The Pier Hotel and Restaurant

Location: 1 Avoca Street, Kaikoura, NZ

Star Rating: 3 Stars

Property Type: Hotels

About this Property

Policies

Check-in: 02:00 PM - 09:00 PM

Check-out: 10:00 AM

Amenities & Facilities

• Free breakfast
• Free WiFi
• Continental breakfast
• Conference space
• Free breakfast
• Front desk (limited hours)
• Smoke-free property
• Playground on site
• Free self parking
• Free continental breakfast

Rooms Available

• Deluxe Room, Non Smoking (Deluxe King Ensuite)

  1 King Bed

  Internet - Free WiFi

  Bathroom - Shower, free toiletries, and towels

  Practical - Iron/ironing board (on request)

  Need to Know - No housekeeping

  Non-Smoking

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Free WiFi
  • No housekeeping

Guest Reviews

• Dick (8/5): . - It does what it says on the tin
• Stewart (10/5): - It’s a great location. We enjoyed the morning breakfast, balcony and break out area. The beds were comfy and the room temperature fine.
• John (8/5): - Comfortable bed and room in a quirky hotel. Restaurant meal was excellent. Buffet breakfast was appreciated. Only negatives were the broken slider on the shower and the noisy refrigeration unit outside the bedroom.
• Chris xingshua (10/5): - Great place to stay with. Highly recommend and thank you.😁
• Sergio (8/5): - Old building but with nice views, needs some renovations tho
• Gareth (10/5): - Great sea views. Service an restaurant. "old school" charm.
• Barbara (8/5): - This is a great place for a short stay. As close to the sea as you can get with a balcony to enjoy afternoon views. The restaurant lived up to expectation. The crayfish was fresh and a reasonable cost. The staff were very customer focused and friendly.
• Terence (10/5): - Thanks staff you rock!
• Roger (10/5): New favourite place in Kaikoura - Go with an open mind and enjoy yourself at great value. I was lucky with my room choice and whilst not all rooms get the balcony I believe you can see and hear the sea from all of them. Bed was comfortable and room spacious. Shared facilities yes but the shower was amazing and everything spotless. Breakfast is self-serving from a private lounge and an unlimited stocked cereal bar, with yoghurts and toast. The restaurant is busy but it is all over and closed by 10pm so no noise at night except the sea. Exceptional value and nice staff. Because the restaurant is so busy I would suggest you reserve a spot with your hotel reservation at least for the first night (Kaikoura is struggling with eateries at the moment).
• Tony (8/5): - Great pub. Very nice rooms
• Peter (8/5): - Didn't like that I didn't have my own bathroom.
• Miles (10/5): - Historic hotel in beautiful setting. Close to interesting walks. Superb restaurant and bar. Excellent prices.
• Angela (10/5): - Outstanding wee pub, everything you need for a comfortable nights stay. Recommend the restaurant - amazing food but be sure to call and book a table before you stay as it is super popular.
• Alan (4/5): - We didn't stay in the end. The room and ensuite were very dated, no tv, uneven floor. Stairs not vacummed. Staff lovely and the meal delicious. In the breakfast room where you help yourself, they were well stocked with gf options as well.
• Ellen (10/5): - friendly service and relaxed atmosphere.
• Verified traveler (10/5): - All good
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Fantadtic location, quiet, great views, great food, helpful staff, no complaints!
• Verified traveler (10/5): - Character hotel, brilliant staff and management, excellent restaurant
• Verified traveler (10/5): - The style the staff the food the shared amenities the location
• CHARLES (8/5): Nice hotel with a great restaurant - Good room with a modern en suite. This is a well converted older hotel with charm and good facilities. The breakfast room is small with simple but adequate cereals and there is a balcony where you can sit, look out over the bay and watch the world go by. The dining room is the crown however, with excellent food and this means you don't have to go into town for dinner. It is necessary to book as it is very popular, but despite it being full when we arrived, the receptionist said she "will make sure we can eat there." Kaikoura town is a reasonably long but very enjoyable walk along the sea front, but only a short car ride and there are interesting walks around the point.
• Adrienne (10/5): - Friendly staff easily accessible and clean. Just loved the crayfish.
• Suahm (10/5): - Beautiful area and service.
• Lynda (10/5): Highly recommended - The Pier Hotel does not proclaim to be a 5 star hotel. However, it offers inexpensive, friendly and very good value for money. I would definitely stay again. The breakfast was a nice addition. Beds were comfortable, the place was clean, a lovely old building.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - It was quirky & old faahioned. Did not like breakfast options & wifi could not cope qith streaming.
