Carrington Estate

Stunning environment with beautiful outlook in every direction Comfortable spacious room with good amenities We were the only people in residence over 3 days but the staff were very attentive and helpful

This property is very tired and looks as though it receives little ongoing maintenance.

Beautiful well kept rooms and grounds, very clean and the staff were brilliant. Breakfast was absolutely delightful we recommend the omelette! We loved the turkeys roaming around too!!

Many of the facilities were not open which is understandable as it was very quiet but pre warning would have been nice. The water issue could do with being fixed, and I found putting a bottle of previously opened water in the room was unhygienic, maybe a jug would’ve been better as it could’ve been washed?

Had a meal in restaurant on first night. Great food. Had a meal in bar second night. Great food. Staff were very accomodating, cheerful and a credit to the Estate.

Nothing comes to mind.

Great room, very spacious, had everything we needed. good storage space, large bathroom. Great view. Quiet. Good bed. Good shower. Very comfortable. And clean. Great restaurant with again great views. And very good food! And service! We had a great stay!

Restaurant could have been heated. Everything else was fine, so nothing negative to write about!

Stay here abit always good staff top tier

Golf course condition is a disgrace. Manager was rude, difficult to deal with and certainly made it clear that guests were a pain that made his day unpleasant. This is the 3rd time I’ve been here and every time when checking in ended in unpleasantness. This is the only place that it wmever seems to happen. The other staff were fine but the manager guy is terrible. I won’t be coming back again.

restaurant was excellent

Room dated

There was Brown Water in the washroom. It seems like there were rodents on the roof as they made a lot of noise at the night. Further to this, our room’s fire alarm went off at 4:30am and went on for around 2-3 minutes. To our surprise it was only us who got out as I think other rooms didn’t have guests or there alarms did not go off. It was very strange, upon contacting reception there was no response. No apologies if it was a mistake. Nevertheless, the staff at the restaurant were nice and helpful. The whole experience left us more tiring than relaxed.

Everything

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We had dinner in the restaurant which was delicious. Service was good but we were there at a very quiet time. We used the pool - lovely, bit cold and a lack of pool towels but the dressing gowns that came with the room doubled as towel and cover! The views, especially at sunset were wonderful.

We were a little surprised that no effort seemed to be put into up keep of the balconies around the rooms and restaurant. These were full of cobwebs and FULL of mozzies. I understand they had a huge mozzie invasion in the summer but a quick high pressure wash down would have cleaned that. We did let the reception know that the water in our room ran dark brown then after running a bit, light brown. There were no notices or explanation of why - which was a bit concerning. Turns out it is the iron in the dam where they get their water and maybe the filter to our room needed replacing. There was a rather blunt notice on the wall in the room that told us not to open the windows and doors at night due to the mosquitos. Do not kill the mozzies and flies on the wall or we would be charged extra to clean the room!

We were friends on a golfing trip. We were advised JUST prior to our trip that the course was under renovation. Being the time of year assumed Green core and sanding. Not ideal but happens. How wrong. The whole course is in a very bad state of disrepair. It did not happen overnight The greens are a disgrace. The bunkers that are not filled with weeds are like concrete and the fairways are dry and short on grass in a lot of areas. The layout is excellent but NOt what you would expect on a lux golf course and stay. The staff are very nice and efficient the villas are good but a little sad from age. The main area restaurant and bar etc lack attention. Gardens dry and SoSo Cobwebs everywhere etc. Lack of attention ( Money). Sadly the golf experience is way below par and it would be a Hugh surprise if it is fixed quickly if at all. The price point indicates at least Mid- point to lower Lux Course. I would rate at the very lowest end of Public Municipal Courses. Advise of Condition way to late and Not an Honest Report.

The location is absolutely stunning — very picturesque and about as far north as you can get accomodation in the North Island, making it perfect for exploring right at the very top. Not to mention we walked to the KariKari beach which had beautiful white sand. The weather during our stay was beautiful, which made the setting even more special. The accommodation was clean, tidy, and everything was kept in great order. It was quiet and very relaxing — ideal if you’re looking to properly switch off. The service was great throughout our stay. The waffles at breakfast looked fantastic — a real highlight in the mornings.

If I had to mention something, the exterior of the property could perhaps do with a bit of a refresh — maybe a clean or repaint in places. Other than that, there wasn’t much to fault.

