Te Waonui Forest Retreat

If you are in your late 20s/early 30s I highly recommend booking elsewhere. My husband and I stayed at this hotel expecting a high-end experience, especially given the price of $500+ a night, but it did not live up to expectations. There were several large, older tour groups here during our stay. Perhaps they have a better experience (ex. they receive different dinner course menus, etc.) but as individual travelers we found Te Waonui to be extremely lacking in genuine hospitality and customer service. The dinner portions were extremely small. The wild rice 'salad' had three pieces of arugula. I was served a single ravioli for my main entree. The service was slow, and there was no effort to check if we needed more wine or even refills of water. We ended up leaving the restaurant hungry, which is not something you'd expect for the price. We provided feedback to the front desk who appeared to be incredibly uninterested and did not offer any solution or apology. The room itself was dated, which wouldn’t have been a deal-breaker if it had met the other advertised features. For instance, the heated floors didn’t work and we found dirty wine glasses that had noticeable lipstick stains on them. It was clear that the attention to detail just isn’t here. At this price point, we were expecting much more, and unfortunately, it felt like we were overpaying for a subpar experience.

Freundliches Personal und angenehmes Ambiente. Leider roch unser erstes Zimmer im Erdgeschoss unangenehm feucht nach nassem Keller. Wir haben dann auf ein anderes Zimmer bestanden. Angeblich war das schwierig zu organisieren. Aber nach ca. 30 Min. bekamen wir ein wohlriechendes Zimmer im Obergeschoss. Danach wurde auch zugegeben, dass diverse Zimmer im Erdgeschoss modrig riechen. Das Hotel müsste grundsaniert werden. Das Essen war mittelmäßig.

A beautiful location, gorgeous rainforest views from every room. Extremely relaxing.

Small, functional room - very dark. Comfortable bed but lacked bedside power sockets for phone etc. Yes there are rainforest plants ( ferns etc) quite literally outside the window - solid wall of greenery so almost zero sunlight. The included dinner was reasonable enough. There was a choice of 5 main dishes and choice of desserts. Seems to cater mostly for upmarket tour groups, but with a bit more refinement than you would normal expect. Breakfast was also reasonable. Very efficient and welcoming staff.

This place was amazing! From the helpful staff and the luxury accommodations and food, we felt totally pampered. I highly recommend!!

Great stay. Some drink items on their menu were unavailable, and our steaks at dinner were overcooked (but still delicious) both nights. Loved the bird noises and rainforest views in the room, daily water and chocolate. Great location for everything!

Spectacular location, service and amenities, Exceeded even our high expectations.

Excellent and very friendly staff. Everyone we interacted with at the hotel was incredibly helpful.

A beautiful hotel with views of nearby mountains. Rooms tastefully decorated and nightly turn down service left magnificent chocolates. Dinner and breakfast were included in the price for our room. Unfortunately the five course dinner menu was the same for the three nights of our stay. Lovely to sit on the balcony for meals to enjoy the view- don’t forget your repellent, the sand flies are fierce. A lovely place to stay.

A Hidden Oasis of Relaxation and Comfort! This beautiful, spa-like property offers a serene escape, perfectly tucked away for privacy yet close to conveniences if needed. The dining was excellent, and the relaxing environment provided a truly zen-like sleep experience on the best beds I’ve ever slept on. Highly recommended for a rejuvenating getaway!

What an amazing stay at a beautiful property surrounded by lovely flora and forms. Service and food were exceptional as was the room and view into the beautiful garden. 5 course diner was exceptional. Relaxed absently service from all.

Staff were amazing, very friendly and welcoming. Kiwi juice and hot towels on arrival was so appreciated. Buffet breakfast was great. Chocolates and water to our room was a nice touch. There are washing machines and dryers for guests to use.

Definitely NOT a 5 star hotel! The receptions and bell staff were lovely and the glass of Kiwi juice offered very refreshing. Our room was fine, 2 queen beds however the walls are paper thin and we experienced a constant slamming of doors and children shouting well into the evening. In the bar the staff seemed nonplussed when we asked for Gin & Tonic (also cucumber in Tanqueray??) They presented the bill with every drink even though they had our room number. Nothing is offered with the drinks and when I asked for some nuts I was told they were $5. I said ok and yet they still didn't materialise until I asked again! The meal was nice 5 courses, 2 of which are prechosen (soup and sorbet) the other 3 courses can be chosen from a choice of 3 or 4 items. Again the food was delivered with a speed and disinterest that would not be acceptable in a 5 star hotel. Breakfast is a self service buffet. Overall its a nice hotel but 4 stars at best!

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I enjoyed my stay here. My room was very comfortable and was surrounded by forest. It was an oasis. Service was excellent. They drove me to the InterCity bus stop upon checkout. Meals are included. There was a good variety at breakfast. Dinner was a five course degustation feast. Since I do not eat cheese, they substituted fruit for the 4th course. Much appreciated.

Brilliant hotel. Comfortable. Clean. Wonderful feeling of calmness being surrounded by trees. Food, amazing!

Really nice hotel and very friendly and accommodating staff!

Impeccable service from the moment we arrived, nothing was a problem and made us feel so welcome, would definitely come back.

Friendly and helpful staff and great breakfast. Highly recommend.

It's a unique place! We loved it