BAD STAYS – Ahipara Beachfront Accommodation

Located at the top of the North Island about five hours north of Auckland is the beautiful seaside village known as Ahipara.

We were brought to this area for a friends wedding which was right next door to the accommodation, the main reason we chose this spot.   Our room cost us $175 for two people which I thought was quite pricey.

If I can just rewind a bit here, we did try to cancel our booking a week prior as cheaper accommodation came up and were told unless he could not fill the room in the next week he would charge us full price, a bit strange as I thought standard fees were within 48 hours notice.  I also noticed in the room  they had an even further 30 day cancellation policy in which they would charge you %25 of the room fee, harsh.

On arrival we were met by the owner who was quick to take our money and also felt the need to keep pointing out if we had someone else stay it would be an extra cost.  The room however was stunning.  Absolute beachfront with doors opening out into the main room and the second bedroom.  Two bathrooms and a functioning kitchenette.  No complaints from me at that stage on the price as I thought it was well worth what I was seeing.

We asked the owner if it was ok if the bride could get ready in our room to which him and his lovely wife said sure no problem.  We spent the afternoon getting our girl ready, a few extra girls popped over, we had some pre drinks and then went to the wedding.  Whilst we were getting ready one of our bathrooms ran out of toilet paper straight away as from what I could see there was only one roll.  We searched high and low in that bathroom for any extras, I wasn’t fussed and thought I’ll just use the other bathroom.

The wedding went off without a hitch and we had a fabulous night next door and thought there would be no issue with our friends that had originally started with us to use our toilet if they needed, that was three extra girls.

Check out time comes and I notice, this man is really not interested in anything I have to say and quite dismissive of me, anytime I spoke he would seemingly switch off and bring his attention back to my friend.

We stop for breakfast on the way out of Ahipara and then receive the call that put a huge buzz-kill on our whole weekend.  The owner said we owed him $40 for a bottle of wine and three beers that were taken and we used six rolls of toilet paper and we need to come back and pay for it.    We immediately went into WHOAH.

Now, after wracking our brains for some time we assumed that sh*t?!  We must have accidently loaded all the hotel alcohol into our chilly bin from the fridge along with our own not thinking and taken it to the wedding.  The three beers however did not make sense as my friend does not drink Steinlager (which comes in a very identifying green bottle) and we could only recall one beer in there.  The man was livid though, so do we dare even argue or question him?

We arrived back to the hotel to what I can only describe as a face like thunder.  He immediately launched into a tirade of us using six rolls of toilet paper and accusing us of using the room as a public toilet.  I said “excuse me there was no toilet paper in my toilet” to which he snapped “yes there was!  Come with me” and marched us into the room like four year old children.

He proceeded to show us where he normally kept the toilet paper to which I argued there most definitely was not.  He was cutting me off at this stage anytime I opened my mouth and I wasn’t allowed to say anything in our defence.  He then proceeded to show us where the other toilet paper was in the other bathroom to which we said “yes,we used that”.

Firstly, is this a joke?  Am I on some hidden camera show because why  are we even standing here answering as to why we used toilet paper for a room  we paid $175 for?

“Was the toilet paper for show?  Were we not allowed to use it?”  I said.  He then proceeded to start going through our empty alcohol bottles trying to point out what was ours and his to which we said “look we accept we may have drunk the provided alcohol”.  He then proceeds to show us his outdoor furniture pillows that had got wet overnight in the rain and now he will have to dry them.

By this stage I am really struggling to keep my cool here and snapped at him “I did not come here for a lecture, we just want to pay the extra money and go”.

By this stage I am in absolute shock that this is even happening, does this man own a hotel in the hospitality and tourism business??  Do you not pay for the toilet paper when you stay somewhere? Since when was it the guests responsibility to ensure outdoor furniture that is situated on the outdoor patio doesn’t get wet?

I have never had an experience where I had to justify why we used toilet paper at a hotel, never been spoken to like a child from a hotelier in such an accusatory manner.  We paid A LOT of money for this room, to which I pointed out however he slapped me back with a response that implied he doesn’t seem to think $175 is a lot of money.

This property is currently up for sale, and I think that is a good idea because this guy has lost his knack and his nerve.  It completely ruined our time up there and left us with an extremely bitter taste in our mouth about Ahipara.  I can only hope that the next owners will exercise their business power with HOSPITALITY in mind otherwise I will never return to this accommodation ever again.

3 days later………..

But wait it gets worse! Since we have left we have found out this man went NEXT DOOR to our friends batch, ripped into her and accused us of stealing his glasses to which we most definitely did not as our friend had individually picked us glasses to use at the wedding, accused my friend who’s wedding it was of using his place as a public toilet,  proceeded to tell her we used six rolls of toilet paper and made her say thank you for letting her get ready at his place.  He then proceeded to take glasses from my friends batch which I would most definitely call theft.  He also told my friend that we trashed the room.  I got up early in the morning to clean this room to the best standard of someone that’s paid $175 for someone else to clean it!  I put all the empty bottles in one area, put dishes on the sink and put towels on the floor in the bathroom as the sign told us to do.  I draw the line at making beds in a hotel.  Thats about as messy as it was.

But how  you even think it is ok to rip into the neighbour, someone who was not staying at your hotel is beyond  me.

I have never in my life paid good money to be made to feel like a theif, a rip off, an inconvenience, a bad person which he has made us both feel.

This guy has completley lost his mind and is an awful horrible grumpy accusatory old man.. I can only put ONE explanation as to why he would carry on like this and I will just put it right out there……..he doesn’t like brown people.