Grand Arden Monaco Nelson

8/10

Excellent

05 Mar 2026

mabel

Room was comfortable and clean. Not a lot of amenities but good for a one night stay.

10/10

Exceptional

21 Feb 2026

Warren

Clean, neat

10/10

Exceptional

19 Feb 2026

Doretta

Clean room, beautiful buildings, convenient location

8/10

Excellent

11 Feb 2026

Margrit

A good hotel but nothing really outstanding

Self

4/10

Poor

10 Feb 2026

Rosemary

Check in needs to be more professionally handled.
Reception not open until 9am day of check out
No receipt of payment
Found out later we were charged more than quoted

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 Jan 2026

Mary Jane

Extremely helpful staff. Beautiful patio at the hotel. Clean rooms. Good restaurants right by.

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

15 Jan 2026

Jayne

Room very clean. Staff friendly. Generally great. A comfy bed. Just a couple of issues such as the shower leaking onto the bathroom floor and a noisy fridge.

6/10

Pleasant

06 Jan 2026

Matthew

To describe this place as oceanside is laughable. At best, it's estuary-side, and mostly the mudflats. I paid extra to have an \"ocean\" view, and that simply wasn't the case. We arrived mid afternoon and had to text a number to have someone come to the lobby. The room was fine, although certainly not high end. The people working that we saw, however, were super friendly. The restaurant next door is incredible! So, it's fine, but don't expect high end.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

23 Dec 2025

Julia

No staff on duty unless texted and asked to show up. No help in reaching taxi service, good here conversation in the room next to me and down the hall.No amenities and restaurant closed Sunday night.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

20 Dec 2025

John

Note there is a 2.5% credit card surcharge for booking via Expedia, and reception does not open until 9am so you have no choice to avoid this when leaving. Nice boutique experience but overpriced by 25% at least. No elevator so you have to carry luggage to 1st floor so be ready for stairs. Bar staff in the attached bar/restaurant not particularly friendly or welcoming. Unlikely to recommend or stay here again.

Leisure Friends

4/10

Poor

11 Dec 2025

Rob

Many broken promises: no pool, no gym, no restaurant. A 2 star motel at best

8/10

Excellent

19 Nov 2025

JAMES

A bit dated and shabby. The shower was mouldy the sink cracked and generally poor.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

05 Nov 2025

Barry

The property is beautiful it’s a funny set up lots of live residents and the surrounding gardens are beautiful and rooms are comfortable. Room service is pretty average to say the least. Had to,ask for coffee on 2 occasions and beds were not made up. Birds crapped all over the car so asked for a hose to wash it off. Manager didn’t know what a hose was until I explained it to him then couldn’t help me. Gardens in the residential area are stunning.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

26 Oct 2025

Steve

Not again

Checking experience wasn’t the best - took ages due to language barrier - size of room was tiny for the cost

Business

8/10

Excellent

23 Oct 2025

TONY

Room was great but they close at 5pm so you can’t ask anybody for anything also the restaurant and bar was closed on the Monday night

Business

10/10

Exceptional

14 Oct 2025

Kayla

Lovely place to stay. Always love coming here

Business

10/10

Exceptional

28 Sep 2025

Christopher

Good sized comfortable rooms, with plenty of parking. Handy to the airport. The adjoining restaurant is excellent with indoor and outdoor dining areas.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

31 Jul 2025

Kathleen

If you like a Tuscan vibe, this is the place for you. Great sea front location. I think we hit this hotel in off season and it was super quiet. Situated in a small, residential townhouse community - not sure what amenities are available.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

30 Jul 2025

Michelle

The property is unique and the design very special, Loved the old English brick architecture and the outlook to Monaco estuary is just beautiful. The decoration of the ensuite bathroom was beautifully done.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

09 Jun 2025

Sue

The property is very nice and great views over the bay. Staff are friendly but do not have any ability to make decisions when a problem is encountered. We had booked, and had confirmed by the property, a room for someone who was totally requiring disability access facilities - and the property emailed and told this was the case but on arrival the room being shown was not fit for someone in a wheelchair. There was no shower rails, no seat and the room was too small to allow anyone in a wheelchair to navigate around the room. This was sorted after several phone calls with the offsite Manager and a shower chair bought in and bigger room offered. Unfortunately that was not the end of it as after check in we received a phone call advising the charges would now be higher. This was frustrating as we had double checked the disability room needs via email prior to arrival and the property had confirmed they could accommodate my mothers needs. I had checked online and knew I could get a fit for purpose room at a lesser rate elsewhere and there was a very tense time while the property reception contacted the offsite management. However, at the end the property did honor the original pricing and apologized for the issues we had encountered. This was a shame as the property is very nice and reception staff friendly- it is near the airport and you do get noise from planes.