• deborah (10/5): Rustic on the peninsular - Lovely old place. Beautiful outlook. Right on the edge of the peninsular. Great access to the beach. Utilised the restaurant which served great food, reasonably priced. Friendly staff.
• Gail (10/5): - Absolutely fantastic , the staff work so hard and nothing is to much trouble and always smiling Will definitely be back
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Meals are always good. While decor is dated the mattress on the bed was top quality and very comfortable. Ensuite was clean. Good value for price in kaikoura.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - A lovely old pub with lots of character, hard to find these days!
• Dianne (8/5): Great spot - It was good
• Verified traveler (2/5): - The greeting we received was poor and it was an indicator of how the rest of the stay would pan out . At $143.00 per ight for their best room it was extremely excessive . Anywhere else in NZ this poor quality of ammenities is $75 a night . We should have walked out after the greeting but hoped it would improve . The upstairs tv , furniture/fittings are a joke . Our ensuite smelt and the toilet and shower were more than ancient . Luckily we did not use the shared facilities . We have stayed at hotels from 2 to 5 star around the world and this was bar far the most overpriced underperforming accomodation we have stayed at in over 40 years of commercial travel . We had a meal and the Seafood ? Chowder was warm , had it replaced and advised when paying that the service at table was sub standard . No concern shown by the Manager ?? . We have eaten here many times pre earthquake and and thought maybe ownership had changed but were advised this was not the case . Our questions are , Why is this low level of untrained ,uncaring staff working in this operation , why is the accomodation so expensive when the state of rooms/ammenities so pathetic ? . Other guests were unhappy when we talked about it . Having managed and still owning our own businesses we could offer plenty of constructive advice . IT WAS A NIGHT OF LOW QUALITY ACCOMMODATION and service WHICH I UNFORTUNATELY PAID 214 HARD EARNED DOLLARS FOR , BUT NEVER AGAIN WILL I GO ANYWHERE NEAR THIS GROSSLY OVERPRICED DUMP .
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Great location. Friendly service and people. Good restaurant. Historical feel.
• Verified traveler (10/5): - Great traditional pub feeling, clean and comfortable. Amazing restaurant
• Zahra (4/5): - very basic. Don’t recommend for more than one night
• Jeff (10/5): - This is a vintage historic hotel, so it is "quirky", but nice. Dont expect modern. Hotel restaurant is local "in" spot and you need reservations for dinner but well worth it. Outside eating areas have great views of the bay and coastline. Rooms are small but there is a community lounge with breakfast, with vintage furnishings. Upper balconies are nice to end the day on with a drink.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Staff were great, service awesome, food good and price was good
• Verified traveler (10/5): - Fabulous food Wonderful views Good rooms, comfortable bed Nice people We really enjoyed our stay
• James (6/5): Beware Room 5 - no bigger than low bed, no chair - The rooms in this hotel are each different. I was in Room #5 which had was barely inches bigger than the Queen-sized bed, leaving barely enough room to walk the bed. There is no chair, table, or desk, the bed being the only place one can sit. The bed is VERY low and rather soft, making it very hard to get out of. The toilet(s) associated with this room are down the hall, which is OK, but the space is barely big enough to get into through the door. Other rooms seem bigger The hotel does have history and character, and also has a very good restaurant on the ground floor.
• Verified traveler (10/5): - Lovely heritage hotel with friendly, helpful staff. Not modern and up to date, but that was part of the charm.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Victorian property with original features. Good position, outstanding restaurant. Rooms need refurbishment.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Dinner was lovely, the rooms were adequate. Should have read the small print re no en-suite.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - The rooms were very basic but the food was excellent.Reservations were needed to get a table both at lunchtime and dinner.This shows how popular it is.
• Verified traveler (10/5): - The staff, food and location are the best things about the Pier Hotel. It rocks :o)
• Verified traveler (4/5): - Run down hotel facilities, with poor breakfast (no milk, water, yogurt, etc)!
