Caves Motor Inn

8/10

Excellent

29 Apr 2026

JANE

We only spent one night got in late and left early
Check in was in the bar/restaurant area and the staff were friendly
Room was spacious a little dated but was clean

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Nov 2025

John

Room was clean and facilities provided good. Good value for the price we paid. The staff team and owner were really friendly and made us feel welcome. Need a car to get to the caves, but these were then quite accessible. Generally all good, and would stay again.

8/10

Excellent

12 Nov 2025

Thierry

Very friendly staff.

Business_and_leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

26 Sep 2025

Kay

Balcony view was beautiful Lovely clean room and staff had turned on heater and electric blanket so walked into cosy room

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

13 Mar 2025

anne-marie

Previous guest bar of soap in shower. Long hair in the sink. Did staff clean the bathroom? Pillows were flat.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

13 Mar 2025

Francis R

Basic but clean but lacking things - like empty shower soap dispenser etc. Very noisy highway with no noise or temperature dampening in the building.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Feb 2025

JENEFER

Friendly staff, delicious dinner and great value breakfast

Partner

8/10

Excellent

13 Feb 2025

tania

Great place to put your head down😀 just a little noisy at about 4am when train comes through or trucks start their day

Business Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Feb 2025

Saeko

There was a massive pot hole on driveway

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

02 Feb 2025

Judith

The property needs a lot of maintenance, especially the driveway and parking areas. Huge potholes.
It is not good for older people to have to walk up and down steep steps to be admitted and get a key.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

22 Jan 2025

Carla

The accommodation was basic but clean. The staff were very friendly. Unfortunately the bed was extremely uncomfortable and our room was right on the main road. They provide earplugs for the room which was a red flag!

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jan 2025

Subhash

Excellent views and convenient and comfortable stay before the Waitomo Caves

Partner

8/10

Excellent

10 Jan 2025

Paulette

Would stay again

Great place to stay, friendly staff & comfortable rooms. Great to have restaurant facility. Meals were yum ! Our room was a little noisy being road front but earplugs were supplied & it didn't impact my sleep.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

10 Jan 2025

shashank

Owner have maintained property really well. however, its close to highway and night can be noisy to some ppl.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

09 Jan 2025

Verified traveler

Needs TLC

Great location for an overnight stop. Convenient parking right in front of the unit.

Has view of the main road, with ear plugs provided. Tiny bedroom with saggy bed propped by a piece of wood sheet underneath. Plenty of blanket/duvet provided. Bottom sheet has little holes on the side. Windows can be opened if too hot indoors. There's a little desk top fan provided.

Weird half-size sink with tap that produced hot water when turned to the right and cold water when turned to the left (normally it's the other way around!). Had to use a mug to pour water into the kettle as it was impossible to fill it straight from the tap.

Shower pressure was excellent at night. In the morning the pressure was very weak - we wondered if it was because next door neighbours had super long shower, could hear them showering for the whole hour if not more!

Paper thin walls - could hear neighbours using the bathroom and TV.

Plates and cuttleries weren't clean, had to re-wash them before using. Dishwashing liquid sachets were old, sticky and gross (see photo).

Room looked recently painted, would be a better place had the overall cleanliness been much better.

Overpriced compared to other accommodations in the area that we've stayed at in the past.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jan 2025

Marissa

Food was great, owners were very friendly.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

03 Jan 2025

Lisa

Easy access to cave and attentive helpful friendly manager. Super noisy road first night with trucks going by and no earplugs, room was road facing. Second night quieter. The room however was clean tidy and comfortable and had a lovely country view.

8/10

Excellent

20 Nov 2024

Eric

Great little spot right near the glow worm caves... Very nice room with one full wall of windows leading to a cozy balcony... Clean, bright, and very comfortable... Friendly staff and easy check in... Nice on-site restaurant... It is directly off the highway, so it's a bit noisy, but not terrible, just cars whooshing by frequently...

