Otoromiro Hotel

8/10

Excellent

18 Apr 2026

Claire

Basic but nice. Friendly, helpful check in, showing us where all the amenities were on our way to our room. Everything was reasonably clean and tidy. We enjoyed the free access to the dining area to make a coffee and we enjoyed the continental breakfast. The chiller in the hotel was a bit noisy during the night turning on and off.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Apr 2026

Dayaan

Location was amazing

Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

22 Mar 2026

David

Great food!

10/10

Exceptional

14 Mar 2026

Julia

Lovely view on the balcony. Comfortable bed. Pool was nice and comfortably heated. Great food/bar available at the restaurant and friendly staff.

Shared laundry area was a little messy (but still a great amenity to have).

Friends

8/10

Excellent

07 Mar 2026

Rebecca

Lovely location. Room was lovely. Dinner and breakfast were really good.
We were prepared for the shared bathroom, but those facilities could have been better laid out, and a little cleaner. Also nowhere to hang your dressing gown or towel in the shower room

Partner

8/10

Excellent

22 Feb 2026

Lhizz

Lovely clean room and bathroom, helpful friendly staff, and the view was amazing!

Self

10/10

Exceptional

31 Jan 2026

Gayla

Amazing view of Governors Bay, the sunrise on the patio was breath taking; pub offers good food and beverage in an outdoors and indoor setting.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jan 2026

Gayla

Charming bed and breakfast with excellent pub and views of Governor’s Bay; staff was very welcoming and the upstairs patio was very relaxing to have a drink and watch the bay.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jan 2026

Thomas

We started our NZ vacation here after landing in Christchurch and it was the perfect start. The pub served wonderful appetizers and desserts. We had a room with a balcony overlooking the bay--great for settling in and relaxation. The pool was cooler than I hoped. Breakfast is self-serve with limited but thoughtful options. Sharing facilities wasn't a problem, but there weren't many other guests during our stay. Staff was warmly welcoming and very accommodating.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

23 Dec 2025

Kyle

Perfectly relaxing as always.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

13 Dec 2025

MATTHEW

Room was clean and comfortable but basic.... No tea or coffee making facilities, snacks or mini fridge (in the budget rooms) .... Not even a complimentary bottle of water.
Staff were nice though... All very pleasant and happy to help. They made up for the lack in other areas.
Shared bathrooms were clean but the shower ran cold after the first couple of minutes ( a temporary problem I was told).
Continental breakfast was ncluded in the price of the room but again, just the basics....and never enough bread to make toast!
But for the cost of the room it was a comfortable stay.
Not a great deal to do in Governors Bay unless you like walking/ hiking but the town of Lyttleton isn't too far away.
The Otoromiro Hotel is the ONLY place to get a beer and a bite to eat if you're staying here in Governors Bay... But it is in a great setting, the food is good and it's very popular with the locals!

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

18 Nov 2025

Dirk

Very friendly staff

10/10

Exceptional

31 Aug 2025

Benjamin

Great stay and friendly staff

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jul 2025

Sally and Gordon

Beautiful views and lovely decks and garden areas to relax in.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

06 Apr 2025

Nicola

Real kiwi proper pub hotel. Excellent reception and service from owner who couldn’t have been more friendly and helpful. Other staff great too.
Pizza was yummy.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Mar 2025

Michael

Very nice location

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Mar 2025

Francis

Very easy check in. Our room looked a little tired but very spacious and clean. Comfy bed. Don’t be put off by not having en-suite facilities, we had no problem using the bathrooms when we needed them. Ate on site, delicious meals. All staff very helpful and friendly.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Feb 2025

Derek

Nice place, friendly staff

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

20 Feb 2025

Darren

Comfortable and friendly

10/10

Exceptional

10 Feb 2025

Kyle

Always a great place to stay.

