The person at the front desk (Helen, I think) was absolutely wonderful and extremely welcoming. The location was right by the river and an easy walk to the Saturday market and CBD. Even though the property was dated, as soon as you closed the sliding door, the road noise effectively almost disappeared making it very quiet. It was almost like there was double or triple glazing. There was also absolutely zero noise transfer between units, and I am sensitive to noise so this was brilliant. Parking was directly outside the unit.

Cigarette smoking appeared to be allowed directly outside the sliding doors to the unit. For us, this meant that when we arrived, two people were smoking cigarettes directly next to our front sliding door (ie. only a couple of metres away), then each of the next two times we returned (including at night), at least one of them was smoking in the same place. Smoking directly outside the units should simply not be allowed. Even though the property seemed to be 70s style, surely the smoking "behaviour" didn't need to be. The TV screen was a computer monitor, so very tiny.

Very close to Whananui, nice view of the river. Next to a main road so a little traffic noise but that wasn't a problem and traffic slowed downed st night so quiet. Only issue was possibly better heating as it took ages to heat up being concrete walls and high ceilings and only 1 fan heater provided.

Heating

Good location, easy to walk to town alongside the river or more directly, but I preferred the scenic way. Plenty of parking, tea / coffee / milk supplied. Kitchen fully equipped.

It's an old motel but that is evident in the pictures. The showers could definitely do with an upgrade as there was little to no pressure and the head kept flopping down too. Great that the kitchen is equipped but the knives could do with a sharpen. Those are literally the only "dislikes" I had.

Like a one bed apartment with parking right outside the door. Great bathroom layout (separate toilet). Fully functional kitchen

The bed was far too firm, had to close curtains during day for privacy

The Riverside Motel has plenty of space, retro charm and a great location. The site beside the river allows for a short walk across a bridge to Whanganui’s acclaimed public play park (look out for the Moa), and a slightly longer walk along the river to the town centre restaurants. The business is for sale and we are hoping that new owners will appreciate the cool-ness of the Riverside & not contemplate too much modernising.

This is an unpretentious motel but exactly what we needed. A clean comfortable quiet overnight stay. Copious hot water in shower. Comfortable very large double bed. Convenient parking outside our unit. Good free wifi. Tea and coffee making facilities. Fresh milk provided when we checked in. Nice view of the river across the road. Very handy to town centre. We would happily stay there again.

Handy location and near city centre. Easy pleasant walk around river, across bridge and over to Kowhai Park. Very clean and comfortable unit with everything you need and serviced daily. A bit outdated but good value for money and we enjoyed our stay.

Better lighting in bathroom over shower/basin would be good, TV a bit small, and heater a bit tricky to use - but only minor things.

Clean and tidy. Great location

A lovely spacious retro room with great facilities. Shower was great. Traffic noise was minimal. Parking was great being right outside the room. Hosts were lovely. Motel was easy to find and very central to where we wanted to go.

Personally found the beds to be very bouncy - but there was plenty of linen and blankets. No cooling facilities - but the high ceiling helped.

Wonderful location, daily room service even though I was staying multiple nights. Obliging reception as they allowed me to keep my bicycle in the room.

With Whanganui being a cyclist's destination, due to the Riverside cycleway and trails further inland, a bicycle storage facility could be a good investment.