Donegal House

Location: 258 Schoolhouse Road, Kaikoura, nz

Star Rating: 8.4 Stars

Property Type: Hotels

About this Property

Important Information

Policies

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

Check-out: 10:00 AM

Amenities & Facilities

• Free beach shuttle
• Offsite parking discounted rates available
• Parking
• Non-smoking rooms
• Restaurant
• Terrace
• Family rooms
• BBQ facilities
• Luggage storage
• Fax/photocopying
• Tour desk
• Facilities for disabled guests
• Packed lunches
• Non-smoking throughout
• Shared lounge/TV area
• Kid meals
• Kids' outdoor play equipment
• Outdoor furniture
• Staff adhere to local safety protocols
• Fire extinguishers
• Smoke alarms
• Broadcast Live sport events
• Free wired internet
• Playground on site
• Self parking (surcharge)
• Free beach shuttle
• Offsite parking discounted rates available
• Internet access
• Housekeeping on request
• Concerts/live shows
• Private picnics
• Wine release events
• Reception hall
• Japanese garden
• Secured parking
• Vegetarian menu options available
• Accessible shuttle
• No accessible shuttle

Rooms Available

• Small Double Room

  Featuring free toiletries, this double room includes a private bathroom with a walk-in shower and a hairdryer. The double room features a flat-screen TV, a tea and coffee maker, a carpeted floor, as well as heating. The unit has 1 bed.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Shower
  • TV
  • Hair dryer
  • Refrigerator
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Heating
  • Electric kettle
  • Linen
  • Entire unit located on ground floor
  • Toilet paper
  • Trash cans
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Body soap
  • Socket near the bed
  • Key access

• South Facing Queen Room

  This spacious room offers a separate seating area with sofa and coffee table, refrigerator and electric kettle.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Shower
  • TV
  • Hair dryer
  • Refrigerator
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Heating
  • Private entrance
  • Electric kettle
  • Linen
  • Entire unit located on ground floor
  • Toilet paper
  • Adapted bath
  • Trash cans
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Body soap
  • Socket near the bed
  • Key access

• Family Room

  This spacious, open-plan room offers garden views, a separate seating area with sofa and coffee table, refrigerator and electric kettle. Please note that the price is based on 3 guests. Maximum occupancy is 4 utilizing a fold out bed - (see Hotel Policies).

  Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Shower
  • TV
  • Air conditioning
  • Hair dryer
  • Refrigerator
  • Seating Area
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Heating
  • Private entrance
  • Sofa
  • Electric kettle
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Terrace
  • Linen
  • Outdoor furniture
  • Entire unit located on ground floor
  • Toilet paper
  • Trash cans
  • Cots
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Body soap
  • Socket near the bed
  • Key access

• Garden Facing Queen Room

  The double room features a private entrance, a tea and coffee maker, a terrace with lake views as well as a private bathroom boasting a walk-in shower. The unit has 1 bed.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Shower
  • TV
  • Hair dryer
  • Refrigerator
  • Seating Area
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Heating
  • Private entrance
  • Electric kettle
  • Terrace
  • Linen
  • Outdoor furniture
  • Entire unit located on ground floor
  • Toilet paper
  • Trash cans
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Body soap
  • Socket near the bed
  • Key access

• Studio

  The studio provides a private entrance, a tea and coffee maker, as well as a private bathroom featuring a walk-in shower and a hairdryer. This studio features a carpeted floor, heating and a flat-screen TV. The unit offers 1 bed.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Shower
  • TV
  • Hair dryer
  • Refrigerator
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Heating
  • Private entrance
  • Electric kettle
  • Linen
  • Entire unit located on ground floor
  • Toilet paper
  • Trash cans
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Body soap
  • Socket near the bed
  • Key access