As always great place to stay and very Poodle friendly.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

09 Feb 2025

Miriam

An iconic hotel , with a special history. Lovely setting. Staff very friendly and helpful. Sourdough for breakfast was yummy. Hotel, overall however, a ‘bit tired’. Shared facilities so, in my opinion room was over priced on booking. com.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jan 2025

Stuart

The hotel is older but well kept. Rooms are comfortable, and have a very long shared walk out balcony, with a magnificent view of the ocean.
There’s a main floor restaurant which serves a variety of dishes and a variety of drinks from the bar.
There’s a patio just outside the restaurant which provides a view of the ocean.
There’s a decent help yourself continental breakfast.
The area is lush with jungle like plants and trees and other restaurants nearby.
The dollar value was very good for the area and the accommodations.
The drive was under half an hour from the city and was enjoyable along the winding paved road.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

11 Nov 2024

Evelyn

I loved the location of this hotel. Gorgeous views from the balcony. The bathrooms are shared, but very clean.
We ordered pizza from the bar, it was excellent, but pricey.

We stayed in room no. 1. The wifi connection there was extremely poor. Cannot comment for other rooms.
Also, for breakfast they only have cereal and toast.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

26 Mar 2024

Graeme

A unique place to stay.
A renovated pub with nice pool.
Great area to explore.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

24 Mar 2024

Dellaina

Beautiful views and unique old style. We loved the pool and grounds staff friendly and helpful.
We didn't like the strong food smells in the room. A scented candle or an essential oil diffuser would have been lovely. There was a lovely large candle in the fire place but no matches.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Mar 2024

Martin

Nice

Nice place with restaurant and bar downstairs. Quiet and wonderful view of the bay.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

11 Jan 2024

Eric

Wonderful service, accommodation quaint and a little different 😀

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jan 2024

Kyle

Always a pleasure

Another lovely stay at the very pet friendly hotel. Great staff, lovely food and drinks.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2023

Rosemary

A great pub with beautiful views of Lyttleton Habour and Quail Island.
It was lovely dining on the deck with delicious food and friendly staff.
The evening meal was also good with a cheerful Friday night crowd.

Leisure Pet

10/10

Exceptional

19 Mar 2023

Andrey

Beautiful small hotel with incredible views from the terrace. The restaurant downstairs is amazing with great food and an exceptional atmosphere.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Mar 2023

Harley

The manager on the 25th of February did a great job at attending people, was very helpful with resolving an issue I had with luggage and gave me great advice during and existential crisis. Food, drink and room were excellent too. All good all round.

Business_and_leisure

6/10

Pleasant

15 Feb 2023

Katherine

For the price I paid I thought the room could have been a lot better. I didn't like there was mo private bathroom in the room. Having a communial shower in the hallway to me isn't very hygienic as u don't no what hidden bugs people have got. Aside from that the atmosphere was nice and I enjoyed the pool.

10/10

Exceptional

14 Feb 2023

Kyle

Great hotel stay.

Had a couple of great nights stay. Very friendly staff and a nice atmosphere. Meals and drinks were very good and the hotel is very dog friendly. Will stay here again soon.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

03 Jan 2023

mark

Older and shared bathroom with stairs to room. A beautiful area with pleasant views. Too expensive for what it is during rate increase for Xmas holidays. Very good food and bar.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Nov 2022

Helen

NZ Charm and hospitality.
Excellent food and Daily Specials
The gathering place for locals and travelers.
Easy access to walking trails along the bay.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

15 Oct 2022

Martyn

Thanks all good

10/10

Exceptional

01 Sep 2022

Martyn

Lovely folk
Lovely spot

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

20 Aug 2022

Ariana

The favilities matched the price. Highlights were the stunning views from the building respectful and competant reception staff young woman, and artisan bread, real butter fresh coffee, and home made meusli available at breakfast time.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jan 2022

adam

Everything great and it’s dog friendly :)

Leisure Pet

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2021

Verified traveler

Amazing views and location. Super nice staff and wonderful food. Will return!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Apr 2021

Verified traveler

The staff were very welcoming and friendly. I loved the room-the high ceiling and shutters on the door to the balcony. The white made it fresh looking and bright. The whole place was so dog friendly even into the restaurant area. The views were awesome and I couldn’t have been more happy with my stay. The provided breakfast was delicious-homemade muesli, crusty bread to toast and slather with butter and marmalade! Plunger coffee to finish off with. Highly recommend this great place!