We stayed 5 nights at Carrington Estate and really enjoyed the tranquility. There were almost no guests with us, even though it was peak time. We were alone at the beach which is 1h walking distance down from the hotel. The restaurant was really empty except on the weekend and the nature around with lots of green (including a fun golf course!) was just amazing. Fantastic food and lovely staff. Thank you!

It's worth to visit Carrington Estate if you want absolute tranquility, lots of sleep, a good coffee, golf and no action. The next beach and village with shops is quite a drive away though. We found the hotel really dated and it really looks like its in need of some love, inside- and out! It has really old furniture, decor and the terrasse is not too inviting to sit on because of damaged or dirty furniture. The golf course is good but the grass is far from perfect. It was nice to have a gym to stay occupied for a rainy afternoon but the machines are ancient and its dark and very dirty unfortunately.

A fantastic location with amazing views. The spacious room was very very nice. A comfortable bed, excellent shower with good water pressure and high quality room ammenities including chocolate and a full minibar. Had dinner at the main restaurant overlooking the golf course. Fantastic service from Sophie who really knows how to look after guests and was very professional. Breakfast was also very high quality with excellent service from Vimmian. Overall a really enjoyable and comfortable stay and felt very high quality all around.

Location and views are excellent for a relax and calm stay.

Limited options in the restaurant if you stay a few days

A wonderful property - amazing infinity pool with view to the sea. Nice outlook over golf course. The dinner was tasty and reasonably priced. The room was huge and the bed comfortable. I liked the fact there was a Carrington estate bottle of wine in room for purchase. All the staff were very friendly and attentive - we will definitely be back for longer next time

Our view wasn't great but you can upgrade as my brother did and it's beautiful. Room is large, tidy and clean, bed very comfortable and we enjoyed our stay. Location is amazing.

The place could be amazing, but it's tied and needs investment. I'm sure there's a plan.

Largest, best room I have stayed in for years.

None

The friendliness and helpfulness of the staff were excellent and the views and serenity at the resort were absolutely without fault.

The armchairs in our room could have been more comfortable and we were unable to set the air conditioning at the level we would have been comfortable with during the night.

Huge room, very comfortable. Good location, lovely pool. Great breakfast

Air conditioning didn’t work properly even after we changed rooms. Dinner was on but not special

we were here 20 years ago and unfortunately nothing has been updated or modernized, We basically came for golf and again the course has not been watered for 4 months and is in my opinion,is 'unplayable'... so if you are here for golf, call ahead and see if the irrigation system is repaired, otherwise best to go elsewhere,,, ska

Really good sized bedrooms and en suite, everything you need, including a fridge. Rooms are nice, albeit a little dated. All staff we met were very friendly and professional ..... maybe a tad understaffed as usually only 2 servers on duty to cover restaurant and bar, but they coped very well when busy, trying their best to see to all the customers as quickly as possible and with a smile! Special mention to Vimeanrachna and Cameron , 2 lovely youngsters who were usually on shift when we used the bar/restaurant, great customer skills and very friendly. The food is fabulous, well done to Chef! Every meal was well cooked and beautifully presented. Restaurant is nice enough, but has potential to be fabulous. The Estate as a whole is lovely, but it's really out in the sticks. It is in need of some real investment from the owners, everywhere needs a good makeover and attention to detail, then it could be fantastic and a real 'destination' place, as the setting is beautiful. Being so far out of the way it needs to be special to make the journey here memorable for the right reasons. The golf course has such potential, so pretty, fabulous views and some interesting holes, I see work is happening and maybe soon it will improve a lot, but at present it needs a lot more care, the greens are the worst I've ever played on.

Beautiful location, awesome villa. The beds were comfortable, incredible view. Large villa, decent for a family. I would stay here again. Great for golf.

Staff were very unfriendly. Whoever checked us in(I believe he was indian) didnt smile once, super unwelcoming, no name badge, not a nice first interaction. The woman who booked us in for our golf was basically the same. Unwelcoming, not warm, made us feel like they didnt want our business.

Location

It was quite tired , the pool was well worn the ammenties needed updating and the cafe/winery was closed for weekends only .. there was no where else to eat but. Takeaway bar and the really expensive restaurant . We did not use the pool , winery or eat , not worth the too rate .

It's a great location, stunning scenery and beaches nearby

It's very outdated and not kept well. The golf course you can tell was once an incredible place to play but the upkeep is no longer very good and most greens were not playable.

Staff were excellent and really worked hard. Food was really good after a long wait. Villas were ok but large number of dirty towels left in hall.

