Chelmswood Motel Taupo

New Zealand , Central Plateau - Taupo
TAUPO , Lake Terrace, 250
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100 reviews shown

8/10

Excellent

22 Feb 2026

Sally Louise

Clean, tidy room. Nice cosy bed with crisp, clean bedding. Enjoyed our private mineral spa pool.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Feb 2026

Heath

Great staff

6/10

Pleasant

17 Feb 2026

Joshua and Faith

The host was friendly but, for me, he was quite hard to understand as he was foreign. The room was ok, basic, the bed was very hard so we didn't get much rest but the deep thermal bath was very enjoyable.

8/10

Excellent

16 Feb 2026

Ken

clean facilities and helpful staff. The kitchen was very small and the bathroom rather basic and the badly leaking spouting outside the entrance door was annoying

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Feb 2026

Judith

Clean, great sized room space. Staff very friendly. I was staying here for 1 night but extended my stay as felt at home here

Self

8/10

Excellent

10 Feb 2026

Christine

Room was clean

6/10

Pleasant

08 Feb 2026

Loretta

Dripping shower was quite annoying all night long. Pool was boiling hot so unable to utilize. Staff was quite eager to please though and very friendly and courteous.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

08 Feb 2026

Minh Duy

Absolutely loved this hotel!!!! It is spacious with a separate cooking area with stove microwave and refrigerator. The best part is the bathroom with a separate mineral tub to soak in. The water comes out piping hot so you need to add cold water to it. My favorite stay in all of New Zealand by far. There is a view from the lakeside units.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

24 Jan 2026

Bharti

Clean, tidy, lovely helpful workers. Polite respectful and professional

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jan 2026

Eliza

Very attentive staff

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

20 Jan 2026

jose

Room is okay. The staff is courteous. The amenities is only average. Only average

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jan 2026

Evan

Exceptional staff. I'd definitely stay again.

8/10

Excellent

09 Nov 2025

Gordon

Property is clean and tidy but older style but good for the price

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

21 Aug 2025

Mitchel

Canceled my booking on me didn't give a reason

4/10

Poor

21 Jun 2020

Gary

Greeted with a very offensive smell in our room. I'm surprised the cleaners never noticed it when preparing the room. Facilities otherwise very clean.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jun 2020

Verified traveler

Bed was a bit hard but other than that great place to spend a night or 2.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

08 Jun 2020

Christopher

very ordinary

A cold, noisy, pokey room with very basic facilities. Not good value. And finding lipstick on the glassware doesn’t enhance the look.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Jun 2020

Verified traveler

We have stayed before and have been more than happy

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

24 May 2020

Verified traveler

It was okay the room could of been vacuumed a bit more. They didn’t provide me with milk for Sunday morning coffee which was not cool. No remote for the tv either.

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

29 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

Location was wonderful, welcome was friendly, property was well equipped . Highly recommended!

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

20 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

The location and facilities (pool, gym) made this property excellent value for money

Business_and_leisure Self

2/10

Poor

18 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

The only thing I liked about this property was the location. Now that I have been away from this property, and cooled down, In mind and body!
I will just say it was extremely hot outside and inside. No AC., poor air circulation, windows only open a few inches, overhang and adjacent building block breeze,fans did not help. We stayed only 1 night. out of 4 no refund on prepaid booking.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

12 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

Awesome property.
Clean and presentable.
Was a bit unsure after reading mixed reviews.
Yes the plunge pool is stained - if you know anything about Sulfur- you’d understand.
Had Lakeview room - fantastic view.
Great outdoor seating.
Very happy

Leisure Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

10 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

Pool was awesome, access to all amenities awesome, but conference room required attention..

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

02 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

Love the place always stay here.Would be nice to have air conditioning.outside exterior ready for a good scrub down.Excellent value for money.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

28 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

We booked a studio room which had no air conditioning, it was approximately 32degrees in our room, 100% uncomfortable, considering all other rooms had air conditioning, when asked to be moved to a room with air conditioning this was not an option considering there were rooms available, instead we got a fan, two bottles of water and a bowl of ice.
Totally unacceptable temperature to be expected to stay and sleep in.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

26 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

Unit was clean but very dated. We had unit 26. the exterior block wall gets a lot of sun in the day and then radiates heat into the unit until about 5am. The heat pump is completely inadequate. 2 nights of very poor sleep. Lady at the desk wasn't interested when I told her about the heat problem , she just denied this being an issue.