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Nov 2024

Michael

*

10/10

Exceptional

25 Oct 2024

David

Great value and comfy with an old touch.

Was only for one night as I visited the Caves. I was given a mountain view room with a balcony which was nice. I ate in the restaurant and the food was lovely. The room was perfect, great hot water and pressure in the shower. If you are facing the road, you may experience traffic noise, but there are earplugs in your room.

Self

8/10

Excellent

06 Oct 2024

Sue

Was ideal for a 1 night stop over whilst travelling around NZ. Friendly staff that were very helpful

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Jun 2024

Verified traveler

I have to say a huge thank you to the hosts for accommodating our late check in/ last minute booking and coming down since my phone did not have a signal by the door. The property was a little older but clean and tidy! A nice warm place to spend the night as you travel.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

08 Jun 2024

Sharon

Very clean and newly fitted
Comfy bed
Speedy check in despite late arrival
Earplugs excellent!

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

26 May 2024

Vicki

Service and location

6/10

Pleasant

11 May 2024

William

Train near by

8/10

Excellent

01 Apr 2024

Nicolle

Clean and easy

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

22 Mar 2024

Malcolm

Nice room, nice people

Partner

8/10

Excellent

13 Mar 2024

michele

The staff were very friendly. Even though the food selection at the hotel restaurant was limited, the food was excellent.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

05 Mar 2024

Brenda

The front office/restaurant needs a lot of work but the area where the rooms are was nice and rooms were clean

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 Mar 2024

Stephen

Nice place and nice people

Decent enough accommodation, good facilities, easy to find and can park by your room. We had no problems with road noise. Bar area is nice and the food (evening meal) was freshly cooked and good quality. The staff were really nice and friendly.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

21 Feb 2024

Jennifer

Value for money. Comfortable and clean. Thank goodness they supply ear plugs to block out the noise of the highway.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jan 2024

Te Awe

Awesome kind helpful staff, scrumptious meals, separate toilet and shower, air con, comfortable beds, well supplied kitchenette, spacious, and loved our room was upgraded .. don't know why but we loved it and Tv that works. Proximity to local towns, really enjoyed the quiet so we could rest. Highly recommended. Cheers

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

12 Jan 2024

Linda

A great overnight stop on the long road north

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

10 Dec 2023

Anna

Convenient location. Friendly staff offering an upgrade on our room. Restaurant on site, although not open the night we stayed.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

08 Dec 2023

Peter

Large room but older property - Room was clean. Bed large but a bit lumpy. Not suitable for light sleepers and road and rail noise could be heard but earplugs supplied

8/10

Excellent

09 Nov 2023

Sandra

Our room was large and clean. A little noisy with large trucks rolling by all night. The dinner was delicious and the staff friendly. Close to the Glowworm caves

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

30 Oct 2023

Ivo

Affordable

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

22 Oct 2023

Warren

it was ok served the purpose

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

25 Sep 2023

Jessie

Visit was fine. Room was smaller than i thought but was enough for myself and teenage grandson. Only thing l really was not happy with was the hair dryer in the bathroom couldn't be used there as was no plug. And whe i plugged it into the other room plug the cord wasn't long enough to see in the bathroom mirror. So a real waste of time.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

14 Jul 2023

bianca

Clean, convenient, helpful staff. Quite spacious.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

17 Jun 2023

Marek

It is a clean but old arrangement. The update of rooms and bathrooms and addition of ventilation would definitely help to eliminate the smell of mold. But this could be a comment to nearly all small motels around NZ.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

29 Apr 2023

Nicole

Friendly staff, easy check in, great sized cabins. Rooms were clean and cozy. My favourite little detail was the heated mattress pads. The kids loved the nearby farm animals and the grass space to run out their energy after a long car ride.

