Magpie Cottage Homestay Bed & Breakfast

The location was excellent

It was my first time in a homestay. Personally, I would have preferred my own space

None

None

The host was very accomodating to last minute changes. Martin was friendly and hospitable offering us a snack on arrival and providing all the little essentials over and above what was expected

N/A

Martin was a great host we loved his warm homely house. We felt it a pleasure to stay with him. We had a lovely continental breakfast and even enjoyed dinner with him and a friend down at the local.

Nothing

Martin is a wonderful host. He really makes you feel at home.

Warm and comfortable with everything we needed. Great place. Host was very nice.

Very warm & cosy - great fire. Lovely bedrooms

Martin was an awesome host. Made us feel welcome into his home. close to town and family that we were visiting. Martins home is warm and welcoming and martin our host was friendly and up for converation with my parents, in their 80s whom I travelled with.

Nothing really could have been better.

Tout

Ras

Lovely cottage and facilities, the host was great.

Warm cozy comfortable

Cute cottage in a semi rural country setting. Very quiet and enjoyed comfortable bed.

Location good very quiet neighbourhood Very friendly host

Nothing

The Host provided a nice warm home with fire going when we arrived and always warm to come home to.

Quiet location, plentiful breakfast selection. Friendly and helpful host. We felt very welcome.

Heating a bit too warm but that was a personal preference.

Very comfortable- a home away from home

A minor niggle operating the tv- some instructions would be helpful

Martin's place was a clean comfortable home with good kitchen facilities and everything we needed for our overnight stayed before we hit the road to experience the world forgotten the highway.

Beautiful home with large living area, comfortable bed, and nice bathroom. Very pleasant sitting on verandah. Breakfast had many choices and the chocolate treat was a nice touch.

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Comfortable beds, clean bathroom. Good bed and breakfast facilities.

Had a cat and we didn’t know.

We had a very comfortable stay, with good breakfast. We never met Martin but had a nice stay.

Spacious, quiet and homely. Nice garden surrounds. Excellent continental breakfast

The host is charming. His home is very welcoming.

Martin hat sich hervorragend um uns gekümmert. Wir, zwei Mädles, die alleine in Neuseeland unterwegs waren. Die Zimmer waren sehr sauber, Betten sehr bequem. Wir haben viele Tipps von MArtin erhalten, was man alles in der Gegend unternehmen kann. Toll, wenn man Besitzer noch persönlich kennen lernt und nich timmer "nur" Hausverwaltungen oder Key Boxen!

Whole property to ourselves

Quiet and peaceful. Great to relax and wind down. Breakfast was good.

Nothing

It was a well appointed B & B with plenty of character in a quiet location close to Taumarunui where we could get an evening meal.

After our initial contact with the host, we expected him to be there at some stage during our stay. However, we never saw him at all and felt rather uncomfortable, as we had to use some of the "shared space" to get our breakfast. Possibly he may have been called away unexpectedly but we had thought that if this was the case, there might have been some message.

Martin encantador, siempre atento. Gracias por tu hospitalidad.

Convient location to town food and attractions. Supplied breakfast was more than expected and bathroom shower was large with good water pressure The host was amenable and accommodating to our schedule and knowledgeable on area and interesting .The home was easy to find and parking offstreet avail .

The two bedrooms were overly warm -one bathroom with toilet shared between 4 was doable but access to extra toilet would be better .

Nice place. Two bedrooms a big plus. Shower and bathtub also a big plus.

Fresh fruit with breakfast and hot food breakfast options.

Good assortment of cereal, eggs, yogurt, toast and toppings. Also variety of drinks: coffee, tea or hot cocoa.

Nothing at this time.

Cozy place with nice comfortable rooms. The host was very kind and gave us good suggestions of things to do nearby. Continental breakfast was provided and was great.

Tap water tasted a bit strange

Martin ist ein toller Gastgeber. Das Zimmer war perfekt sauber und hatte eine tolle Größe. In der Umgebung gibt es alles was man braucht und Martin gibt sehr gute Tipps. Das Frühstück war einfach,aber es war alles da was man sich wünschen kann, inklusive nettem Gespräch und Empfehlungen für die weitere Reise. Wir können die Unterkunft nur wärmstens empfehlen.

Terrific host in Martin. Made us feel very welcome in his own home. Could not fault the facilities.

Martin is a friendly host who makes you feel at home. One of the two bedrooms has doors to the veranda.

