Best Western Braeside Rotorua

We stayed at this little hotel for one night on our arrival to New Zealand. We had an executive room with a spa pool overlooking the little trout stream.. We were greeted at reception by a lovely lady who was so friendly and informative. Our room was rather nice and was in a quiet area, and the bed was so comfy! The air conditioning was a much needed bonus! The self fill spa pool on the verandah was great and we spent an hour just chilling and listening to the sounds of the night creatures! We ordered breakfast when we checked in and it was delivered freshly cooked and piping hot to our room at the time we specified the next morning. We loved our stay - it was a perfect place to relax and unwind after our long flight, very friendly owners and staff and a really great location! less

This Best Western is arranged along traditional motel lines ie bedroom doors open directly onto the car park, we were in room 2. First the pros .... really excellent restaurant on site (independently owned), friendly staff, very good kids facilities (play area, mini golf, small pool), rooms have a kitchenette and effective AC, comfortable bed, soft towels. Then the cons - basically as it’s a motel - your car is parked outside your room ... you could touch the back of our car whilst seated in the small table and chairs provided outside our door! Our room was dark and dingy with very little natural light and was very small - the bathroom was tiny and had the smallest sink I’ve ever seen! - more or less unusable and with no surface on which to put your toiletries. Possibly other rooms & bathrooms are larger. Sadly, overall I was disappointed - given the Best Western branding I expected a bigger room and better bathroom. less

I choose this motel based on trip Advisor reviews and online presentation. Was very disappointed when arrived to find it not at all like photos or reviews. Weeds, leaves, and spiderwebs at entry. Back patio same, plus mildewed cushions on the outdoor furniture. INside tile floors were dirty, literally. COUntertops in kitchen had stuff on them, not clean. Refrigerator filthy with gunk in the bottom, liquid, and strong fish smell which permeated the whole kitchen and bath area. MAttresses are aged, have dips. Overall experience disappointing when expecting the quality shown in photos, and after reading good reviews. Location is super, but overall quality is less. Expensive for what it is. Better options available. less

We stayed here our first night after flying to AKL. It was a nice drive from the airport - very clean and quiet hotel with good coffee in the morning! Was perfect for us to rest up after a long flight! Easy access to downtown for that evening and the next morning. less

Group of 6 stayed one night on our way through NZ. One person in our group was super organized, and we were all expected to take turns planning activities on different days. It was my turn the day we stopped at Braeside! The woman at the desk (sorry, I didn't catch the name) saved my life! She gave me all kinds of information on what to do, gave us suggestions what to see and not bother with. Our day was planned, without me having to spend 3 hours going to every site on Google!! Place was clean, we bbq'd just to have a break from restaurant food (some dietary restrictions in our group) but looks like the reviews show we missed some great food in the restaurant. The place was clean and love how everywhere you stay in NZ has kitchen facilities - dishes, soap etc. We would definitely recommend to anyone. The beds were super comfortable, too. less