Guest Reviews

• Robin (7/5): - Dinners were great but no breakfast facilities Lack of breakfast facilities and the curtains are in need of more hanging hooks
• Joe (8/5): - Nice atmosphere. Food was tasty. Staff were helpful. Room suffered from crying windows i.e. excessive condensation.
• Laby (10/5): Absolutely awesome. - The staff were very accommodating. And really friendly. And made me feel very welcome. And the food I had was delicious. And very good size portion. Thanks for the great hospitality. Nothing.
• Brown (10/5): - Another great stay at such a great place. Really comfortable bed, warm room, beautiful meal and friendly staff. Recommend Donegal House 100%! Nothing
• Gillian (9/5): -
• Sally (10/5): - I loved the gardens and the atmosphere for dinner, great food, and wonderful staff. My husband loved the donegal guineas and the history of the place
• Jo (9/5): -
• Gillian (9/5): -
• Léa (8/5): Une joyeuse soirée - Un lieu authentique dans une auberge familiale. Les chambres sont confortables mais surtout l'accès au bout du couloir au restaurant rend la soirée plus simple. Cuisine 100% local, qui est délicieuse. Je vous recommande absolument de manger dans leur restaurant, la cuisine est délicieuse et le personnel, adorable. En prime, vous aurez peut être la change d'avoir un feu de cheminé.
• Kerry (10/5): -
• Anderson (8/5): -
• Brendon (9/5): A different sort of motel - a strong warm family vibe. - LOVED all the Irish stuff, Very interesting to see all the large photos in the bar & restaurant depicting family members over many decades, both in NZ and Ireland. Quite a 'Roots' experience, well documented for all to see. Thought provoking. A good dinner (crumbed prawns , seafood chowder & garlic bread, Donegal stout [from Co. Donegal, Ireland]) in the restaurant. Great views towards the majestic, snow capped mountains. The decor in the rooms is a bit tired but that is no show-stopper. The tv definitely needs to be upgraded so as to provide streaming services like TVNZ+ and Netflix that folks can log into with their own accounts.
• Rolf (8/5): Empfehlenswert - Außerhalb gelegen, sauber, alles da. Parkplätze vor der Tür (Motel) Sehr große Anlage mit viel Betrieb
• Emma-Jane (8/5): - Really pretty location and gardens, very comfortable and homely. Friendly welcoming staff. We didn’t manage to get a table for dinner, we weren’t expecting it to be fully booked. It would have been good to have some warning that it was necessary to pre-book.
• Jo (8/5): Good room, walk through corridor to restaurant - fabulous meal - Lovely quiet setting Nothing
• Léa (8/5): Très bon séjour - Établissement familial au cœur d’un écrin de verdure à l’abris du flux touristique du bord de mer, idéal pour passer quelques jours en familles. Leur restaurant est délicieux avec un personnel au petit soin ce qui rajoute des points positifs à ce logement.
• Kourtney (4/5): Beautiful but not peaceful - The view was spectacular and staff were helpful and knowledgeable This was not a peaceful location. People were walking up and down the hallway and outdoor decking into the night and in the early hours of the morning, the sound reverberated into the room, it was very loud. People could be heard talking right outside both the inside and outside door at all hours as well and the doors opened and shut really loudly. On the final morning, staff were shouting, talking loudly and laughing loudly in the hallway, outside and in the neighbouring rooms well before checkout time, we came for rest and sleep and this was not achieved. I was more tired than I was before we came. I have 6 kids so am used to noise but this was ridiculous. There was also light coming under the door from the hallway, we had to stuff a jacket alongside it to block out the light. And there were dead bugs all over the bathroom ceiling and no extraction fan meant it saturated after one shower, we had to wear slippers into the bathroom to stop our feet getting wet.
• Val Butler (8/5): - Excellent dinner menu The pillows were not that comfortable
• John (5/5): -
• Pete (9/5): -
• Karen (5/5): - The meals at the restaurant were wonderful Room was outdated, uncomfortable flat pillows and an old tv that didn't even receive all the freeview channels 😞
• Anita (10/5): Excellent stay, would go back again. - Great setting, friendly staff ! Nothing !
• Guest (9/5): -
• Amanda (7/5): - Rural location No WiFi which I needed to plan for next itinerary.