• Verified traveler (6/5): - The room was nice and clean and had everything we needed minus a fan. Breakfast was also good. The only major negative was that we booked a room a couple of weeks in advance only to arrive just prior to 2200 with no workers or keys to our room available. Fortunately there was a friendly guest who pointed us in the direction of an unoccupied open room where we ended up staying since we could not reach an employee on any of the numbers provided. So if you have issues while here good luck finding someone to help. We never got a key or wireless access prior to checking out. But hotel was nice.
• Tracey (8/5): - Funky old hotel. Good for the price. Friendly staff. Beautiful views.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - The restaurant service and food was excellent. The accommodation was what we expected for an older Hotel, even if you have to share a bathroom. Chatting with staff and new guests was a lot of fun.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Great location, excellent meals.Will be visiting again.
• MELtheCanuck (10/5): - This is a 3 star boutique hotel with near 2 centuries of history. The room s have excellent quality beds and linens, wonderful views of water and coast. There is a wonderful upper floor front patio to sit, view and visit with others. The common area has a great continental breakfast, TV site and couch area. But do keep in mind this is an "old building" with the focus on this establishment being its amazing restaurant below which quiets down nicely by 10 in the evening Do make sure to book ahead or upon arrival for dinner as they can fill up. For our room we booked early about 6 months out and got the only room with en-suite toilet and shower. The other rooms have excellent access to several shower rooms and toilet rooms. A wonderful site on the Kaikoura Peninsula off the beaten path. Make sure to take a walk around the bay to the Fyffe House and if energetic out to the sea lions!
• Verified traveler (2/5): - Rooms need major updateing. Toilet way to small. Veiw to die for but that was it. Breakfast would have been alot better if the stall replaces cutlery, mugs etc . Overall just really shabby. Really need to smarten up the whole place . Overpriced as well. Would not recommend
• Verified traveler (2/5): - Hotel STANK. FILTHY carpert covered in stains in room and communal areas. Breakfast room dirty and smellt. Greasy sinle table.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Good old hotel, very good staff, need to inform guests that they need to book for dinner
• Margaret (8/5): - We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Kaikoura arriving on the Coastal Pacific Railway, spent the day biking and walking. Loved the Pier hotel and the view from our king balcony room of the harbour and ranges was magic. Dinner was incredibly good. The hotel is not glamorous but down to earth rustic and charming; we would stay again in a heart beat.
• Stephen (6/5): Fantastic location could be so much better - This hotel has such potential, if they put the effort into the accommodation that they seem to in the restaurant they would have a 4 star facility. We arrived for a 2 night stay & the restaurant was fully booked up - it is clearly one of the most popular in town, it sounded great & we were looking forward to staying above where we could eat & drink, we knew it was a fair distance out of town at the end of the pier. They should have contacted people staying to ask if they would like a restaurant reservation, small guesture that would have gone a long way. They advertise as being a classic building & as such the decor etc reflects this but they are not shabby chic just shabby. The breakfast is so basic & cheap, jam & peanut butter in value size jars, instant sachet coffee & a selection of cereal help yourself in a communal lounge area- not brilliant, why don’t they offer breakfast downstairs in the restaurant? With fresh coffee it would make all the difference. Room is not serviced daily - we only stayed 2 nights but was not touched - we weren’t expecting this. The place is in a fantastic location with a wonderful wraparound balcony overlooking the bay, absolutely gorgeous for this reason the place salvaged itself in our minds.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Lovely old lady right on the Point with views of the coast over to Kaikoura and the mountains. We understood the room would be basic and it was, but the bed was comfy, the shower was fantastic, and everything worked so all the important areas were covered. The only cons in the room (Room 6) were the cobwebs and stained carpet. The breakfast was included in the tariff and was a good continental buffet. The Guest Lounge/Breakfast room needs a good clean as it was dusty and the sideboard had a sticky top from people making hot drinks. The main reason for staying here is the Restaurant. Fabulous food, very well prepared. My partner loves a good steak and wasn't disappointed. "The chef sure knows how to deal to a steak" was his comment. That it's booked out every night of the week is testament to how good it is. Be sure to book when you check in as people were turned away both nights we ate there.
