Name: On the Beach Backpackers
Address: 46 Buffalo Beach Road, Whitianga, Whitianga, Whitianga, 3510, New Zealand
Rating: 8

Smoke-free property

Heating

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

General

Non-smoking rooms

Rooms

Laundry

Safe-deposit box

Services and amenities

Common kitchen

Meals

Internet access

Internet

Bike rental

Barbecue grill(s)

Ping-Pong

Recreation

Parking

Fax and copy machine

Business

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hotel

Buffalo Beach

Whitianga Beach

On the Beach Backpackers

Whitianga

I booked on behalf of family and friends in the middle of last year for a December 2019 stay.  We receive a booking cancellation due to the change of ownership/management in Sept. I contacted Sue, the previous owner/manager, to explain that we were coming from Wellington and our flights and other arrangements have been booked by then. We couldn't just cancel the trip and to look for another accommodation by that time would have been very difficult. She introduced us to Yvette, the new owner/manager who kept our booking (new name:  46onBuffalo).   When we got there, Yvette welcomed us warmly.  We stayed in the dorm rooms upstairs and had exclusive use of the upstairs kitchen, lounge and toilets. Lots of nice perks too - free use of the kayaks, spades and bucket ready for the hot water beach and yeah, that wonderful view of the beach across the road. (Wi-fi was a bit sketchy though.) 
Yvette was an accommodating and lovely hostess!  Dave was great too.

great view, good value for money, friendly hosts

I had a booking via an intermediary booking site for a popular date (summer concert series) in January 2020. The booking, for a double room, was placed several months ago in May.

I received an email from the intermediary last night to the effect that the venue could no longer host me and my booking was therefore cancelled. I checked online and found the venue is fully booked on my date - what's up!? I telephoned the venue's landline at 7.54 pm. Confirmed that I was speaking with the venue. "Yes but you've phoned after hours". (Hardly late in the evening - and someone chose to answer). I explained that I had just received an email indicating that my booking in January had been cancelled without explanation, and was wondering why... "click" went the receiver.

Draw your own conclusions from this simple factual chronology, but don't assume a booking made and confirmed months in advance is safe, or that you'll be given the courtesy of an explanation if your booking is arbitrarily cancelled. Never again.

Booking cancelled without explanation.

Stayed here the past 2 days with my partner in one of the private rooms with ensuite. Excellent value for price, right by the beach with stunning sunrises in the communal kitchen/ lounge window. The room was awesome, Clean and modern. Sally and Sue are Superstars ;) and sure to make your stay in whitianga a blast! Anytime again!! 

Excellent stay

This place is very nice and cosy. Very close to the beach, free movies to watch, a cat, and so on. We enjoyed our short stay here and hope to come back soon. Sue at the reception was very kind and attentive.
Thnks again, ciaooo

SweetAs

We started with our left foot as we arrived late with the reception locked and we didn't know where to go. We entered the property of the owner and was received kindly not much less but quite the opposite. The other day everything changed and it was super nice and attentive. The private room my good although small but has the private bathroom shared with another that was empty. Everything for us! In addition, it is in the reception area where there are only two rooms so quiet. Very good kitchen and improved towels even provide excellent detail for the floor when leaving the shower.

Incredible location and location.

located just on front of the beach, near some super market and restaurant it s a perfect place to rest and enjoy the city and around, hot water beach, 30 mins by car.
the manager is so charming and helpful
i booked a single room, tiny but it was perfect
kitchen has all what i needed.
good spot and safe

comfortable and pleasant

It has everything! it doesn't need anything fixed. it's well located, facing the sea, spacious rooms! and bright, various kitchens! oh, if there's anything that's not good, the wifi just grabs it near the reception... that's a lead. organized, very impeccable Volvería.

impeccable, correct, and beautiful.

Nice hostel. Booked a couple of nights in the mixed dorm room. Overall, it is a nice hostel. Nice kitchen and lounge facilities, along with the rooms. The dorm room had around 12 beds in it and the first night the room was pretty much full, and the second night there were only a couple of us in there. The staff were very nice and helpful if I needed anything. Good place to stop and stay a couple nights. Location is nice, right across from the beach and a nice 10-15 minute walk to the main part of town. Only issue is the wifi. Yes the wifi is free, but every 1GB you need to go get a new voucher code and the wifi doesn't work in the rooms, only the common areas.

Nice

Excellent location: a minute walk from the beach and the pedestrian path along the beach. Our apartment was spacious and clean. Large and extra-comfortable bed. Well-organized cooking corner. Good wifi.

Convenient in the centre and on the beach

If you're going to a Whitianga, don't hesitate to stay here. It's located opposite the beach, about the city access. What I liked most is that it's divided into apartments, which makes the stay more cozy and allows you to really interact with the rest of the guests. The hostel offers kayak and bicycle rental, has free wifi, TV, movies, laundry (paid) and parking. It's located about 10 minutes' walk from the center. The Intercity bus stops at the door, and every day at 7:30 p.m. passes again, so we're super comfortable for those who travel without car.

On the Beach Backpackers

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