Business_and_leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

26 Apr 2025

Sean

Reception was closed when I got there but they had left a key. Very hard to find reception.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

25 Apr 2025

Paul

An older English Tudor styled accommodation. Something that you may love or not so much as the them carries inside too.
The rooms are clean and tidy with a renovated bathroom. Checkin staff are not always onsite, especially later in the evening. A great location if you are going to visit both the city area and Richmond areas as half way between. Maybe not so convenient if you will spend all your time in Nelson city. Great walking around the local area though….

4/10

Poor

22 Apr 2025

Richard

Shower needed a thorough clean, brushing the accumulated dirt out of the tile grout

Needs a top down renovation

Business_and_leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

21 Apr 2025

Janet

Nice hotel, but....

Pros:
Clean room, jacuzzi tub, water view, staff was super proactive about making sure I was handled for late check-in.

Cons:
No elevator, no microwave, mattress was really awful

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

13 Apr 2025

Allan

Very average

8/10

Excellent

20 Mar 2025

Ross

Good location and access to eateries, nice surroundings

6/10

Pleasant

18 Mar 2025

K

Not the best.

Location is difficult and the hotel needs an update. The faux medieval decor is dated and the cobwebs in the bathroom show the need for a good clean. Not very good value for money.

Partner

4/10

Poor

16 Mar 2025

Suzanne

Reception isnt manned after 6 so no support after this time and if you misplace your key 50 dollar call out fee as no one is on site. Good air conditioned room, had the king size, although small enough to move about. Good sized fridge in room. Main issue was the bed was incredibly uncomfortable, 2 single poor quality or old mattresses zipped together. We both had back pain the next day and neither of us suffer from this normally. Also if you are in the hotel you cant access the patio at 6ue front to sut out in the evening after 6 pm so on a nice night no where to go. No restaurant or bar in hotel either. Very disappointed.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Mar 2025

Bradd

Good stay

10/10

Exceptional

27 Feb 2025

Richard

The setting is great.
Quiet location.
Quaint buildings.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Feb 2025

Christine

Beautiful property, staff were lovely

8/10

Excellent

15 Feb 2025

Douglas

Underwhelmed

Expected swimming pool and gym but not allowed for Hotel guests
Hotel staff friendly and helpful

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

12 Feb 2025

Dion

All good

4/10

Poor

11 Feb 2025

Sue

On arrival about 7pm, we had to search for a receptionist. He took us to our room, opened the door, answered our questions about meals and left. We went straight to the restaurant. On return our door key did not work. Various guests helped by ringing but help did not arrive for half an hour. All very unsatisfactory.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

10 Feb 2025

tania

Bed was very uncomfortable and trouble with shower draining. Otherwise good.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jan 2025

Jenny

Great place

8/10

Excellent

15 Jan 2025

Leslie

Nice cozy hotel. Clean and quiet

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

11 Jan 2025

Alan

The smallest room I think I have ever stayed in - had to leave some luggage in the car as there wasn't enough floorspace. Storage consisted of two coat hangers on the back of the door.

2/10

Poor

02 Jan 2025

Raj

I think the reviews on this property are fraudulent. For the amount of money we paid for each room my goodness this was the worst experience in all of New Zealand. Rooms are tiny , old , tons of bugs. No dining onsite or in walking distance they had one restaurant brick kitchen but they seem to be always booked full. We lost a key had to pay $50 for replacement. Can you believe that a hotel charging money for a key ? No attendant after 5 PM. I regret staying here with my family. I’m surprised people rate anything in this hotel well. May be there are cottages that’s are better inside. Terrrible terrible terrible. Never stay here.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jan 2025

