak pressure at a comfortable temperature, an old version of the model where the on and hot/cold are built into the shower head, awful design)

The owner met us at check in and spent time answering all our queries about road conditions, places to eat and laundry facilities. He was so friendly & helpful. Our son had a great swim in the pool & loved it! The summer weather has been terrible in this area so the garden looks a bit wild, however the room was clean & comfortable & met the requirements of our stay. The motel is very convenient to the main highway, Waitomo, Te Kuiti & Otorohonga.

Brilliant helpful management. Extremely clean and spacious room. Great bedding and comfy beds. Great location.

Very comfortable stay. Our twin room was spacious and bed comfy. Chris was very helpful in advising us of things to do around the area. Short drive to cafes and Waitomo Homestead.

Very nice stay. Perfect location for glowworm caves. Flexibility given for late check in, easy to contact.

The owners were very friendly .. Merci

Location , ease of getting to Caves and main highway

The lady who checked me in was very nice, room was comfortable but there was a bit of road noise during the night.

Didn't like the wad of hair in the bathroom sink plug, the mosquitoes or the lack of outside space. The offer of milk and the toaster provided. In need of update.

Very disappointed with misleading information

Hotel was advertised on hotels.com as having a opererational pool which was the main reason we booked there.the pool had been out of order for a long time now and this hotel had carried on misleading people on hotels.com with there main pictures of a pool with people swimming in it and also advertising it on there write up on hotels.com when clearly on there own websiite it says pool not available 2021/2022 ask for a refund and they refused and said no refunds which it states clearly on hotells.com u can get a 50% refund so again very misleading. They could have done so much beter but failed on all accounts here and did not care one bit about any customer concerns just wanted there money above any concerns we had.

Lovely big unit, spotlessly clean. Some might say dated, but I loved it.

Very old and dated it was clean and the manager was helpful but the bed was old the shower was cracked and facilities poor the outside entrance was over grown and unwelcoming

no

It was the closest accommodation to where we were going to.

Nice layout. Great heater. Room warm and cozy. Has an actual sink and jobs. Laundry easy to use. Great host.

Everything was ok

Great place to stay, good location, rooms were comfortable & clean... only disappointment was that the pool wasn’t filled, in the middle of summer & it was the reason we chose this place over another

Great location. Near to Waitomo caves. Friendly staff.

Very spacious for our family of 4. Had everything one needed for a short stay.

Had a great night at motel with two cousins from Hawkes Bay clean cosy room

Clean and tidy. All you need. Lovely host and advice to see glow worms nearby and provided with torches. Wifi not great and limited mobile signal.

Very clean and tidy with friendly staff

Looked basic when we arrived but we were pleasantly surprised. Good facilities in the rooms, comfy beds, plenty of space, good shower. Everything you need from a motel .

Great location, spacious room with kitchen, great price

Comfortable night, very clean, lovely host and very convenient for the caves.

Highly recommended

Excellent service with local tips as to where to go to see night glow worms and even a torch provided for our use. We visited the restaurant recommend by the manager and made use of the clothes washing facilities.

A pity the swimming pool was closed, but understandable.

The room was clean. Bed comfortable. Reception very helpful.

Obviously an older property. Very helpful and friendly staff. Clean in the room.

The manager couldn't have been more helpful. Gave us excellent information on what we can do and see. He went above and beyond our expectations.

The motel is sooo nice, clean & comfortable. I wish i could stay here longer than other motels

Good position for the caves. Insect screens are a must. Looks tired and feels tired but above all it was Ok....

OK but a little expensive for standard and heavy truck noise at night due to slowing down for the roundabout outside the motel.

The proprietors were very welcoming and knowledgeable of a wide area surrounding Waitomo. They suggested excellent local dining and attraction options and provided exceptional service to us during our short stay.

Good place to stay overnight. Very close to Waitomo caves. Great location.

Nice hotel close to attractions. Staff is nice and friendly.

Fairly dated but clean and tidy and comfortable enough. I wanted a cheap place to sleep and that’s what I got.