• Rupert (9/5): Great place to stay and eat! - Friendly staff, great restaurant with cool vibe
• Steve (10/5): One of the highlights of our trip up the coast - Great location, facilities and staff. A very warm and down to earth experience and will definitely stay again.
• jackie (8/5): Pretty place to stay . Good restaurant . - Close to the surf and friendly people . Nice views and nice garden . My mistake but there wasn’t cooking facilities and I should have checked before booking . Shower leaked a bit.
• Lucie (8/5): Great location, but very noisy this time around - Love the location, the views and the food There were some very rowdy people, they were starting to drink as we arrived at around 1.30 (or maybe they had already been drinking), played their music loud, talked very loud and were overall really noisy. They were about 2 rooms down from our room. We went for a drive hoping that it would have calmed down a bit when we came back, but it only got louder. We asked the staff if we could switch rooms and found out that these people had hired almost the entire wing, for a week. Fortunately the staff were really helpful and switched us to a bigger room, at the far end of the wing. We had to pay a little extra but did not mind if that meant less noise. Our neighbours were also complaining about the noise from those units. The next morning it started again at around 8 am. I am glad we only stayed one night, and despite a previous really good stay, we might go elsewhere next time we go to Kaikoura.
• Colin (8/5): Great stay - It’s situation and ambience Room and bed a little small
• Mitra (9/5): -
• Antje (8/5): -
• Katharine (7/5): Staff were outwardly rude to people when speaking to them. - Irish influence They did not play Irish music, disappointing
• Linda (7/5): Rooms need some upgrading - Staff were super friendly and helpful. Restaurant meals were great. Room was dated but clean. TV only had a few channels and the internet was intermittent. Would have been helpful to have sheer curtains as our room looked out over the deck and garden and if you didn't have the curtain pulled across and in darkness, people could see straight into the room.
• Stuart (9/5): - Staff were excellent. Very Helpful
• RODNEY PAUL (9/5): Donegal House is our first choice for accommodation when passing through Kaikoura - We didn't arrive until after 9pm, host James was very welcoming and provided us with crockery & cutlery to enable us to use our breakfast ingredients in our room as the dining room was not open the next morning for breakfast. The room was very comfortable, clean & tidy with good facilities.
• Sheryl (10/5): -
• Sharon (7/5): -
• Louise (9/5): A great night's sleep! - We had a lovely night at Donegal house. We ate at the restaurant there and the food was lovely and the staff super helpful. The room was clean and there was no noise from other guests.
• Abdul Salam (10/5): - The whole stay was excellent except for the WiFi which was unstable at times.
• Barry (9/5): -
• Andreas (8/5): -
• Guest (9/5): -
• Trevor (6/5): - Lovely rural setting. The garden setting and the pub
• Maria (9/5): Superb garden - Beautiful views out to the garden. Restaurant and bar on-site. A little dated, but otherwise everything you need. Would stay again.
• Barbara (9/5): Great staff - Staff were excellent, friendly, welcoming and helpful
• Ulrike (10/5): -
• Christine (8/5): On the whole it was a very nice place to stay but would not stay if it was winter time because of the bathroom not havin - It was in a good location away from busy roads. Had a great restaurant. Staff were very friendly. Lovely outlook with beautiful gardens. The only downside was the pillows weren’t very good and the bathroom would need a heater if it was winter time.
• clifford (10/5): Kate was so helpful and accommodating with our late arrival due to circumstances out of our control - did not have to wo - Easy to get too, quiet, close to town, comfortable bed and room. Helpful, accommodating staff, friendly Nothing
• Wendy (8/5): Very pleasant experience all round - The setting was awesome, the food was amazing as was the staff. We felt they went above and beyond for our family gathering The rooms while clean, were very basic and I found the fridge noise and light coming in from the hallway made sleeping a bit difficult