Leisure Family

4/10

Poor

26 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

The room was like something out of the 80s
Generally a very low standard
No air conditioning and the lady on reception didn’t seem to care
Probably heard it all before
If they spent money in their rooms rather than their external lights it could be an improvement
Overall very disappointing

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

20 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

Clean and tidy room. Very warm with only one small window for ventilation. There was a fan provided which helped with air circulation but will be of limited use as temperatures increase over summer. A box of tissues would have been a useful addition to the supplies in the room, staff need to check that all other supplies are fully topped up, not just the bare minimum provided (eg toilet paper). Some steps have been take to avoid waste and excess plastic, the small glass milk bottles which are then reused was a good way of providing fresh milk rather than UHT.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

20 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

Loved the hot water mineral pool and that it’s facing the Lake

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

16 Jan 2020

Sharon

Our stay

Comfortable unit. The right size for 2 adults, 4 children. Clean as is possible. The unit itself is tired looking. Chipped furniture, worn , hole in bench top.Large tear in lounge seat. Old style oven. Not clean. Got burnt both arms on oven door. Didnt use private spa. Uninviting area, looks unused and unclean. I wouldnt choose this motel again.
The location is opposite Lake Taupo. Majority of the units have no lake views at all, just the backside of the front units. Our unit was at the back so you had no lake views whatsoever.
I do prefer the lake view so book a front unit. Was it value for money...probably not.
The staff were very friendly and courteous. Took a while to register. Couldnt locate booking initally...on the whole ignoring the blemishes, our stay was confortable.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

14 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

Liked the lovely hot pool to relax in after long day.

Leisure

6/10

Pleasant

11 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

We stayed in a queen studio which was quite basic and ok in terms of size as we were out for most days. The rooms are joined by a corridor at the back and at times we could hear talking in the adjacent units. Off the road though, so traffic noise is not an issue. Nice and clean.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jan 2020

Heather

Restful Lake View

Handy location for our needs. Happy to have a view of the Lake yet with the property being set well back from the road we weren't bothered by traffic noise like a lot of other Lakefront properties are. Older property and a little tired decor wise but perfectly clean and had everything we needed. A bonus was the mineral bath. Friendly lady welcomed us and came down to explain how the bath works. Plenty of outdoor furniture to sit outside the unit and enjoy the Lake View. Outdoor heated pool available and I noticed a function room like a camp kitchen with its own outdoor seating area which would be great for family bookings. Very happy with our stay and would come again.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

04 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

Property was ok. We only needed a place to sleep and for that it was nothing spectacular. Was not happy to be told our room didn’t have a car park for it and we had to park out the back in the dirt, wasn’t happy with that.

Friends_and_family Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

Convenient location, always clean and tidy despite some signs of wear an tear. Always my go to stopover establishment when needing to rest up after long road trips.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

16 Dec 2019

Anne

Mixed bag

The room was more basic than I expected. No air-conditioning and so hot and stuffy, despite fan. The pool was a plus.
Staff were friendly and helpful.

My main grumble is that I discovered the actual cost of the room was $21 less than I paid through Hotels.com! Lesson learned for next time ...

Self

8/10

Excellent

03 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

Nicely located stopover

Pleasant surroundings with lake view and space to relax on lawn overlooking lake

Business

10/10

Exceptional

30 Nov 2019

Philip

Some of the appliances were getting a bit tired the electric jug had a leak and the cooktop was not in very good condition.

Friends_and_family Partner

6/10

Pleasant

24 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

Good parking for cars with trailers. The rooms are dated and house keeping is not the best. Only 1 thin pollow each.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

Good size room with BBQ facilities & heated pool & hot tub

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

Great location with views, very friendly staff and property well maintained.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

04 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

This is our 3rd return visit as happy with the experience. New owners, had to wait 10mins at reception for somebody to come to reception. Reception not attended to check out, just basket on counter for keys.

Room very small facing south, no view. Comfy bed, warm room. TV with wide black line through middle of the screen. Tea bags fell apart, wifi so weak we could not open attachments just kept cycling
Very disappointed

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

01 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

Easy to find, clean, compact. Staff were happy to arrange an after-hours check in.

