I agree with the last contributor. Our experience here was unacceptable to say the least. Going to arrive late, we phoned and were told the key would be in the door which it was. Letting ourselves in after stepping over a doormat covered in leaves, the Ocean Suite had an airless, fusty smell - clearly no windows had been opened for some time. Cobwebs hung in the corners of the bedroom and someone's used soap was still in the bath. Oh dear! Not the best of starts. We saw no-one at all over the next three days, neither owner nor manager. The room wasn't serviced - we took out our own rubbish and left the key in the door when we departed. There was no wifi let alone it being free and we can honestly say that in the five weeks we spent in NZ this was the worst experience we had. My real irritation with this place was that I had to pay up front before arriving - otherwise we would have left the next day. Such a shame that it happened in the most idyllic place, Russell. Do visit the town - don't stay at Russell Bay Lodge.

We had looked forward to our 4 night stay in the Penthouse Suite at Russell Bay Lodge, expecting a well equiped room with lovely views, wonderful breakfasts and welcoming hosts (Dave and Aom). We were welcomed when we arrived rather later in the evening than we had expected but beyond that our accommodation was a let down. We had access to the outdoor spa, but could never quite relax as access to the laundry was on the same decking and we didn't know when someone else would appear to access it! Breakfast was a bowl of fruit salad, sometimes with an additional banana, plus a packet of muesli, and 1 slice of bread (for toast) with a sachet of butter and honey (nice). We didn't manage to access the internet using free WiFi throughout our stay and whenever we tried to find someone to ask there was noone around to help. BUT despite all this we did enjoy our stay in Russell. There are plenty of excellent restaurants and boat trips. The sunsets are quite spectacular -choose Russell rather than Paihia if you want to see them! PS We never met Dave and Aom!

Russell Bay Lodge was the perfect accommodation for our stay in Bay of Islands. The hosts bent over backwards to help us in every way with suggestions for sightseeing, hiking, restaurants, etc. The self-contained kitchen had the expected equipment yet it was all one step above what we found in other self-contained units, and the breakfast was plentiful although not home cooked. The room (and bed) was super comfy with attention to every detail (including a towel warmer in the bathroom). It was by far the best self-contained accommodation we stayed in during our 5 week NZ Australia trip and not expensive. The only disadvantage (or advantage if you don't plan on leaving Russell) is that you have to take the ferry (a charge each time) to get around outside of Russell.

We chose Russell Bay Lodge as one of the places to stay during our honeymoon in New Zealand. It was definitely one of the best places we stayed at during our trip.

We especially enjoyed having breakfast (a lovely basket that we were handed the earlier evening) sitting at the patio with beautiful views of the bay. The room was immaculate and the kitchen was very well stocked and definitely the best we had during our BnB stays.

The only thing to be careful of in Russell in general is that there isn't much to do - so our 4 nights here did get a little long with us being stuck indoors for 2 days due to the rains.

Having said that, we really enjoyed our stay at Russell and would recommend it to anyone wanting a quiet and peaceful place to stay for a few days. 2-3 nights would be the perfect time to spend at Russell