Lovely quiet location overlooking the bay at Te Hamui.. In our unit, you could enjoy the view from the deck, dinner table, couch, and bed. It is a very short drive to Paihia and a slightly longer one to Opua where the ferry to Russell leaves from. It is worth asking for assistance in booking tours, places to eat etc. from the very approachable and friendly hosts, as their recommendations and knowledge are good. We were there out of school holiday time, so it was easy to drive to Pahia and find a carpark, and travel around the area generally If you want a stove, you need to check that the unit has that. Ours just had a double electric hot plate, but that was fine for the cooking we wanted to do. All in all, it is a very relaxing place to stay with all of the activities in The Bay of Islands to explore, we'd stay again!

The driveway is in a tricky position. So you want to be extra careful turning out and give plenty of warning when turning in. I don't know how busy the road would get in peak season. The room might get quite hot in summer in the afternoon, but it might be breezy at that time of year as well. We found it cooled down with opening the windows and doors.

I chose this place for the outstanding view, and could have chosen others, but this one has character. So much more comfortable than a beige motel type room. And it's big, that was a good surprise, but now you know too. This place is perfect for the quiet, solitude of writing. There's something about being up high and overlooking water that brings the kind of peace needed for focussed thought. The place was super clean, like, how -do- you get a stainless steel bench top SO shiny?! The bed was comfortable with plenty of covers, crisp white sheets, and a great reading light. Thank you Jo and Marcel, you're great hosts; considerate and friendly. I appreciate the porch light being on when getting back in the evening. And thanks for the recommendations of where is good to eat in Paihia!

Nothing to say here. It was all really great.

Marcel was great, very friendly and full of lots of top tips. View from the unit was stunning, was very easy to spend hours on the balcony admiring the scenery! We were upgraded from a studio to a one bedroom property, so appreciated the extra space. Also appreciated the laundry service for $20 per load.

Is an older style property (which we expected as it is described as “retro”), so has an older style shower, which my husband found quite low. But it made a great base and for the money it was great value.

Beautiful view, quiet location, close to town if you have car, good kitchen facilities. Really nice people run this place, with great suggestions about where to go. I'd go back again.

It was a little warm and muggy when we arrived and we had to close the windows at night to keep out non-biting but irritating bugs, because there were no window screens. A fan in the room helped and made our stay acceptable. But we'd like either screens or air conditioning for warm nights.

We were met on arrival by our friendly host Tracey who gave us a very thorough overview of what to do and see during our stay, providing brochures and information and booking tours for us. We were upgraded to a beautiful suite with outstanding 180 degree views of the bay. Perfect for sunset drinks.

The water tasted quite muddy - probably from rainwater tanks and we had to buy bottled water for drinking. The location was quiet with spectacular views but it was quite far out of town.

Excellent location, lovely comfortable apartment with some of the best views I’ve ever seen in my life. The hosts are fantastic. Joe was so friendly, polite, professional and welcoming. The service was better than any five star hotel I’ve stayed in. The hosts even gave us recommendations for restaurants and places to visit and they turned out to be superb. It really is a magical place. Go for it!

The shower could be a bit bigger with some more water pressure

The Retreat is a "retro" (i.e. genuine 1970's) holiday apartment overlooking the Bay of Islands in Northland NZ. Although it was dated, it was well maintained, clean and comfortable. The basic kitchenette facilities provided (fridge, stove, microwave, crockery, dining table, etc) were very appreciated. The king-size bed was very comfortable. But best of all the views were AMAZING! See photos. You could look out from your bed, lounge and dining table right across the bay. Parking was immediately behind the apartment, which was very handy. It was a quick 5-minute drive to the township of Paihia which has lots of cafes, restaurants and the wharf for boat excursions across the bay. The hosts - Jen and Marcel - were very friendly, available when required (even when we arrived late at night) and had lots of helpful information about the local area.

The bathroom worked well (hot water, shower, etc) but could benefit from an update.

Quality 3-star accommodation with a 5-star view. Location was great, just out of Paihia town but only a 40 minute walk or 30 mins around the rocks at low tide. View over the bay from the balcony was stunning. Marcel and Jo were lovely, very welcoming and couldn't do enough to make sure we had a great stay. Facilities were clean and the cabin had everything we needed to cook. Highly recommended would stay again.

Nothing.

The accommodation is comfortable and relaxing with superb views of the Bay of Islands. Lovely sunsets and night sky. The hosts are very welcoming, friendly and very informative as to the local attractions. Also very reassuring regarding any help which may be needed.

Could have done with more kitchen equipment- pots, crockery etc.

The view is really good. Unobstructed 180 degrees to the Bay of Islands and surrounds. Reasonably quiet, parking right outside accommodation. Quite comfortable overall. The studio that we had is very retro so allow for that. Marcel was very helpful and informative.

No air conditioning so the studio gets very hot in the afternoon, not a problem if you're out until evening.