• Kerry (8/5): - Great old pub on the point. Bit noisy with the rooms being above the bar/restaurant. Continental breakfast setup is terrific with ample self serve options. Missed a TV in the room.
• Bec (10/5): - Our stay here was excellent. The rooms look a little worn down but they are very comfortable and surprisingly quiet. They also come with a view you will never grow tired of and you can often see seals coming in to shore from the balcony. The staff were all fantastic and made Kaikoura a great experience.
• DON (10/5): Nostalgic hotel by the Sea - Upon arrival we were greeted with nice smiles and prompt accommodations The woman that checked us in , took us up to the room and made sure we were knowledgeable of the entire facility for our stay. We could not have been more comfortable
• Beth (10/5): Great old hotel. - Very clean and comfortable. Staff were great and meal was excellent
• Verified traveler (8/5): - Wonderful location. Restaurant was great. Accommodation tired, blown light bulbs, no electric blankets on the beds so thankful it wasn't a cold night. Value for money with self serve breakfast included.
• Verified traveler (4/5): lovely meal at night - breakfast was a disaster as milk was off and not able to assess staff for replacement .
• Jalex (10/5): Great atmosphere - Great old hotel with great staff and food. We had a lovely time and woke up to a beautiful view of the ocean
• Verified traveler (8/5): Old but nice hotel - Close the beach and Point Kean where the seal colony is. Comfortable bed. The restaurant downstair made it very convenient for our stay. Our room had a very lovely view of the beach. Above all, the staff were kind, helpful, and friendly.
• Sally (10/5): Unique accommodation with great restaurant! - Very easy to check in & was shown around the place by a lovely, friendly member of staff. The room was cold at first but soon warmed up once the heater had been on for a while. The bed was comfortable with plenty of pillows. The room & separate bathroom were both clean & tidy. Plenty of towels. We ate dinner in the pub & all of the food was delicious & beautifully presented. We had a car so not sure as regards to convenience of the pub. Staff gave us direction to the seal colony. We could only get a wi-fi reception in the bar but it was nice to be "in the moment" instead of attached to our phones.
• Verified traveler (8/5): - The Pier is a quaint old hotel with fantastic staff & food.
• Joanne (8/5): A taste of Kaikoura - Although a bit rustic, the hotel had friendly and helpful staff, great restaurant food including veggie and vegan options, powerful showers and comfy beds and fantastic views which you can enjoy from the balcony.
• Verified traveler (10/5): The Man named Mark - Mark was our site contact and he was the man!! View was fantastic!
• Sarah (8/5): Old classic hotel on the seafront - Old fashioned rooms, shared bathrooms and toilets. No noise from restaurant below. Help yourself to breakfast left in a room. Great location away from middle of town, on waterfront, and 10 min walk to seal colony.
• Karen (8/5): Basic but clean accommodation with a lovely view - We stayed for a couple of nights and was pleasantly suprised. It was nicer than the photos suggested and in a great location with a lovely view. The room was comfortable and clean. The facilities eg toilet and bathroom are shared but were adequate. The restaurant/ bar served good food, with an outlook to the sea. The kids play area/trampoline was very rundown and needs fixing up as in its current state is unsafe unfortunately. On the whole a pleasant stay in a place with so much history!
• Louise (8/5): Great position and views - The old hotel has been decorated to a comfortable standard and the staff are friendly. They seem to focus on the restaurant part of the business which is hugely popular.
• linda (10/5): love the Pier - Great value hotel, beautiful ocean views ,light breakfast included, rooms clean,beds very comfy,lovely balcony to sit and have a drink watching the sea. Bar downstairs but never noisy, highly recommended.
• pezza (10/5): Nice heritage hotel - Nice heritage hotel with great atmosphere and fantastic views over the bay. The crayfish dinners we had were delicious. Well done to the friendly staff
• Vivien (10/5): Amazing room with breathtaking view - It was an amazing stay with a view of sunset by the seaside. The room is very clean with clean towels provided. Only disadvantage is that you will have to carry your luggage to the second floor where your room will be. Other than that, we had an excellent stay in the hotel.