Phillip

Just an enjoyable stay

4/10

Poor

28 Dec 2024

Marilyn

Don’t be fooled by the allure and charm of the outside…. They are very short staffed, and do not have anyone available after 7 pm. While we did receive detailed instructions for check in, we were not expecting a tiny room so small that one of us had to put our suitcase in the shower (and the other didn’t bother bringing it in at all). Our room was barely 100 square feet, if that. Harry Potter had more room in his cupboard under the stairs. There was hardly any space for toiletry bags in the bathroom, and because there was no outlet to plug the hot water kettle in other than in the bathroom, that meant for even less space. This room would have been fine for one person, but absolutely ridiculous to put two people who have been traveling on the road all day in such a small dwelling space.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

08 Dec 2024

Peter

Nice rooms. Clean. Easy parking. No other facilities to review.

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

02 Dec 2024

John

Would never stay again. Over priced and noisey. Paid for a premium room got put in what appear to be what seemed like a spare room for after thoughts.
Save yourself the hassle and just don't book here

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

19 Nov 2024

Sarah

Beautifully designed complex including surrounding buildings, a real new but old character look, similar to Coronation Street.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

23 Aug 2024

Cheryl

Beautiful view, gorgeous rooms, quiet and very friendly staff.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jul 2024

Ian

Shirt. Comfortable

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jun 2024

Andrea

Lovely staff, beautiful location

Thank you :-) really appreciated your kindness during check-in , love the hotels style and beautiful wooden features

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Apr 2024

Sue

Beautiful hotel, great facilities and location
Staff amazing

Restaurants within walking distance.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Apr 2024

Ned

Other than the room is small and we never meet the host, all else are very well, elegently built and decorated, the backyard with the pond is exquisite! We really enjoyed it.

8/10

Excellent

09 Apr 2024

Arna

Enjoyed our short stay

8/10

Excellent

09 Apr 2024

Paul

Was a very nice overnight stay
Would recommend

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

04 Apr 2024

Juan

The room was clean and comfortable, just older style. Bathroom was more modern which was nice. The reception area has limited hours but we were able to get our key when we arrived late in the evening. There is a wonderful restaurant next door

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Apr 2024

Glynnis

It was attractive and the staff were great

8/10

Excellent

21 Mar 2024

Carol

Our room was on the top 2nd floor & only accessible by stairs. It wasn't a concern for us, but might be for some. We had a room with a view over the lake which was great.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

17 Mar 2024

Shelley and Craig

We stayed for nearly a week and did not once see anyone at reception, even at 9am in the morning when we checked out.
Bed was extremely uncomfortable, with springs digging into you.
The room was clean, tidy. The window looked out into a stunning courtyard with a beautiful sitting area but you had to leave the room and walk around the building to sit in the yard.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

11 Mar 2024

Julie

Was a different experience
Nice though

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

10 Mar 2024

Steve

No service at charming hotel

We checked in at 7 PM and out at 8AM and never met anyone. So there was not service. It also adveritesed laundry and that is why we booked. However no laundry. There was no access to the lounge area.

This is a very charming property next to a nice restaurant. You could do a lot better if you provided some service.

You should also mention it is very difficult to carry luggage up steep stairs.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

27 Feb 2024

Celia

Small room for the price but not many other choices in Nelson. Seems to book out quickly and last minute bookings not ideal.
Nice facilities however, friendly staff.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

17 Feb 2024

Dianne

Relatively easy to find and a quick drive into the city. Ability to have perculated coffee was an extra bonus. Clean & suited the needs for a one night stay.

Leisure

6/10

Pleasant

14 Feb 2024

Steen

Staff are not available after 5 pm. Lounge in the picture is now used as reception and locked after 5 pm, blocking access to garden and pond area. No laundry, no concierge or room service as advertised sRooms small but OK, I discovered a small kitchenette, that staff didn't bother to tell us about.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Feb 2024

Grant

Room upgrade was awesome

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

09 Feb 2024

Ron

A lovely setting by the sea.

Has a very nice bathroom.

Bedroom small with no seating other than the bed.

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Feb 2024

colin

Lovely stay for a stopover close to the airport.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jan 2024

Verified traveler

A beautiful Cotswold like hotel that is conveniently located to most places around Nelson! Great sleep and lovely staff!