Leisure Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

08 Apr 2023

Mark

The property was neat and tidy though a bit dated. It was fine for a short stay.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

25 Mar 2023

John

Check in lady really great and owner great. Meal was very nice

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Mar 2023

john

Unfortunately I had mechanical issues that prevented me from making use of motel, but I am sure it would be very acceptable.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

14 Mar 2023

Elizabeth

Spacious room with good facilties.
Great restaurant, and very helpful, friendly staff.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

25 Feb 2023

Alison

Basic accommodation at a basic price. The restaurant is convenient - but quality could be improved and quite expensive.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Feb 2023

Priten

Great stay, would highly recommend

I was sad I only stayed here for one night, as the staff were friendly, the room was beautiful, the comfiest bed I’ve slept on in 7 months of travelling.

Lots of room amenities, great hot water and a private terrace too.

Only slight issue we had was wifi in the room is restricted to 500mb per voucher, and we ran out of data between two of us. You can buy more however we chose not too. Wouldve expected free wifi the whole stay but we got by.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jan 2023

Karen

The staff were great and helpful, Room was perfect with sliding doors overlooking trees and lawn. Children loved seeing the animals in the paddocks next door.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jan 2023

Stanley Pepito Binion

Excellent service and very clean

Business_and_leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

20 Jan 2023

Verified traveler

Comfortable stay.

Friendly reception.
We were upgraded to a family suite.
Generally every thing meets my expectation.
Good and clean facilities. Some annoying traffic noise particularly at night. However ear plugs were provided but I didn't have to use them.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

06 Jan 2023

Sushila

Ok value for money.

Ok value for money.
Use vouchers for Wifi - vouchers provided initially had been used.
Restaurant was closed.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jan 2023

Violet

Clean and lovely helpful staff. Enjoyed our stay

Leisure Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

21 Dec 2022

Larissa

Very comfortable. Not fancy but had everything we needed. There should have been some options provided for dining. On a Saturday night only 1 place was open in Waitomo and it was full.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

26 Nov 2022

Andrew

Adequate

Used for a visit to the caves. A no frills stop.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

04 Nov 2022

Brian

Great reception, restaurant and bar area well appointed.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

20 Oct 2022

Michael

Frieindly staff, beautiful views of rolling hills and green farms. A bit of traffic noise, which cant be avoided. Good value for money.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jan 2022

Malcolm

Proper old school motel, park outside the unit, it's decent sized, clean and tidy. They service units, every day. There are pet pigs and goats to feed carrots and wild rabbits too.Its not flash but its real, I would bother staying elsewhere. Massive value for $$

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jul 2021

Verified traveler

The room was tidy. Bed very comfortable. Staff excellent.Food excellent. We travelled from Auckland. We would highly recommend staying here.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jul 2021

Verified traveler

Good old kiwi hospitality.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jul 2021

Verified traveler

Great Stay

Great welcome, we were running late due to traffic, they held restaurant open for us, lovely food - real home style yummy food, staff lovely, room clean and very comfy.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

04 Jun 2021

Verified traveler

Old school diner, duke box, bar, wholesome meals just above our accomodation with a great family vibe. A perfect stop over ❤️

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

27 Apr 2021

Karen

Very clean. Nice staff

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

13 Apr 2021

Verified traveler

the rooms were good. however there was no services restaurant was closed and a very unusual check-in.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

16 Oct 2020

Linda

very convenient

I had booked this accommodation as it had a restaurant, was close to Waitomo Caves, was well priced and had SKY TV in order for me to watch All Blacks game.
Linaire gave me a friendly greeting but informed me the restaurant was closed on that particular Saturday night so I was a bit disappointed. She offered to ensure I could have a room service meal which I ordered and paid for. It was a good roast!
The room was spacious And the bed really comfy. The room felt a bit dated but was clean. The bathroom was roomy, and shower was great - apart from shower curtain round the legs!
Next day housekeeping turned up at just before 4pm so I asked them to help me find SKY before the game started. Sadly I discovered there was no SKY! I was 😕.
I was very comfortable in the room once I got over the disappointments.