• Chris (8/5): A Quiet Characterful Hotel - Situated at the far end of the promenade from the main town, this hotel dates from the 1880s and is full of character. Although much of it has been updated, do not expect a swish modern establishment for that it is not. The rooms do not have television nor do many have ensuite facilities. There is a television lounge where the box may be viewed if absolutely necessary. Rather spend the time enjoying the sea views or dining downstairs. Breakfast is a self service affair and there is plenty to choose from although none of it except the toast is cooked. There is a good selection of cereals, teas and other drinks, with yoghourt, fruit and spreads if you want them. Rooms are comfortable, clean and furnished in a style that is appropriate to the age of the hotel. The top floor is surrounded by a balcony which is accessible to all guests and makes an excellent place to have breakfast overlooking the sea, in clement weather. There are plenty of walks in the immediate area and more if you wish to venture further afield. Food at this hotel is excellent and well priced. Vegetarians are catered for and there is a selection of specials every night, some of it sourced from local fishermen. It is advisable to book if you want to eat earlier although I had no problem finding a table after 7.30pm. The road outside is not busy and I heard nothing except the sea and the one night of rain whilst I was there. The town is about 30 minutes walk away along the promenade and beach.
• Verified traveler (6/5): Hotel with Great View and Restaurant - Restaurant serves great food. Room and facilites were so-so but it is an old building so you couldnt ask for much. But for the price you pay you might be able to get a better room somewhere else.
• Carie (8/5): Historic hotel with ocean view - We had a nice room with bathroom and toilet in-suite. The hotel is old but clean, the room comfortable. From the balcony in the hallway we had a great view of the sea and met other guests enjoying some wine at the cafe tables.
• Verified traveler (8/5): nice hotel close to the water - Had a very enjoyable stay. Would be quieter on a week night. We had 3/4 guys that decided instead of going back to their rooms, they would sit in the common room to talk. Unfortunately our room was right next door and I'm sure they didn't bother going to bed instead, stayed up all night laughing and talking.
• Verified traveler (8/5): Nice oldfascioned hotel - Cosy room, friendly staff, very good restaurant and good location
• Mally & Harry (10/5): historic hotel upgraded for guest comfort - Friendly staff and comfortable room with ocean view (room 4)
• Verified traveler (10/5): Great hotel in Kaikoura - Old character hotel with great renovations making the rooms very comfortable and presentable while still retaining the hotel's original character. Stayed there previously and I will stay again when I am next in New Zealand
• Michelle/Murray (8/5): Fabulous cheap accommodation - The service was excellent and the restaurant provided a fantastic meal and a great atmosphere. The rooms are a little dated but clean and reasonably priced. The view was stunning and i would stay there again.
• Andrew (10/5): Great hotel - For an older style hotel with old world charm , you cant bet this one. Excellent value, clean,well revamped rooms and quite. The meals very excellent. Would stay again anytime.
• Fred (8/5): Great view good location just perfect for us. - Had a great stay this is the second time we have used this Hotel .
• Ivan (8/5): - We loved it,loads of character,great seafood and friendly staff!
• Jen (6/5): - The room was a bit outdated, a little rundown even. The hallways were always freezing cold and the toilets were similar to using an outhouse. There were no sinks in the washrooms, but you could use the one in the shower/bathroom if no one was in it, or you would have to use your room sink. We had no choice at the time but to book the room with 1 king 1 single bed, but it was extremely cramped and we had to slide the single bed back and forth to either get to the sink or get into bed. The balcony area was really great and the shower/bathroom was clean, functional and the most up to date.
• Verified traveler (8/5): Gorgeous character hotel in beautiful setting. - Originally booked for price. I loved that the character has remained and the use of old fitting furniture. Bathrooms clean and best shower! Lots of towels available. Awesome breakfast supplies. Bedside table and lamp would've been handy (room 2). Food was amazing!!!!! Definitely recommend it to everyone. Asked for courtesy van to town one night and they said no. Then drove past us in own car when we were walking. Very disappointing considering a guy with us stays there often for work.