Partner

4/10

Poor

12 Jan 2024

luke

This is not really a hotel. It is more like a dormatory. No staff on site. We had a fire alarm go off at midnight and we had to make a phone call ourselves.

Leisure Family

2/10

Poor

07 Jan 2024

Verified traveler

My husband and I checked into the hotel for a two-night stay, with check-in on Saturday, 30th December, and check-out on Monday, 1st January. The reservation was for two adults in a single room.

Upon reviewing my credit card transactions, I discovered that I was charged three times during my stay:

30th Dec: $838.00 NZD (Correct)
30th Dec: $498.00 NZD (Incorrect)
1st Jan: $589.00 NZD (Incorrect)

This indicates an overcharge of $498.00 NZD on the 30th Dec transaction and $589.00 NZD on the 1st Jan transaction.

Despite my repeated attempts to rectify this issue, including daily calls and emails to the hotel, the management has been unresponsive. After numerous attempts, I managed to get a reimbursement of $589.00 NZD on 1st January. However, I am still owed $498.00 NZD, and the hotel has since ceased communication.

The lack of cooperation and communication from Grand Arden Monaco Nelson is highly concerning, and I believe this matter warrants a thorough investigation.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

01 Jan 2024

Patricia

There was no staff accessible on property during most of our stay. The daily room cleanings were not thorough and the attention to quality was lacking - especially for the price. The rooms were small and mattress/pillows were not that comfortable. No top sheet on our bed.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

30 Oct 2023

Peter Franz

One night stay

Friends_and_family Friends

6/10

Pleasant

28 Jul 2023

Kevin

Was not informed of the facility’s on offer
The fridge was on the carpet as if trying to cover a stain
There was makeup stains on the sheets
There was hair on the bed as if someone had cut their hair

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jul 2023

Brett

Friendly, Welcoming, Top notch

Great stay. Hotel got us best room for the rate and were so obliging.

Business

6/10

Pleasant

14 Jul 2023

Kane

Beautiful grounds and facilities great location. Place could do with a good clean. Also shower was cold

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jul 2023

Cameron

Great place, lots of personality, would definitely stay again

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jun 2023

Verified traveler

Awsome place... very vintage & classy

10/10

Exceptional

11 Jun 2023

Michelle

I highly recommend anyone to stay at the Grand Arden Monaco Resort when in Nelson. Our stay of 2 nights in Room 8 Seaview King was excellent and clean with daily room service. Our host Vanessa who checked us in was very welcoming, friendly and helpful with local knowledge & suggestions for places to eat, shop and visit in and around Nelson. The on-site Brick Eatery Restaurant & Bar was also an outstanding venue to have dinner with fantastic food and service from the staff who welcomed and served us. We will definitely return to this venue when visiting Nelson again!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Apr 2023

Renae

Fantastic I would stay again!

Great place to sta! It has everything you could need for a couples night although one side of the mattress was a bit worn/ springs so an update on bed could improve overal comfort.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Mar 2023

Sharon

Not cheap and cold showers

Being Seniors we asked for low floors got put upstairs without a lift. So my husnadvhad to carry all suitcases up stairs wirh a bad shoulder. Had 2 rooms both had cold water showers.

Friends_and_family Friends

4/10

Poor

14 Mar 2023

Kimberly

I really wanted to like this place as it looked beautiful on arrival and our room looked great at check in with a private patio looking out onto the bay. However, bathroom had no shelving at all and sink too shallow to fill a water bottle. Closest was tiny and shared its space with the refrigerator and coffee service. Tried to do laundry but no change machine and food vending machine would not accept bills so no change and no place on property to get change and no stores close by to get change. Restaurant on property was closed from Sunday afternoon until Wednesday at 5:00, so was closed whole time during our stay. Restaurant across the street was good. Very limited staff on property. I loved Nelson but can’t recommend staying at the Grand Arden Monaco.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

06 Mar 2023

Kevin

Great location, nice decor, lovely restaurant next door.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

11 Feb 2023

Neil

Elsehere Next Time

A very average motel. Sadly lacking in service and maintenance.
Very small and lacking - not even a shelf in shower for shampoo etc
will stay elsewhere next visit to Nelson region

Business Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Feb 2023

Peter

It was located quite a distance from downtown. Restaurant was closed Monday and Tuesday which were the 2 days we were there.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