Leisure Pet

10/10

Exceptional

05 Feb 2021

Verified traveler

Great setting and atmosphere whilst staying at Governors bay . Pleasant stay overall

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Oct 2020

Verified traveler

It was lovely, fantastic young ladies that were helpful and pleasant, location was amazing, room was great, view awesome and food divine.

Friends_and_family Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Oct 2020

Liz

Amazing location and staff, easy check in, great communication, can’t wait to go back again!

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

14 Mar 2020

ROBERT

Quaint Historic Hotel with a View

Quaint, 7 room oldtime hotel. Owners were great. Be sure to get a bayview or you'll be disappointed. Restaurant/bar was great, addedto the feel. The seafood chowder was awesome, a real meal! Biggest issue is shared baths. For us, not. There are two 1/2 baths for everyone. And robes supplied.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Mar 2020

Mrs Julia

An idyllic hide-away

Governors Bay hotel is a gem - tucked away next to the Lyttleton inlet, with fabulous views of the inlet and mountains from the balconies, yet only 20 mins away from Christchurch. (This journey can either be through the Lyttleton Tunnel under the mountains, or the BEST way - over the mountain pass with its breath-taking view of the Southern Alps and Canterbury Plains!) Friendly, helpful staff and relaxed quiet atmosphere. (Just be warned.... there are stairs up to these first floor rooms - no lift as it is a traditional inn, and the mattresses are rather soft.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Mar 2020

Stephen

10/10

A very friendly establishment and a great place to stay! Our room was clean and comfortable and we enjoyed our visit. The staff is especially helpful and nice.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

26 Nov 2019

julian

Dated and a little sad

Tv hardly worked took ages for wifi and the rooms were pretty small and dated.
There was little point letting the owners know about the tv because no interest was shown.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2019

Brent

Good Hotel and Bar

Great view, friendly staff, comfortable bed and Monteith's Beer ! Wow

8/10

Excellent

09 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

The bedrooms were not very inviting, very white and cold compared to the lovely old interior of downstairs.

10/10

Exceptional

26 Mar 2019

Esther

Great view of the Bay from my balcony! Room was beautifully decorated, spacious with king bed, full sized sofa, table and chairs, French door out to balcony, perfectly clean, and supplied with every convenience.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

25 Mar 2019

Mick

Governors Bay

The staff were very friendly and helpful.the room was small but good. Bed comfortable, tv had basic channels but worked ok. Bathrobes were provided as shower was down the corridor, this was clean and water was hot. In the shower there was plenty of shampoo, conditioner and body wash. We did not use the washing machine but the area was clean and tidy.
We ate in the bar, the food was good.
The view over the bay is good and there is plenty of room to sit in th garden and enjoy a drink.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

07 Mar 2019

Verified traveler

Beautiful meal. Room a bit cramped. Didn't need 2 fans. Could have done with a chair. Brought a chair in from balcony

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Feb 2019

Paul

Great location and even better food.
Get the room with a view.

10/10

Exceptional

21 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Great atmosphere in dining outlets, amazing views. Was in Christchurch for business and CBD was fully booked, after staying; i will definitely rebook for my next visit

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

17 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Christchurch is short of rooms and you may need a place. This is not the Marriot, let me tell you. But the guy who runs it and his staff are very nice and that matters. For me it was more like camping in luxury than a normal hotel stay. No AC and sharing bathrooms. No coffee in the room. On the plus side they had free laundry which was not busy. The guy asked a couple to turn off annoying music from a phone an inconsiderate lady was playing on the shared balcony. Before he did I could hear it all over and was stressing about it.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jan 2019

Olof

Excellent stay with great hosts

Excellent stay. We booked one of the Bayside rooms and it was stunning. I was a bit hesitant about the shared facilities, but it was no problem at all - even benefit sometimes as both me and my husband could shower at the same time. Highly recommend!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Dec 2018

Verified traveler

Nice and clean hotel with very friendly staff. The restaurant runs by the owner offer great food with reasonable price.