Only downsides were a damage line through the TV picture and no instructions on how to check out before the office opened at 7:30am.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

28 Oct 2019

Jonathan

Great service, very comfortable and relaxing-just what we needed. :)

Partner

8/10

Excellent

21 Oct 2019

Klg

We love staying here. Has a wonderful heated outdoor pool. Spacious rooms, wouldnt want the room we were in if you had small children as stairs and banister are a little stressful. But overall we love this place .

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

16 Oct 2019

Yan Chi

Best motel of our north island trip

Super clean and tidy. Sufficient hot water supply. You can even smell the warm laundry scent once you stepped in the room. Highly recommend for everyone. Owner was very helpful and friendly.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

09 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

Very disappointed in room. Advert for queen was Lakeview pic. We have stayed lots and assumed it wss the same. Lakeview are queen studios. We didn't know about the others....so feel the picture of our bookimg very Misleading and extremely disappointing. We desperately wanted view....why we chose Taupo and thought by your pic that was what we had. Staff were helpful but couldn't do anything. Expedia sort your pics for queen room

4/10

Poor

09 Oct 2019

Verified traveler

Location is good.
Place is old and needs to be refurbished.

Leisure Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

08 Oct 2019

Joy

I would return

Great location. Loved the view. The unit was warm and comfortable. The heated swimming pool was ideal to keep my grandchildren occupied for a while. The cooked breakfast was very nice. I would return and recommend.
A few things missing that I'm used to in motels - box of tissues, shower cap and toiletries consisted of soap pumps at handbasin and in the shower.

6/10

Pleasant

19 Sep 2019

Michael

Better Off Elsewhere

Room had a distinct odour to it like someone had been cooking spicy food inside. Overall a bit shabby and in need of some renovation.

6/10

Pleasant

17 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

I found the receptionist very unhelpful. Eg did not ask if we wanted breakfast to for the following morning. I rang in the morning to be told i needed to ordervthe day before but wasnt told on signing into our room.

I rang to book another night as we decided to stay but she said the room was available at a higher charge.

I wont be going back there and found a better hotel closer to town now.

Business Family

8/10

Excellent

05 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

Was well maintained and loved the closeness of the lake.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

01 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

Tidy, Clean but fairly dated. Everything worked fine and good time had.

Leisure Family_with_children

8/10

Excellent

01 Sep 2019

Verified traveler

I often stay at chelmswood because its reliably clean and service is good every time no matter which room youre in

Friends_and_family Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

Easy parking, roomy, all good. Friendly staff.will certainly come back again.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

I really liked the private mineral pool. Having that private space to relax made my stay so much more enjoyable.

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

08 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

Clean an quiet ....................................

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

05 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

We booked on line our room not like the room we viewed.No view.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

01 Aug 2019

Verified traveler

We were unable to Stay at Chelmswood motel. So we cannot rate our stay.

Business_and_leisure

10/10

Exceptional

31 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Beautiful position, good service and an excellent cooked breakfast

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Loved the private thermal pool with 3 adults staying together it was a great size.

Friends_and_family Friends

6/10

Pleasant

18 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

The room we stayed in is very dated and run down, the orange Formica on the bathroom vanity is peeling away on the front edge. Overall it was clean but the beds were too soft and very narrow

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

14 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Good location, easy walking distance to town.......

8/10

Excellent

07 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Great spot but fairly run down and average cleanliness

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

I like the natural thermal bath in the room. My daughter loved that the pool was heated and open till 10.00pm. Great location and view or the lake too makes this a special place to stay.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

03 Jul 2019

Hanmer

Nice and clean and good facilities. The staff were also friendly.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

29 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Away from the road ,private natural hot spring pool with our room we booked heat pump made room cosey quickly because it can get pretty chilly in taupo resonable room rates considering i made a last minute booking

Business_and_leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Staff were so lovley and accommodating 😊
Total value for money with free laundry and bbq areas and a heated pool ! Awesome stay

Friends_and_family Pet

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Good hot pool a good out door swimming pool complex.easy parking.a nice touch with a bottle off water check out

Leisure

6/10

Pleasant

14 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

Very old place and everywhere stained. Beds are not comfortable at all

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

04 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

It was quiet - no traffic noise. Didn't hear any other visitors. Also warm. Would have liked milk and tea bags for the second day - got back late and couldn't make a cup of tea or the following morning. Expected them to have been replaced