Self

6/10

Pleasant

16 Jul 2020

C

clean and tidy...

Handy location to the caves and easy to find. Very clean and tidy and restaurant and bar onsite makes eating and a drink easy. Friendly helpful staff and plenty of parking. Only issue as we live in a very quiet area was we found the road was busy and noisy. If you live in town and are used to cars youll be fine...

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

16 Jul 2020

Jessica

Comfortable beds

Very comfortable beds! Good location at the back of the property in a spacious unit with a rural outlook.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

12 Jul 2020

David

Out dated but has had a fresh coat of paint smelled of damp timber and road noise. Our duvet cover had marks on it 😱

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jul 2020

Verified traveler

Closeness to waitomo caves was great and the food was devine

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

Great Staff
Great Customer service!
Family Friendly facility!
Great Find!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

The property was reasonably quite despite being on the freeway. It was a short drive to the glow worm cave.

Leisure Family_with_children

6/10

Pleasant

04 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

The room was fine, basic which was what is available in the area. No issues, but it fell into the 'just fine' category.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Nov 2019

Verified traveler

Very basic hotel but very clean, friendly staff. Great for overnight stay.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

A very nice view out of our window over the country side. It was however, a little noisy for a light sleeper due to the road below the motel. But there was not too much traffic. The restaurant was reasonably priced and our meals were very well cooked.

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

11 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

Extremely noisy from heavy traffic on SH3 all night despite ear plugs. Walls of flimsy construction the whole unit vibrated every time the very heavy lorries went by - about every 10 minutes all through the night. Little chance of sleep!!!!

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

03 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

Pretty basic place but it was cheap and comfortable Rooms are not air conditioned.

8/10

Excellent

02 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

Simple motel room, nice staff very clean, good air conditioning.

10/10

Exceptional

28 Dec 2018

Mrs

A very comfortable stay with friendly staff. The family studio was very clean. Ear plugs were provided ...very thoughtful!

10/10

Exceptional

07 Dec 2018

Michael

Clean room in good location

Room was spacious and clean. Located within a 10 minute drive of the Waitomo Caves. For restaurants or groceries you have to drive north or south for 10 minutes. Internet was limited (500 MB over 2 nights) but it met my needs.

10/10

Exceptional

02 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Room was clean and there was an onsite restaurant for dinner and breakfast. We had to call on a provided phone to get checked in as no one was at the counter at 3 pm.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jun 2018

Verified traveler

Stayed just the one night on our way through to the field days but really enjoyed our stay. Room was tidy and comfortable. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Would not hesitate to recomend the Caves Motor In as a place to stay. Will be stopping there again in the future with the family.

4/10

Poor

28 Apr 2018

Clappo

over night stay for Waitomo trail run

We were here to do a race and there is limited accommodation near the event so it was great for this. The hotel is dated and it is always concerning when ear plugs are beside the bed. Bed wasn't great, nor was the Wi-Fi but shower was okay and the room had a good heater. When you compare with other newer hotels it was not great value for money but location dictates I guess. Staff at reception were excellent.

6/10

Pleasant

10 Mar 2018

Barbara

Missing

Surprised that they were not serving meals in their restaurant. Staff had weekend off!

Family

4/10

Poor

24 Feb 2018

Fred

Truckers accomodation

Once again, the motel was very dated. The free WiFi that came with the room didn’t connect, anywhere in the hotel, the rooms left a lot to be desired and there was lots of noise transference between rooms. When the room comes complete with ear plugs, it means it’s bad.

8/10

Excellent

22 Feb 2018

Verified traveler

Lovely clean room

Perfect place to stay for night for going black water rafting. Comfortable beds, very clean rooms and nice staff

6/10

Pleasant

04 Feb 2018

Ros

Close to the caves

Noisy. They provide ear plugs Shower didn’t work properly

8/10

Excellent

23 Jan 2018

Sue

Very friendly and helpful owners.