19 Jan 2023

David

Not sure what its trying to be, didnt feel like a hotel, or motel. The hotel the lounge in your picture is no longer there, and we had to walk out of the building and onto the access road to get to the sitting
area.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

04 Jan 2023

Trish

Thought it was very expensive for what we received. No coffee. No facecloths Ultra noisy fridge

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

03 Jan 2023

Shania

Lovely pool and buildings. Our room was not available when we tried yo check in at before 3pm. Check in is from 2pm. The restaurant and bar on site was closed.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

26 Nov 2022

Russ

The so called \"King\" room was ok if you were a small single person who only had a equally small ruck-sack who didn't have any clothes to hang up and didn't mind putting your clothes on the floor due to lack of chair/table... I could go on but suffice to say it has gone downhill and the accommodation is looking tired. Pity... we really liked the place. We will be looking elsewhere for better value and better accommodation for our $249.

Business Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Sep 2022

Maha

Was easy to check in and out. We didnt spend much time in the accommodation as we were mostly on the go visiting tourist locations but room however would be nice to have some cutlery available in the room for early morning and night snacks :-)

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

14 Aug 2022

Lawrence

Was a nice hotel in a very pretty area. A good stay than you.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

21 May 2022

Kathleen

No hot water either in the evening or the Morning. When she said I had the smallest room but I was totally surprised how small it was, I came away with several bruises n my knees moving from one side of bed to the other.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

14 May 2022

Nga

The feature is nice

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jan 2022

Steven

Great looking hotel and nice pool

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

11 Jan 2022

Tony

We liked the look and feel of the place. We were not told in advance or when we arrived that the eatery was closed for 3 days.
There was no-one at reception the people waiting in front of us had to use their own phone to get someone to attend us.
When the staff did arrive they were friendly and helpful.

Leisure

6/10

Pleasant

09 Jan 2022

Emily

On arrival we were warned of the small size of the room, it really was tiny. We ended up being moved to another room as there was a big leak from the heat pump in our original room. The new room was great. Just beware when booking the room may be extremely small.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jan 2022

John

Lovely setting and atmosphere.

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

30 Dec 2021

Brian

Great room, poorly organised Reception.

The room (room 11) was great. It looked like it had recently been totally renovated. It was very clean and well organised to maximise the space available. The shower was excellent with lots of pressure. The bed was comfortable. I don't like soft beds - this was just the right amount of hardness.
The check-in did not go well. The reservation correspondence, and website, said that Reception would be open till 8pm. I had tried to phone earlier to confirm this but no one answered even though it was mid-day. A recording said to leave a message and someone would phone me back, however I was unable to leave a message because the memory was full. I turned up at 7pm to discover Reception now closes at 6.30 - luckily there was a number to phone. I tried this several times but no-one answered. Eventually someone did phone back and directed me to where the room keys were being stored. This was mid-week and judging by the cars the place was busy. Either have someone on Reception till 8pm as stated in the website, or update the website. And please clear some room so phone messages can be left.
All was forgiven when I saw the nice room!

Partner

2/10

Poor

28 Dec 2021

Mia

The worst place we have ever stayed. No amenities and no warning this would be the case. Booking supposedly included airport shuttle. Not available. Supposedly had restaurant. Had to cab to town
Carpet wet. Room smelt. Appalling.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Nov 2021

David

Preferred In Nelson

The best ambience of any establishment in the region.

Business

8/10

Excellent

17 Nov 2021

Theresa

The complex was very attractive and quaint. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The room wasn't as spacious as I thought it would be from the photos, and it was a lot noisier than we were expecting. The fridge in the room was very loud as it turned on and off all night, and the door to the bathroom had to be slammed to close which made for a disturbed sleep. Its also on the flight path, there were not many planes that landed, but it was noisy when they did. The bed was firmer than we like, but the pillows were lovely and soft. The room had everything you would need for your stay, but it did feel more basic than we were expecting, but it was nice enough. It was difficult to return the keycard on checkout as reception didn't open until 8, and there was no guidance on where to leave the card as everything was locked up. It would be useful to have an after hours box or slot.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

08 Nov 2021

IAN

Great setting close to pub.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

06 Mar 2020

Verified traveler

The ambience and also the close proximity to the airport etc.