2018 – Part 38 – Hotel Review Ibis Hamilton Tainui
This was physically the shortest stay we had in a hotel during this trip. We checked in after 2am and were back on the road by 11am. So why did we stay here?
why stay here?
As mentioned in an earlier post, our originally planned flight was cancelled and we were placed on the evening flight. As part of the trip planning, this hotel appeared to be reasonable as it was a few hours outside of Auckland and approximately an hour away from the attraction, Hobbiton (or planned activity the following day). I had selected the lowest rates, that are typically non-refundable and cannot be cancelled, to stretch the funds we had to make this trip. Given we do not have a track record, nor desire to change hotels at the last minute saving some money was the preferred route.
However in this situation, it required us to have a 2 hour drive that started after midnight to get to this hotel.
Check-in
Late night access to the hotel is via keycard or buzzer. The front desk was quick to buzz us in. This was where we then realized that the front desk is up one level from the main entrance.
Once upstairs we were quickly checked-in, and reminded that our rate included breakfast that started much sooner than I wanted to admit and would be available until 10am. With keys in hand, instructions on where to park the car, we got ourselves organized. She took the few bags we needed to the room, and I parked the car.
Parking is close-by in the nearby casino. The Ibis is not connected to the Casino but a short walk away. With the car parked for the evening, I returned to the hotel and found the room.
Room
The pictures are from the morning as we were both extremely tired and we wanted to get our sleep. The room isn’t gigantic, however for an Ibis hotel it was their average size.
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Bathroom door & entrance to room
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Desk in front of window
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Fridge, & closet
As we were exhausted the bed was just fine and both of us fell asleep quickly. One area for improvement is having electrical outlets accessible. It might have been our level of cognitive abilities, but it took longer than I wanted to find an outlet so that she could plug in and charge her phone and tablet.
Bathroom
No complaints here. Water pressure was good, temperature was fine.
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Ibis Hamilton Shower
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Ibis Hamilton Bathroom
Breakfast
Breakfast is served on the same level as reception, one up from the main entrance. I made sure to set an alarm so that we would be able to enjoy breakfast that was part of our room rate. As we were the last guests to arrive for breakfast, I had no issues taking a few pictures of the ample spread of options for us:
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Fruits and Yogurts
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Hot breakfast item
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More hot items
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Components for cereal
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Tea and Coffee
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Breads and Spreads
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More bread
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Spread options
I’m not sure how spaghetti is an option for breakfast on a Tuesday morning, but we did enjoy our breakfast. We talked with a few of the staff members as they were working on the balcony that faced the river. The selection for breakfast was more than plenty to get us started for the day and begin our drive to Napier.
Overall, another Accorhotel brand hotel that met our needs, easy to find, clean, with a good breakfast.
Read more about our trip by clicking here.