Howards Mountain Lodge

Room didn’t appear to be cleaned. Half a bottle of used hotel shampoo left for us. Soap dispenser empty. Shower smelt like smoke. Room very old and dusty. I recommend spending a little extra money and upgrading to the park hotel. Great location though being in the national park.

Not welcoming staffs, The receptionist is not approachable. The place is too dim. The price is too high for the quality of rooms. Rooms are also not soung proof even a small steps can hear. The wifi is not that working.

All staffs are not welcoming. The receptionist/owner are not accomodating and rude. He only chose who he can be kind with. Not recommended

My friend and I biked for 9 hours in the pouring rain and at lunch we booked this place because the third photo in their google photos is of their hottub. We tried calling a few times, but no one picked up, so we just booked it. When we arrived we waited forever to get service (apparently the guy was playing chess) and when we asked about the hottub he told us that it hasn't been working for years... (TAKE IT OFF YOUR LISTING)He put us in a gross room across from the main building (which is much nicer) opposite an extremely smelly laundry room. This place probably use to be nice but seems to have fallen on hard times and is now an awful spot!

We booked online and arrived later than anticipated. We were still able to check in ok. The lodge has off-street parking but it was a bit tight.We ended up on the older side of the lodge. The rooms were small but clean. The toilets were in a separate room from the showers and both were tidy. There was also a fairly large drying room which was very handy for wet gear. The lounge area was huge and quite comfortable. it would have been amazing had the fireplace been on. The kitchen was a bit on the older side. It did have a pair of stoves with ovens but we weren't able to get the oven going properly. It also had a microwave too.Although the facilities were a bit older, we were paying around $30 per person so it was a steal. The location isn't too bad as it's located down the road from SkiBiz and National Park isn't that large. It was a comfortable stay and would gladly come back if I'm starting in that area.

Our entire stay we did not get to meet our host as keys were left out and no one was present the next day for check out. This was challenging as on our return from dinner our wing was locked and we had no immediate way to get back in until someone exited. The rooms are dated, cold (no wall heater and the batered oil heater was insufficient until we found second), damp, odorous and the bathroom was carpeted with mouldy patches and no extractor fan. That said, the beds were tidy and warm and the accomodation was affordable- so if that is your only prerequisites for accomodation go for it.

We stayed at Howard's Mountain for two nights. We had the whole wing booked for our group. We had a blast. The rooms had heaters, the lounge had a fireplace. The rooms and the lounge are spacious. The kitchen is way smaller but that did not matter at all. The showers had good pressure. There is a pool table which helps us be entertained. Parking is limited but lots of parking on the road side. Four squares supermarket and fuel station is like 10 Minutes walk return. We felt quite safe and warm during our stay. Basic kitchen utensils and utilities are provided. There is a fridge and oven for storage and cooking. Our bedrooms were upstairs. There is also a television set (no sky channel). Booking online was very easy. We did it through AirBnB.

The manager was very rude and condenscending who handled our booking and stay.The shower head was broken in one of the bathrooms.Lodge manager failed to provide enough toilet paper in the bathrooms.There were not enough communal spaces, and the kitchen was very dirty.The beds were uncomfy and the lighting in the rooms were terrible.The doors to the toilet cubicles were too low so other guests could see over.

Arrived and no one at reception, just a key and instructions to use the “left side of the kitchen”. The room is small, no TV, the shower had three holes in it, no rubbish bin in the room. (One in the toilet) Very low cost. Walls are paper thin so we could hear alarms going off at 5am and people talking In the car park (off street and very tight).The owner uses the right side of the kitchen for himself. When someone was looking for the manager he was even trying not to answer and act like a guest. Very cost effective way of staying for the Tongariro Crossing Would not stay again Not a warm welcome

We had a great stay at Howards. The owner is very friendly and the atmosphere is nice. Clean room, with a comfortable bed, the shower worked perfectly. Kitchen was well maintained, we enjoyed our dinner and breakfast there. We will definitely stay here again when we come back for the Crossing.