• Brenda (9/5): - Loved the location, the staff were amazing and nothing was too much. I had a late check in but my key was arranged to be waiting for me if there was no one there when I arrived. Housekeeping staff went above and beyond, making sure I had some butter and marmalade for my toast. (No breakfast is provided so make sure you either take something easy like bread as there is a toaster but nothing in the rooms or plan to go out for breakfast) Gardens are stunning 😍 Location is lovely and quiet, it is a little way out of town but it's worth it for the peace and quiet and no city lights or traffic noise. Was tricky trying to find the reception entrance in the dark, not sure if there was a sign? I may have missed it but clearer signage would be helpful.
• Trevor (9/5): - The great customer service The beautiful park like grounds Superb meals N/a
• Neil (9/5): - Quiet location, beautiful grounds, great parking, fabulous history.
• Matthew (9/5): A gem of a place to stay in Kaikoura. - I’m so glad I stayed at The Donegal. Nice, comfortable (and very large) room, with sliding doors into a deck with beautiful views over the gardens and mountains beyond. Great bar / restaurant with tasty food and very friendly staff throughout. A great shower and very reasonably priced for the area.
• Lynette (8/5): Lovely quiet setting with pub with great atmosphere - Excellent dinner and friendly staff. Murphys stout (Donegals) Flies in the room. No toaster
• Julia (10/5): - Lovely place to stay food was great too
• sarah (10/5): Excellent find! - Beautiful location, very good value, great food at the pub and really helpful staff.
• Philippe (5/5): - Staff was great and called upfront to inform that the kitchen closed early on a Sunday Rooms deserve some freshening up and the glass door allows too much natural light to enter in the room if you want to sleep in.
• Bridget (10/5): Great place to stay, away from the crowds but close enough to get where you want - We arrived on one of the busiest days of the year. Gymkhana and end of shearing. The guys were absolutely brilliant, recommending when we should eat to avoid the rush. The food was outstanding and the whole atmosphere fabulous.
• Brown (10/5): -
• John (8/5): Overnight Stay - Ideal for an overnight stay. Very welcoming staff and comfortable bed. Ideal to have on site restaurant and we were offered bowls and spoons for breakfast. Great value for money. We were very happy with the location but some might find it a bit far from the centre..
• Cheryl (8/5): -
• Barbara (9/5): Great little hidden gem - Staff were friendly and helpful Confusing were to check in
• Milne (10/5): Was just so relaxed staff were awesome - Location was a bit far out from kaikoura
• Larochelle (10/5): - Le "special" du jour était excellent. Portion généreuse
• bk (7/5): - very poor wifi connection. Little hair dryer.
• Jocelyn (9/5): Country comfort - Lovely quiet historic pub with clean comfy quiet rooms and good dining room, set in gorgeous grounds -
• Ray (7/5): We enjoyed our stay in Donegal House, The food was very good and the staff were very friendly and helpful. - The area around the property is beautiful. The food was very good and tasty. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The rooms are a bit small and dated. The walls of the rooms are thin and you could hear doors closing and people walking along the corridor. The property is about 1.7 kms from the town centre.
• Sally (8/5): Home away from home - Donegal House is an absolute Gem, can't believe we hadn't stayed here before. Wonderful hospitality, great staff, beautiful grounds, Quiet which is such a blessing ( pretty difficult to find these days) Great food and drink selections . Can't rave enough about Donegal house, this is where we will stay when needing accomodation in Kaikoura in the future.
• Eduardo (10/5): -
• Mandie (10/5): Lovely - Great accommodation, brilliant atmosphere Lovely food at reasonable prices And amazing staff,all friendly and all went out there way to help and accommodate us Highly recommended
• Judith (9/5): The staff were absolutely wonderful-beyond the call of duty -and made this a delightful stay. - A cosy pub accommodation, with friendly staff and a really lovely warm atmosphere and good food. A lovely garden view from the rooms. Rooms very small ( not much room for luggage) but comfy and fine for a night.
• phil (8/5): -
