This was our second stay at the Copthorne. We honestly think has one of the nicest views in the country and the Hokianga so peaceful.
We eagerly awaited our second stay. Bookings were very tight over the Christmas-New Year as the hotel is so popular.
We do have a few gripes this time though. We paid $260 a night for a room with a fabulous view in the newer wing of the hotel. This included breakfast for two but could not be considered cheap.
The mattresses in room 35 are well overdue for replacement. They are lumpy and quite uncomfortable.
The choice of channels available on the television are really not sufficient for a hotel in this price range.
The food and beverage, which was a stand out last time, disappointed. Breakfast is only served to 9.30 am which is early for a resort hotel. Sadly, the later you leave it, the less choice you may have. There were no bacon or sausages available by the time we came down for breakfast.
Dinner wasn't much of an improvement. We sat down for dinner on a outdoor table only to be told in a rather perfunctory way that the table was reserved. There was no reserved sign on the table so we weren't to know. Worse we were informed that regardless of being an in-house guest we needed to book, I have travelled extensively throughout NZ and the World and I have never ever struck that before. No attempt was made to accommodate us or even to suggest room service. As an aside, room service is apparently an option but when we phoned reception we were told that we would need to return to the restaurant to make a selection as there were no menus in the room.
We ended up dining at Opononi, some five minutes drive down the road.
We love the site and the rooms (which new matresses and pillows would really improve) but for the price, an investment in staff training is long overdue. Good enough isn't close enough at this price point. More supervision is required along with a 'can do' attitude.