It was tired, needs refurbishing in places. Golf course was very very poor state especially the greens..almost unplayable level.

Great location and views. Golf course looked good. Has all the facilities you should need for a night or two

Maintenance was poor. Not looking after what is there. And the restaurant was poor

The room was spacious, clean and comfortable. The outlook from the room was nice. The food at the restaurant for lunch was ok, the mussels tasted good.

The property needs a lot of maintenance. There was dead bugs everywhere outside, broken balustrades, old birds nests with poo near the gym, pool was full of leaves and needed a good clean. We ate lunch at the restaurant and were disappointed with the organisation of the table as it wasn’t prepared or laid with cutlery, table cloths etc prior to the arrival of our group for lunch (even though we had confirmed multiple times), there was a lack of ambience (no music etc), limited food options on the menu(it hadn’t been updated in months), given the premium pricing the overall service and experience was not up to standard. There was also a staff member taking photos of our group for marketing, and did not ask us consent, which is a privacy issue.

Golf course rough. In process of bringing it up to standard.

Das Essen war fantastisch und Personal sehr freundlich.

Der Golfplatz ist in ein sehr schlechten Zustand - teilweise nicht bespielbar! Gartenpflege ums Hotel dringend notwendig!

Locatie

Beperkt restaurant menu wanneer je meerdere dagen blijft

Very good service, was clean

Restaurant and staff in restaurant were excellent and food delicious . Asked for a view but had to pay $50 more so didn’t . Room spacious but outdated ! Golf was good despite course needing A Lot more investment .Wine tasting was very personal but again the owners need to be invest more .

More updating how resort

Was nice to experience the far north, did not expect it to be that remote. Good to have a restaurant onsite. Big and spacious room.

Too old, can do with an upgrade. Our room had an aircon, but as soon as we switched it off, the room would be either cold/warm again, insulation not good to keep the temperature. Wooden floors as you are walking to your accommodation feels like it will give way underneath you. No kitchen facilities in the room, makes it very limiting, especially with a toddler. It's very remote, there is only a dairy type of store close by and a local takeaway shop. All other restaurants and shops/amenities are at least 30min drive away. Room service option for the food would have been great, especially with a toddler. The bar is separate from the restaurant, and it was quite windy and no matter where you sat in the restaurant, they constantly come in/out to get drinks from the bar to service the people in the restaurant, then you get the cold breeze from the wind. The restaurant had a special of 16+ hrs slow cooked brisket, but I had to borrow hubby's steak knife to cut through it.

Everything

Honestly, what an underrated little Gem. Food is fantastic. Service that really lets you know you’ve got your well and truly out of Auckland as staff are just so friendly and helpful. Comfy rooms. And just all and all are great experience. Course is a little bit tired however when you’re coming for the weekend and the experience it ties in fine. Would highly recommend.

Excellent service, rooms clean and extra large and very helpful and attentive staff. Golf course on the up …..it’s a fabulous lay out in an exceptional setting. The golf carts have been renovated and there is now a well stocked and reasonably priced golf shop Dinners were good too with a very pleasant maître d

The room in the lodge was massive, very clean and very comfortable bed .

The shower liquid soap seemed watered down because it was hard to lather up.

The view after upgrading and the pleasant restaurant staff.

Garden and landscape views are actually looking at a concrete block wall. We were charged $65 extra to get a room with a view and sunshine. Tap water was dark brown and disgusting. About 50mm visibility in the bath or hand basin. Food was OK but over priced.

We enjoyed a very comfortable stay, wonderful food at Carrington Restaurant over two nights, very welcoming staff ( shout out to Camille, Phoenix and Jo) good facilities and great tv choice. Would like to stay again when we return to the KariKari Coast.

Bit tired, bathroom were mouldy and shower 1980s specials and too small. Ditto kitchen. Whole place seems to lack care n love.

See above

Restaurant food in the evening was exceptional.

Golf course was surprisingly poor condition. General maintainance and upkeep of the buildings lacking.

Everything was good just needs a tidy on the out side like gardens and stuff

Weeds in garden

The wait staff were particularly good. They were all young and doing a fantastic job.

Wonderful location and grounds.

Local electricity went off for a day due to a big storm. High time they got a backup generator.

Scenery,buildings,golf,food

Despite having stayed at Carrington Estate a number of times previously, we will not be returning due to the extortionate charge to charge our EV. Several staff members apologised about this but said it was the CEO's decision and was not negotiable. We could only get a 24% charge despite being plugged in overnight and what would normally cost $10 for the amount of charging cost us a flat fee of $50.

