The hosts were fabulous and nearly accommodated every request we had. The location was lovely and peaceful. This is an Irish establishment, needless to say, the Irish bar was awesome, and again, the hosts most accommodating and friendly! The grounds are vast and well cared for. Overall, a beautiful stay at Donegal House.

The beds are sprung and the springs are now starting to give way! And if the rooms could get Microwave ovens, that would be fab!

Great price and location. New owners doing a nice job. Donegal getting some great reviews from locals these days.

The cleaners! Yapping with each other loudly early morning, the vacuum cleaner being dragged up the hallway banging against walls at 8:30am outside my room followed by loud vacuuming directly outside room then followed by the overly loud knocking on my room door at 10am ON THE DOT to see ‘if I was leaving’. Of course they knew I was leaving - it would have been on their room list. Surely a room phn call or at least wait a few minutes past actual check out time? Nothing worse than hotel cleaners harassing you to get out of a room right bang on check out time. Makes one feel like they are on a production line..I booked Donegal as it is quiet and had been keen on a good sleep in till at least 9am. I realise the job needs to be done but the staff need a lesson in discretion.

What a fabulous place to stay! The owners and staff are absolutely fantastic. James made us feel so welcome and I observed him engaging personally with all his patrons, diners and guests. We had booked to stay one night, but immediately decided to extend our stay. Such a beautiful surrounding with stunning views from our room. A clean comfortable room. If you read any bad reviews, please overlook them, the owners are definitely aware that there are some small issues and are proactively resolving them as they can. The meals were very good, despite the restaurant being very busy both nights, again the staff were super attentive, letting us know best times to order despite how busy they were. We look super forward to returning and wish the owners all the best with their progress!

Nothing!

Friendly staff, clean well maintained room, good shower pressure with plenty of hot water, comfortable bed. The room overlooked well maintained grounds consisting of a garden, statues and walkways over and around the lake. Good overall value

Although the bathroom was of good general quality/cleanliness it was let down by the shower surround at the base which needs maintenance to remove unsightly discolouring. Rooms with a garden view are connected by a continuous deck/walkway which does not afford any privacy from fellow guests. They would benefit from some sort of retractable side shades/permeable barriers (this is a purely personal preference. Others may enjoy the communal aspect encouraged by this style of outside area).

The room was clean and tidy. Pleasant place to stay for the one night.

I arrived after dark, and once I'd checked in was given a room key. No direction was given on how to get to my room. Once I located my room (a good few minutes walking around), I realised my vehicle and bags were quite a distance away. This meant either walking outside the motel in the unlit driveway or trying not to get lost in the maze I'd just walked trying to find my room! I eventually made my way back to my vehicle and wanted to drive it closer to my room. No allocated parking meant, all the spaces anywhere near my room were already occupied. I ended up walking down the dark driveway for a second time that night.!

It’s nothing luxurious at all but the whole place has a lot of Charme and is really peaceful - as it’s not in the town Centre of kaikoura. Still it’s not far away at all - to the town center we drove about 5 minutes which was great! If you want something luxurious this is not for you but this place was great - it has a lot of character and the staff were so nice ! Great place to eat and to drink as well!

We would loved to have maybe a small table and another chair in the room as that would have made the room perfect. Other than that we didn’t have any outlets next to our bed which was a bit inconvenient.

The owners were extremely responsive and helpful. We did not have reservations for dinner on a busy night and they immediately "found a table" for us. The outside grounds are impressive, one can wander or sit and relax, the food, generous portions and excellent. Loved the location! The place is close to but not in the town, a tranquil setting near the lavender farm. Would definitely book again!

Rooms are very clean, basic. It is our understanding the owners are new and are in the process of upgrading the entire facilities. We were quite happy with our room, it wasn't "updated" but absolutely spotless and in a beautiful setting with amenities for tea and coffee and plenty of space to relax.

The location is beautiful. We got a garden side room and had a wonderful view of the mountains. The garden is also kept in beautiful shape.

This is a minor inconvenience, and is manageable. There is no facility for breakfast. An electric kettle is in the room to make coffee/tea, but there is no microwave. So, no way to heat something up like a breakfast pastry. There is a small fridge though, and I managed with cold breakfast cereal in a cup with milk. Otherwise, one could drive a few kilometers into town and get breakfast in one of the cafes.

The gardens were lovely and I heard other guests saying the same. I loved the big decks overlooking the gardens. It was very peaceful and quiet. It was out of town but not far. The parking was great. And I enjoyed the Murphy’s stout.

I liked the big windows overlooking the gardens but at the same time I felt a bit like I was sitting in a shop window. And it would be good if the doors facing the garden had your room number as you can’t help but look in other guest rooms as you try to work out which is yours. I didn’t like seeing my neighbour sitting right outside my window. Perhaps moving the outdoor seats slightly would put the seats for my room in front of my room, and my neighbour could sit in front of their room. And while there were many large dining tables - I would have liked some smaller tables.

General atmosphere of staff and surrounds. All the historical photos and detail of the Boyd and other families. Beautiful setting. We had to change the date by one day due to medical emergency. Staff were very understanding and accommodating and gave us an upgrade. Very unexpected and grateful. Good pub food.

appearance as entered Reception or arrival outside . Would not take alot of work just to sweep the Main Entrance areas x2 outside Car parking areas. Our door entrance from car park side had Big cobwebs on door frames. Easy to get rid of. As entered Entrance to hotel and accomodation from car park area very untidy. Linen Bags and Clening material all piled up. Area could do with a freshening up and store hotel room essentials for staff in a different area