• Michael (9/5): We arrived very late due to ferry cancellation’s. Staff were friendly and welcoming - Very comfortable and clean It exceeded expectations - good value for money.
• Julie (9/5): - Great place Nothing really, maybe a bit dated
• Molly (10/5): Very cosy vibe with friendly staff - The property has an Irish pub with an open wood fire which was a very welcome surprise. We had been riding motorbikes in the very cold rain and we arrived the staff showed us to our room, turned the heaters on for us and after we showered hung our wet gear in front of the fire to dry for the night. They were very hospitable
• John (10/5): -
• Dulcie (10/5): - The location was great, the grounds were just beautiful, so relaxing. To have the pub there for meals was great because you didn't have to travel anywhere else. Very quiet and restful. The shower needed to be attended to as water was not draining too well.
• Lani (8/5): Great sleep - Great scenic country location & a very comfy bed.
• Loren (9/5): Great location & views - we were offered a garden room (extra) but so glad we did as the weather was lovely, we ate both nights here, steak was really nice
• Paul (10/5): Exceptional! Fantastic staff! - What an amazing place to stay and dine. The rooms are very comfortable and peaceful with beautiful views of extensive well kept gardens. The restaurant is exceptional. The entire staff are 100% professional and friendly. Highly recommend Donegal House.
• margaret (10/5): -
• dominic (8/5): A true Irish welcome - The staff are always super helpful . We came last year and were so glad we came again. Food is great and the stout delicious. It was a cold day and evening so having the fire to stay warm in the main bar was a real treat
• Duqueroix (5/5): -
• Tracy (10/5): -
• Yifat (8/5): Nice stay with beautiful gardens - A nice place to stay for 1-2 nights, not more than that. The beautiful large gardens give you the sense of tranquillity and the staff give you the best service. It surrounded by farms that add to the feeling of country style holiday. Since it is few kilometres away from the town I would have expected better dinning facilities, not only a pub/bar that doesn't serve breakfasts.
• Simon (8/5): - Good size room with good facilities. Amazing garden. Warm welcome when we arrived and warm fire in the bar area (it was raining heavily when we got there).
• Laura (8/5): -
• Rene (8/5): -
• Ian (10/5): - Overall was great
• James (8/5): -
• Dudley (10/5): -
• Hariette (8/5): Great place to be, will return for sure! - Location is great, staff and management fantastic, such good service and so accommodating. Food is amaaazing. Organised a table after dinner for us so the four of us could play a game. Also their assistance when I tried to add a night to our booking, and through booking.com it only added one extra night to one room, not 2. James and Kate made it work on a very busy night, that is what we call fantastic customer service. That the rooms are not very sound proof, my family were next to a lady who made a very noisy phone call on speaker, they had to knock on the door and asked for some quietness. And other guests walking over the wooden deck in front of our units, no respect for other guests who were sleeping already. Stomping noises and loud conversations. Management could let guests walk another way to their rooms, avoiding disturbance. Other than that, we would return with pleasure as the positives definitely weigh up to the negatives.
• Tom (8/5): -
• Lisa (7/5): Food was fantastic! - Good location! No net curtains so no privacy unless curtains fully closed! Cleaners were noisey and woke us up chatting about their personal stuff.
• Antonia (8/5): - Comfortable and cozy. No cutlery.
• Nick (8/5): Reading and comfy motel - Quiet location great view A paved driveway and car park
• Rose (4/5): - Food in pub generous and good. Uncomfortable beds, no cutlery to make own breakfast and paper thin walls
• Dory (8/5): good experience for staying - nice food from the eatery
• Lynette (9/5): A great value and friendly place to stay - A lovely location with good sized rooms and pleasant gardens. The food plentiful and tasty. The staff were exceptional!
• JIANQING (6/5): not so good - The price is relatively cheap. The soundproofing is very poor, and the housekeeping staff did not respect the arrangement of personal items, even throwing some personal belongings on the floor.

Photos