8/10

Excellent

19 Nov 2018

Derek

A lovely old building with shared facilities. Be prepared to expect what you would from a building this age. Location is amazing

10/10

Exceptional

07 Apr 2018

Verified traveler

The hotel is in a great location and there was a good atmosphere. The staff were friendly and helpful.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

02 Apr 2018

Tess

Great old Hotel, Magic views,

Attended a function at the hotel, the meal was nice but there was quite a wait between courses, restaurant bathrooms could do with a good clean and so could the undersides of the verandas. Bar service was great, staff very friendly and efficient. The room was very basis and parts of it looked like it had been prepared for painting, the bed felt poor quality and was uncomfortable, insufficient window covers meant the lights on the veranda shown into the room all night. The upstairs shared bathrooms were great, clean and tidy, plenty of towels and complimentary shampoo etc. Over all, it didnt quite meet our expectations and we thought it was over priced for the quality, however there is little choice of accommodation in the area so if you want to enjoy a night out then it is a safer option than risk driving.

6/10

Pleasant

02 Apr 2018

Verified traveler

Easy stay

Arrived late, quick and easy check in. Easy check out also. Breakfast great. My initial room lock broken. Quickly resolved, I was moved to another room. Room off shared balcony with view. Shared bathroom clean and no problems accessing. Quiet hotel.

8/10

Excellent

01 Apr 2018

martyn

First night in New Zealand

First of all, if you stay here ask for a room with a view. It's stunning, especially watching the sunrise. With She Universe across the road, the bay to walk around and very friendly staff, it's a great visit. The only downsides are small rooms that are a bit tough to manoeuvre around and some thin Walla. Fine when you don't have loud neighbours. But these are more niggles than anything. Would definitely recommend as a wonderful introduction to New Zealand.

6/10

Pleasant

01 Apr 2018

Diane

Easter weekend stay

Room we had couldnt lock door from inside a bit to small . Meals were a bit expensive only ate there once wernt shown exit s in case of emergency. Breakfast only continental.
Staff were amazing especially lady with long long black hair. Didnt have name badges
A very relaxing place

10/10

Exceptional

29 Mar 2018

Verified traveler

Beautiful hotel

We were upgraded to the biggestbroom because of a light not working. Beautiful clean room with amazing view. Love the ecostore products in shower. Definitely recommend!

4/10

Poor

15 Feb 2018

Rig

Nasty Manager very abusive and unprofessional .

I was surprised with this \"hotel\" with no ensuite. When I expressed my disappointment the manager became very abusive - \"if you don't like it **** off....\". I was shocked and disgusted with his tirade and attitude.
It my stay at this place most unpleasant. I will not recommend this place as a \"hotel\" if you want to enjoy your holiday.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Feb 2018

Verified traveler

Fun place in a great location

I spent two nights in Governors Bay Hotel and it was great. The staff is friendly and very helpful and the location is great for people who want to tour the Christchurch area.
Please note that there are no bathrooms in the rooms, I knew about it before my arrival, but some guests that I met there were surprised.
In short - Fun place, great atmosphere and location and good value for money.

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jan 2018

Rachel

Friendly and comfortable

A great experience at the Govenors Bay hotel. Unfortunately the weather was terrible but it was nice to bunker down with a pub meal and some board games in the bar, as well as a rainy walk on the waterfront. The room and bathrooms clean and comfortable and the staff were very friendly and helpful.

8/10

Excellent

08 Jan 2018

Verified traveler

Real traditional experience

We love staying in these old Hotels and this id really good.

10/10

Exceptional

06 Mar 2017

Verified traveler

Get a balcony. It's worth it. This field is broken

8/10

Excellent

03 Mar 2017

Heather

Beautiful View & Great Food

Kelly & Joshua were wonderful - our flights were delayed and we never made the first night stay at the B&B - they worked with us on costs. The rooms are just the right size for staying, would recommend the ocean view side. The restaurant and bar were great to sit and enjoy without having to get in car and drive elsewhere. Food was fantastic.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

23 Jan 2017

Verified traveler

nice stay

cozy place to stay but very windy location

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

01 Dec 2016

Verified traveler

expensive

Beautiful setting but expensive for shared facilities

10/10

Exceptional

29 Nov 2016

Barb

Close to Christchurch very pretty place good rooms and great service would definitely recommend it

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Nov 2016

Emma

Peaceful Palace on the hill

We enjoyed Governors Bay for the views and amazing food. The stsff were friendly and made us feel at home.

Partner