When we first arrived we were given the units close to the road which seemed a bit noisy when the windows were open, but not too bad. The owner offered us a room at the back of the property which wasn't quite as big but definitely quieter. We had no problem with any noise from the back unit.
In fact it has the advantage of having a small dining area and kitchenette. The motel is away from other places. We enjoyed a peaceful walk along a back road checking out farm animals.
It is not too far away from the caves and the shopping area.

4/10

Poor

15 Jan 2018

Verified traveler

Units are feely old and a bit run down. smelt musty.
unit was tidy enough and had good beds.

4/10

Poor

15 Jan 2018

Verified traveler

Clean and efficient but dated. Hotel needs upgrading

6/10

Pleasant

09 Jan 2018

Verified traveler

Convenient location to Waitomo Caves

Tbe main entrance and office were oddly set up in the upper level that seemed to the restaurant. Also, the ground floor entry smelled moldy. It was raining buckets that day but having everything upstairs leads you to think the lower level is unihabitable.

The motel room was fine but small. Clean and had everything you need.

8/10

Excellent

14 Nov 2017

E

Close to Waitomo caves and back water rafting

Great location. Clean. Nice staff. Bed was ok. Convenient location to caves and glowworms. Internet was not working. No free breakfast. Enjoyed the small outdoor deck.

8/10

Excellent

16 Sep 2017

Clurgy

Well located for Glow Worm Caves

Stayed for 1 night before our glow worm cave tour at 9am the following morning. Less than 10 minutes drive to the tour. Close to main road, so you do hear the traffic outside - however we're not light sleepers, so no problem at all for us. They do provide ear plugs in case you require them.

8/10

Excellent

29 May 2017

Verified traveler

Nice small place

we only stayed one night in spring.The place was very clean , warm and cozy and spacious. Had a little kitchenette. Best of all price was very reasonable. Very close to the waitomo caves.
We arrived really late but staff was waiting for us . Which we really appreciate!
Thank you .

2/10

Poor

21 May 2017

christopher

Get away as soon as you can

Avoid if possible. Wifi is terrible, (allotted 200mb per room). Only reason i would stay here is if you do the Waitomo Caves and need a place to crash for a few hours. Beds were really uncomfortable. Service was terrible. there is nothing around to do.

Family

6/10

Pleasant

14 May 2017

Verified traveler

Decent Motel

Decent motel with spacious rooms. No air conditioning, but the room did have a floor fan and two space heaters for the colder months. Room was a bit noisy as the walls were thin between units (could hear neighbors talking). You could also hear the thump-thump-thump vibrations from others walking next door. There were ear plugs left by the bed for \"light sleepers\" by the managers, so perhaps this is a problem. Average place; nothing special.

6/10

Pleasant

26 Apr 2017

Verified traveler

Need ear plugs because of traffic. Beds were comfortable, but place is very dated

6/10

Pleasant

24 Apr 2017

Rosemary

OK but basic

A very basic room and facilities, in desperate need of an update. Though saying that it was OK for a one night stay to see the stunning near by Waitomo Caves.

Family

8/10

Excellent

21 Apr 2017

Ira

Comfortable and value for money

Great motel in a convenient location. A little too close to the motorway so a lot of road noise. Thank you for the earplugs.

Beds were very comfortable, shower was hot with awesome pressure, room was lovely.

4/10

Poor

16 Apr 2017

Peter

Needs ventilation

Very basic rooms that's why it's so cheap. Musty and needs better ventilation in the rooms. Stayed on ground floor of the main building and only one front window and no window in the bathroom nor extractor fan. That's why the musty smell

Good location if your are visiting the caves is of course the draw card

4/10

Poor

13 Apr 2017

Verified traveler

Pub style accommodation

This motel is right next to a highway with noise from traffic. The family room given to us is over the rate expected for that standard. The room is on ground floor and the bar and restaurant above the rooms.
By the way, ear plugs are complimentary from the motel.