The room was a great size, very spacious and the bed was really comfortable. Lovely views from the balcony and nice grounds to walk around. The staff we very pleasant and friendly. The rec room had a nice pool table, but the 'library' had a very outdated selection of books.

Unfortunately on the first night the emergency evacuation alarm went off at 3am in the morning. We all exited our rooms but it turned off shortly after, so we went back in. We didn't have any communication about this from staff the following day as to the cause. On the third day the internet went down so there was no wi-fi. Our stay was at a tricky time with a tropical cyclone, so the weather wasn't perfect, which meant without local things to do and not much on site (if you didn't play golf) there wasn't a lot to entertain. Having paid over $300/night the overall experience didn't match this price tag in our opinion. The bathroom, whilst clean, was dated, and really needs modernising.

Great location, interior a bit dated but very pleasant stay.

Location- near the coast plus not far to drive to Cape Reinga Spacious room Big Comfy bed Restaurant had good food

No view from room Fire alarm went off at night due to strong winds Interior of room/bathroom is very dated and needs renovating Didn’t provide free water in the room nor water fountain on the premises to fill up your bottle The gym was very poor- no wifi, dark, old cardio machines, just one mat for floor work

Great place to relax and rest sme wonderful beaches nearby! Really worth a visit !

We went for lunch on a Thursday and apart from one other couple were the only ones there at the so called "flash hotel restaurant" by the golf course. I had mentioned in the online booking that we were celebrating a birthday but no reference was made to this by the waiter who greeted us. The sparkling rose that I had ordered was not served in a flute nor in fact was it sparkling. I did not make a fuss about this in front of my 87 year old mother - whose birthday we were celebrating. My partner's beer arrived and was spilled all over the table cloth. The same waiter smirked and then walked away without cleaning it up - appalling service! I later discovered from another waitress that there was no sparkling rose available and I had just been given a glass of ordinary rose without being told - it was awful and had I know, I would have ordered something else! We were also charged for this glass. My partner's beef was tough. My creamy prawn tart was tasty but came swimming in sauce, so the salad was completely soggy. We decided not to hang around for a dessert! We were extremely disappointed and as locals have no where up market to take any guests who may visit. They need to get their act together!!

This property was in a gorgeous location however it seemed a little tired in spots. Staff are very helpful. Food was good and our room was very spacious.

The pictures looked great. However, it is ‘tired’ and not maintained very well. In the restaurant there didn’t seem to be enough staff, one morning there was just one young lady serving all the tables, and taking payment. The evening menu is quite limited, we only ate there once as there was nothing else we wanted to eat if we’d gone twice. Breakfast was a bit like walking into a cafe. You were charged for every cup of coffee, unlike most hotels we’ve been to. On the last day the pool was a murky green, and we had to tell the management. We feel it was not managed very well. This was our first stop in NZ and we were very much looking forward to it, but unfortunately left disappointed.

Very calming add magical place, great long view from Estate as it is elevated. A lot of walking trails throughout golf club. Close to beautiful Maitai Bay.

Resort is a bit old and dated, but still very charming

Location is amazing. Beautiful piece of land with a lot of potential.

Run down, tired rooms. Pillow smelt bad. Restaurant was out of stock of many food and drink items.

Beautiful place. Room was amazing. Bathroom could have done with an update . But who sleeps in a bath 😂 . We had a meal at here and it was amazing I had belly pork and my husband has the steak. We ordered a bottle of wine that was $42 only to find out it was $27 in the mini bar . The bed was comfortable.and the staff where amazing and so nice fully recommended

Location is wonderful

The property is very tired. A pair of dirty knickers and a sanitary pad were left in a bedroom when we arrived there and the toilet door wouldn’t close. The upstairs flooring made a terrible noise when walking on it. We asked to talk to the manager to get some resolved but didn’t hear from him at all during our stay. We would have left but no other vacancies locally for us to go to. The worst place to stay.

