We got one of the larger rooms available and were quite happy with it, the only real lacking thing for me was the tv channels and lack of sky tv (Only can watch 1 channel).

Spa is really really nice, is covered and protects you from the elements which suprisingly enougth is quite uncommon as most motels I noticed in the area had spas in open non private areas.

Having a heated pool is nice but as we stayed during the colder months the spa was preffered still.

Service as mentioned in the title was great, as off season there were only a couple of people other than us at the motel and they made us feel right at home, breakfast was great (not that im a fussy eater) as well as good food, the owners brought us over our breakfast the night before for our early morning starts, sure put a smile on our dials.

On a note I read above about pub noise, I would have to agree, we had an all blacks game on during our stay and you could hear the people drinking and shouting but to be honest I think any motel in the area would be the same (unless some form of sound proofing i guess)

The motel is not super flashy in todays age but has everything we wanted, flat screen lcd tv and a spa bath with a nice little kitchen however after reading some over comments maybe the smaller cheaper rooms may not be as ideal.

Great walk to the town centre, matter of minutes..easy to find.

Having tennis available for free is a neat perk too, not that I tryed it but would of liked too & the free wifi internet seems to work well, you get 50 free megabytes and than you pay for more after.

All in all, a great place to stay.

We had booked into a studio room which was advertised as having a kitchenette. It did not as far as I am concerned. There was a tiny area at the back of this tiny room that had a snmall fridge under the small bench top and 2 shelves above. To make a coffee we had to get waer from the bathroom basin (which opened right beside this tiny bench area- yuk!) and then we were expected to do the dishes in the bathroom basin. Double yuk. This is not what I would call a kitchenette. We spent one claustrophobic night in this room then upgraded (at a cost) to a larger unit.
This one had a proper kitchen area and you could atleast "swing a cat". This was a nice tidily decorated room.
Staff were willing to accommodate our need to move rooms - very fortunate considering the busy time of year.
The pool area was nice. A bit run down in this area but well maintained.
Location is great. Just a quick walk (50 metres at most) to the main street and beach. Close to some eateries and shops.
Good parking outside the unit. I would recommend to the budget minded traveller as a clean and tidy place to stay in the generally expensive Paihia area.

Having researched many of Paihia's motels to find a regular stopover point I've been using the Edelweiss for about 3 months. When one considers the prices demanded by some of Paihia's motels the Edelweiss presents great value for money.

I've found the rooms to be spotless every time I've stayed with about eveything you could need for a short stay, including a well equipped kitchenette. At the end of a long day on the road the swimming pool has been an absolute boon and has proven a great a great place to unwind.

Trish and Jim are great hosts and their friendly service and warm welcome always enhances my stays with them.

I'd highly recommend the Edelweiss to anyone looking for a comfortable, inexpensive bases for a day or two in the Bay of Islands.

We booked through lastminute.com a good 2 months ahead for a double room . When we arrived we were told sorry you have single beds and some excuse for the price we paid on the booking which was $120 a night! Not that cheap really. The room smelt of those toilet tablets they use in schools although it was clean but very small! We were also told that for the next night we would have to move to another room. It was slightly larger but a pain to have to pack up again- we were not at all happy. The good point was the location makes it is very accessible to the township