Waikonini Homestead

Breakfast was good and included in the price. The ambiance was lovely, pleasant gardens and surrounds

Lack of electricity and toilet facilties came as a surprise. Altho did not spoil the visit overmuch, despite the heavy rain

Old property but in good condition

No dislikes

Very friendly staff.

Quiet & peaceful

Pathroom far from where I sleep Stairs is not good with my knees

Lovely traditional homestead in a beautiful setting. Sat outside drinking wine with a nibbles platter looking at flowers and listening to birds on our arrival. Great hostesses Mary and the two valhallas. Mary made us a great dinner and lots of advice for local trips.

Needed to stay longer

My mum and I stayed at Mary’s place in mid-December after our original plans fell through and booked last minute. I selected the twin budget room on booking.com and upon arrival, Mary told us we had booked the summer house, which was located at the end of her garden. While the summer house turned out to be a garden shed, lacking electricity or running water we took things lighly as, after all it was our mistake for not reading the full description. Mary did provide a lantern and told us we could use the facilities in the main house. The night was uncomfortable, with strong winds shaking the trees and the constant noise from a possum climbing on the roof. While the host had warned us about the possum, it was still disturbing, and we struggled to sleep even with earplugs. The bigger issue came after we left. I was charged $115 instead of the $100 I had reserved, and when I reached out to Mary, she took 2 weeks to respond and claimed the charges were correct. I politely reminded her that my reservation was for $100, not $115. It is important to note we didn't dine or used the laundry therefore, the overcharged didn't make sense. I tried to follow up many times but would no received any response. After contacting customer service, I was told the host was now claiming that we had received a free upgrade to a $230 room! This was completely false; I had booked the summer house for $100 and that's where we stayed. I sent photos of the room to customer service to prove it, but Mary continued to insist on a fabricated story of an upgrade. Eventually, Booking.com gave me a $15 credit, but this felt like it was more because of their intervention, not Mary's actions. Reading other reviews, I discovered this wasn’t an isolated incident. Many guests had similar issues with overcharging, and some reported inappropriate and even racist behavior from Mary.