The Carrington’s location is beautiful. We ate in the restaurant twice and the food in the restaurant is high quality, the waitress we had was lovely. Our second meal unfortunately was tarnished by the waiter clearing our plates before we had all finished, something you do not expect in a restaurant of this level. Although very quiet in the restaurant, we felt rushed to leave and it was only 8.30pm. The Carrington is more 3 star motel than hotel. Its is very overpriced and very dated. We stayed in a 3 bedroom villa and found underwear and a wrapped sanitary pad from a previous guest in the corner of our bedroom beside a chest. The downstairs sliding toilet door wouldn’t close which meant our elderly father had to keep going up the stairs instead of the convenience of using the downstairs toilet. We did report these faults on the first evening to the receptionist but nothing was done and no-one contacted us. It was the worst place we have stayed in 20 years and such a shame as it has the potential to be a wonderful place if only it had the care and attention from the management/owners.

The location was okay. Great sunsets and views of the northern peninsula. Staff member Cameron was our saving grace for our visit really. He was very attentive and looked after us really well. It shortened our trip to the cape in half.

Some of the staff were a bit abrupt. I tried top explain that I was disappointed that I did not know about the Stay n Play until I had booked somewhere else but, I could have cancelled if someone had answered my phone calls. it was almost an argument situation in which there was no empathy whatsoever and I was made to feel grateful that I had a booking through a third party. There were numerous inconsistencies and confusing information. We were originally advised that we would need to drive to the winery for the wine tasting. Encouraging your visitors to drink and drive is not professional at all. there is a much longer list but to cut it short. The whole place needs an input of funds in order to bring it up to 2025 because at present it looks and feels like the 1970's. we were advised on information that we maybe should not have but, when you have wine that cannot be bottled or any other important issues that need sorting but cannot because of lack of funds. It's very sad because both those venues are in a fantastic location but is such a disappointment as it is. This is a gold mine waiting to be shown to the golfing and wine drinking world.

Great walks, incredible views, delicious food, pool, tennis. Winery experience and general peace and tranquility.

Gardens let the property down

Honestly just the bed

The outdoor spaces were messy, the gym wasn’t clean, the service wasn’t great, and there was a lack of clear communication.

Lovely place but whilst food was delicious prices in the bar and restaurant are well over priced for what you get. Nice fish and chips down the road which is way cheaper to eat.

The location and quality of the the Resort was excellent, not forgetting the lovely swimming pool, with the magnificent view of the ocean and coast line!

The evening dinner presented at the restaurant was not up to the standard of excellence one would have expected! However, situations can change depending on the chef operating at the time!

We stayed here for a wedding. The estate is overall a beautiful and well looked after place. We stayed in the lodge. The room was absolutely massive with lots of floor space and a sitting area. The room was clean and tidy. The bathroom was also clean with a bath shower.

We are locals with out of town visiting family. We enjoyed a pre dinner drink at the Vue Bar, excellent service from Cameron was a very accommodating barman and a real character. We dinned in the main restaurant, the service, the food, the view and general vibe was incredible. The setting sun and rising moon an amazing bonus. The Steaks, the Lamb and Chicken mains were as good or better than we've experienced both here and abroad. The Sticky Date desserts the best ever. Top marks to the waiters and chef. All in all an experience to remember for all the right reasons.

The house had a very good facilities and was very comfortable. The outstanding view made it a magical place to stay. We really enjoyed it and it was good to be able to go to the restaurant in the evening when we arrived. The staff were helpful and courteous And we had a very good stay.

My friends and I had an amazing stay at the Carrington Estate 3-bedroom villa, which offers stunning views of the sea and golf course. The golf course is beautifully designed, providing both a fantastic challenge and a relaxing playing experience. We enjoyed golfing in a laid-back atmosphere, having a BBQ and wine on the deck while watching the sunset and star-lit sky, savouring a delicious lunch and coffee at the restaurant, and indulging in pizzas at the winery café. Each experience was enhanced by breath-taking views and the attentive, welcoming staff. This was my second visit, but even four nights and five days weren’t enough—we’ll definitely be back!

Lovely location and property. Friendly staff and excellent food. Views and nearby locations were unbelievable.

Room was comfortable and clean. Maybe needed some touch up paint. Staff were extremely cordial, just loved them Food was mediocre at best, steak not cooked as requested- asked for medium rare steak and it was way overcooked. Eggs for breakfast weren’t cooked as requested, by the gentleman working in the kitchen. Wine prices in the room or reception were great, we loaded up. Restaurant prices were over twice the price. Golf course appears to be an afterthought, bald greens, unkemp bunkers.

The room was a good size, it was quiet which was appreciated & had pleasant views. The Restaurant was very good in the Hotel and in the Winery. The Staff were exceptionally helpful & pleasant

The bathrooms and towels/robes etc need updating/replacing The gym is very basic