Business Self

4/10

Poor

02 Jun 2019

Verified traveler

The kitchenette was very small and with only one power point for the kettle, microwave and toaster it was very annoying trying to use what was there. Cost cutting was the main focus with little satchets of dishwash detergent and plastic plates....it felt like we were on school camp. We got the room on a special offer but if we'd known it was this small and basic we would have happily paid more to get better.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

29 May 2019

Verified traveler

Very good value for money. Comfortable studio with everything we needed for an overnight stay

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

16 May 2019

Has everything required. Will definitely be be wanting to stay there again in future

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

28 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

The studio room was smaller than most. Fortunately we were only staying overnight.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

The View facing Lake Taupo is awesome. Walk across the road and have a pleasant stroll by the lake side.

Friends_and_family Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Apr 2019

VMM

Loved the hot tub that was included with the room we booked. Great for relaxation after a busy day.

Friends_and_family Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

09 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

First time I have had problems

No soap in the shower.
Booked a 1 bedroom suite plus, but was given the equivalent of a studio room, a room with queen bed in the lounge with a separate room with two single beds and I was told not to touch the beds because I had not paid for them....... that’s a Studio room.

8/10

Excellent

09 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

Property needs updating very small room lovely lady at reception .to far out

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

07 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

We had all we needed for a good night rest and shower after along days drive.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

Clean. Comfortable.. staff was very kind,........

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

21 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

Property was easy to find and in a good location. Staff were very friendly. Everything was sufficient for our overnight stay.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

03 Mar 2019

AlanShi

The lake view is so good, room is tidy and comfortable. Just the WiFi is too slow.

Leisure Friends

6/10

Pleasant

25 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Property needs some updating. Bathroom and kitchenette area very tired

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

19 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Our room was adequate.

Friends

2/10

Poor

14 Feb 2019

Dan

Worst hotel/motel I did stay during my vacation.
Few points:
- no AC
- no place to hang clothes
- separate hot and cold water fosets no options to mix the water temperature
- molding in the lower corner door/shower (I have pictures to prove the case)
- the room size barely accommodates the queen size bed..

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

08 Feb 2019

Emmett

Helpful and friendly

The staff I encountered - at reception - (an Indian lady who had been living in NZ for 4 years) was MOST helpful and VERY friendly.

8/10

Excellent

06 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Friendly staff. No air-con. Needs better pillows. Good price.

2/10

Poor

30 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

The room was unbearably hot. It was summer, but without air-conditioning, the upstairs was like a sauna. Unfortunately the rear 'courtyard' area is enclosed so even leaving the front ranch slider did not provide any 'through-breeze'

6/10

Pleasant

30 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

The people in the adjoining room had a dog
We found fleas in our room

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

The staff were warm and welcome even though we arrived late. They have been helpful and gracious.

8/10

Excellent

28 Jan 2019

Chris

The place was clean and lovely decor, but didn't like the bed, too soft, rooms too hot, needs air conditioner. The thermal private spa in our room, needs a good over all touch up. For the price they are charging - this definitely needs doing. The thermal swimming pool was excellent - our kids thoroughly enjoyed it! Our fly spray was empty and that night there were lots of fruit flies and flies.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

Nice comfortable clean and roomy car spaces for big cars 👍

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jan 2019

Helen

Perfect place to stay in taupo!

The room was clean and spacious with a lovely patio area outside and a great view. We used the bbq which was really useful. The welcome from reception was very friendly and helpful. The plunge pool was brilliant but be prepared to wait for it to fill. We also used the washer and dryer for free. A wonderful place to stay, would highly recommend.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

04 Jan 2019

Great location across road from lake. Nice mineral spa tub here.

8/10

Excellent

17 Dec 2018

jen

Our Home for a week.

We had a great stay. The people were nice and Friendly. We stayed 8 nights it was very Quiet with easy access to the rooms which were kept very clean by the house keeping team. The Laundry was cleam and tidy with near new machines that do it all with a push of a few buttons, even dry. We didnt use the Pool or the suna as we didnt have time to but they looked good. Thank you for the great stay.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Dec 2018

Pawan

Great near the lake Great reception staff helpful and accommodating. Decent facilities

10/10

Exceptional

07 Dec 2018

Richard

Great quite location .ideal fir that one or 2 night stop over

10/10