Away from the Caves, but clean and comfortable

Very friendly and helpful proprietor.

Good stay!

Beds were comfortable. Quiet at night. Good pressure for shower. Great location just outside of waitomo

Close to where i needed to go

Only stayed one night but would stay again if i needed to.

We stayed at this hotel for one night while we explored the surrounding Waitomo area. The hotel is comfortable for a short term stay. No complaints service wise.

This motel is located between Otorohanga and the glow worm caves which is ideal and gives you more choice for eating out. The staff were very welcoming. Thanks guys we enjoyed our stay.

Sweet stay in a nostalgic motel

If you are a person that is looking for high end hotel experience then this is not yout hotel. That said if you want a really clean room, a comfortable bed, a classic style and clean bathroom and a small well equipped, functioning funky/cool kitchen for a fair price than this is your place. The decor was simple and tasteful. Our hosts were very accommodating and friendly. We appreciated that the room had a fan ( not many places have had this item) in case you were hot, nice windows and sliding doors. We were thankful that there was a laundry room to do our clothes too. We stayed two nights and left relaxed and satisfied.

Comfort close to caves.

Recently renovated with care. Comfortable bed and roomy. Hosts helped us out whilst there as we were as crook as dogs for two days. Highly recommended.

One night stay

Despite the low grading, we were surprised at the motel's condition. The staff were very friendly, the beds were good, it was very clean and had all the equipment required for self catering. Our overall experience was great. The only thing I could complain about is the locality near S.H.1, as the airbrakes noise as the trucks went round the roundabout was conducive to an interrupted sleep. Also, the grounds need attention, as the look on arrival is not good. Thanks for a good stay. If you are wanting a 5 star resort, then this is probably not suitable for you!!! {some people are never satisfied}. Signage from the main road is non existent. Luckily I knew it was right on the corner.

Well worth the stay

Great stay- awesome welcome complete with a list of activities we may like to do- both free and ones to pay for. Close to 2 towns and plenty to see

Money value

The room was clean and tidy. Lovely landlord and Major the dog. Would love to stay with them again

Near to glowworm caves

Basic motel, friendly staff. Close to highway can be a bit noisy.

Time warp

Very 1960s. Large unit with six beds ok for a family on a budget. About 50 metres from the No2 highway so trucks fairly steady all night. No fly screens and no heater. No power point or shelf for a hair dryer near the mirror in the bathroom.

Middle of nowhere. Stay in Waitomo.

Broken glass on floor and stove top. Leak in bathroom ceiling fan. Generally not clean.

Owner's were very friendly no complaints what so ever very helpful thank you. Was just a bit disappointed with the cleaning especially for the our amount of money we had paid. Our room was not very clean dead Flys everywhere cobwebs.outside was not clean weeds over grown beer caps lying around cigarette butts in the pot plants. Our room wasnt serviced untill late afternoon milk tea coffee etc was not replenished Overall it was a good stay was just disappointed because of the amount of money we paid and it wasn't even worth it.

A genuine motel

Great location right off the highway. Not right in town, but between three towns so you have choices. Sweetest staff. Park right at your door. The room is spacious, but everything is a bit old and dingy. Clean, though. The air mattress was a surprise but it was the deluxe kind and actually very comfortable. Sliding glass door to well-maintained shared lawn with clothesline if you need it.

Accommodation tired

Accommodation was quite tired and needed updating. Owner was very informative and helpful

Very friendly and helpful staff

The owners were great at telling us about things to see and do in the area. Basic hotel in a good location with very helpful staff.

Second time still a charm.

Second time we have stayed, and still great. This time down visiting family in the area. Friendly staff, well equipped room. Has become our first choice in the area.

Great motel in a convenient location

Great trip, the motel is located in a convenient location being close to three different towns each offering a unique experience. The motel manager was very helpful and gave us advice on things to do and places to eat.

Place to hang your hat after a long day

Simply a bare bones place to stay. The owner was very friendly and helpful, suggesting places to go and to eat

Had an enjoyable stay. Motel was close to waitomo caves that we were visiting and a short drive to Te Kuiti and Otorohanga.