• Janis (8/5): just what we wanted - Glorious position / views,Friendly staff, clean, lovely old building,& fantastic food just downstairs at their restaurant. If it was in France your'd call it a 'restaurant with rooms.' will stay there again.
• Adrienne (4/5): Very Ordinary - Very ordinary-no soap in shower dispenser-reading lights did not work (no globes) -ensuite tight-room advertised as deluxe king size with ensuite -not do. However great restaurant downstairs.
• Jaap (6/5): Great view....that's it...And nice restaurant. - We were told it ws a real experience to stay in this heritage hotel. We had the last availabel room, if that is what you may call it. However, we made a misake in our reservation, and this was all that they could offer us, because they were fully booked. So, it might be the room that they normally save for emergency cases...We didn't know yet (it was our first stay, after staying with friends) that in NZ booking a room with breakfast means that you can grab a sandwich and some marmelade and that you can make your own coffee or tea. Still, eating that sandwich on the balcony with a great view is worth something!
• Redhillroamer (6/5): Beautiful historic building. - There were several reasons I wanted to stay in this hotel. First because of its history and I was not disappointed, secondly because of its design and build, again not disappointed. There was a bar and restaurant in the hotel and the food was top rate but it was from here on it all tailed off. It was obvious that it was some time since anything in the hotel had been upgraded or modernised and it showed. The whole of the inside of the hotel was looking very tired and needs bringing up to date. Shame becaues its a fabulous place otherwise.
• Frederick (6/5): Higher prices than justifiable. - Too far from rest of town but great views. Tad overpriced for facilities and services available. Staff friendly, but too busy to interact much. You always felt like you were interrupting them while they were busy.
• Einar Povl (8/5): Great food, nice views, basic room and breakfast - The room itself was quite sparse, with a comfortable queen-size bed, a chair, a dresser, and a sink in the corner. The room was in good condition, though the hotel was generally looking a bit tired. There were a couple of bath/shower rooms and toilets in the corridor; general cleanliness was good. There was a slightly obscured sea view from the room - with a gorgeous sunset! I'd highly recommend dinner at the restaurant: easily the best fish I had during my visit to New Zealand, and some of the best I've ever eaten. Breakfast is quite basic: cereals, toast, tea, and instant coffee - and not much space in the breakfast room / lounge. But at such a reasonable price, I really can't complain!
• Verified traveler (6/5): Quaint room by the sea - Beautiful seaside views. Quaint old hotel with accommodation. Last room available...very small. Walks around the area are spectacular.
• Glenn (10/5): Original NZ Pub + stunning views + great food - A real, original NZ Pub ! Great food, great crew, great location. Watch the sunset from the dining room or upstairs balcony - SWEET Bro !
• Susie (8/5): Historic Hotel in fabulous location - I liked the location and views. Its basic accomodation (no tv, tea/coffee making or ensuite in rooms) but the shared facilities make for friendly exchanges between guests in the communal 'lounge'. The cafe/bar downstairs is buzzing (fully booked each nite) and the food is great. Its an old wooden hotel so you do hear doors and footfalls and bits of conversations from other guests. I liked it and would recommend it.
• Chrissie (8/5): Nice hotel, good location - A lovely old lady, with a terrific view of the Kaikoura bay area out my room window. Very nice dinner in the VERY busy restaurant (bookings advised) and a self-serve breakfast gave a great start to the day. She's showing her age but is still loving life :-)
• les (8/5): Value for money - Nice quiet location, yet only a block away from the main shopping street.
• Verified traveler (6/5): Pleasant older style hotel - An interesting older hotel with a few quirks that could be remedied. The attached restaurant was good. The wifi arrangements need a thorough overhaul to improve availability and to bring the hotel into line with the almost universal offering of free wifi in NZ
• Jan (6/5): - The chiller from the bar flicks on and off .I was in room 10.otherwise perfect spot
• Verified traveler (8/5): Nice location, poor wifi (welcome to New Zealand.. - The hotel is well located. The wifi/internet is very poor (data limitation).
• John (6/5): Classic pub accommodation - It is an old pub with lots of character that you would expect it to have. The room was perfectly adequate and had a good view across the bay. You could eat your breakfast on the balcony and enjoy the lovely view of the bay.

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