Das Zimmer hat ein bequemes Bett, einen sehr schönen Gartenblick und eine Terasse direkt vor dem Zimmer. Das Bad war das schönste und modernste unserer bisherigen Unterkünfte in Neuseeland. In der Küche durften wir alles benutzen und haben uns das Frühstück aus den vorhandenen Sachen selbst zubereitet.

Ein Bed and Breakfast in dem man sich das Frühstück selbst zubereitet war für uns neu und hat uns überrascht. Ich fand es seltsam in der Küche des Vermieters tätig zu sein. Die Beschreibung der Unterkunft ist etwas seltsam. Es gibt 2 Zimmer mit jeweils zugehörigen Badezimmern, die über den Flur zugänglich sind und man kann auf Wunsch die komplette Ausstattung des Hauses nutzen.

Das Häuschen sieht von außen traumhaft aus und hat einen wunderschönen Garten. Zimmer war auch schön mit direktem Zugang zur Veranda.

Ich mag auch Katzen, aber nicht, wenn die Haare des Tieres dann auf der Tischdecke am Frühstückstisch liegen. Entsprach alles nicht meinem Sauberkeitsempfinden. Martin ist sehr nett. Aber sorry, das geht einfach gar nicht.

Martin is a great host & very understanding when I managed to take the door key away with me! Bathroom very large & modern. Garden & surroundings beautiful.

Beds are very soft which I don't mind but my son found it uncomfortable.

El baño era muy amplio y nuevo, con muchas toallas. Había cereales y tostadas con diferentes mermeladas para desayunar, un detalle que se agradece. El huésped fue agradable y simpático, y nos hizo recomendaciones.

Hay algunas cosas que no quedan claras en el anuncio: - Hay un gato que vive dentro del alojamiento. Importante si eres alérgico (como en mi caso). - El baño está fuera de la habitación, aunque muy cerca. Tienes que salir al pasillo que es compartido con el huésped (su habitación está al lado).

Nach dem Besuch der Waitomo Caves und auf dem Weg zur Tongariro Park habe wir ein stop bei Martin eingelegt. Das war ein wunderschöner Aufenthalt. Das Zimmer und das ganze Haus sehr schön. Das Bad neu und sehr gepflegt. Auf der Terrasse haben wir beim einem Glas Wein die Ruhe und das Vogelgezwitscher genossen. Am nächsten Tag haben wir das Frühstück auf der Terrasse ausgiebig genossen. Toller Aufenthalt, absolute Empfehlung. Danke an Martin für den wunderschönen Aufenthalt

Leider nur haben wir hier nur eine Nacht verbracht. Es lohnt sich länger zu bleiben.

The house is wonderful, located in Taumarunui - great town to stay at as it’s close to Tongariro. The host, Martin, was the nicest! He was kind, attentive, and made us feel very welcome in his home. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have discovered the Forgotten World highway - one of the highlights of our NZ trip really. The house is also nice and comfortable, and located in a quiet area.

It would have been nice to have more personal space after a hard days work

We were welcomed when we arrived. Loved the chats. Beautiful space and exceptionally clean.

Quaint

Host lives onsite so if privacy is a huge concern, this wouldn’t supply that

Martin y el desayuno

Comfortable. Get what you booked and payed for.

All good

Martin was very communicative and hospitable, we arrived pretty wet through on our motorcycles, there was room in the garage, we dried our gear overnight on the veranda and then by the fire.

Location was great, not far from town by car. House was warm and bedrooms were well presented and comfortable, Martin was a very good host, friendly and gave good advice on what to do around the town, highly recommend and would stay again

Martin was a very lovely host. He gave us the perfect combination of privacy and hospitality. The breakfast provided was great. He also had garage space for our bikes. Would stay here again.

Un lugar muy bonito y cálido. Hemos compartido conversaciones con Martin, el propietario, en nuestra estancia y nos ha encantado. Un desayuno muy variado y adaptado a las intolerancias. Martin es un buen anfitrión. Gracias por todo

It has a lovely cottage charm.

The house was lovely and warm even though it was very cold outside.. Martin was a great host. I slept like a lot in the comfy bed.

Nothing

Room and bed were comfortable and tastefully furnished. Interesting conversation with the host. Good variety of items for wholesome breakfast. Clean bathroom, good shower. Outdoor deck (however weather wasn't favourable to be out on it!)

Perhaps dont need so many cushions on the bed!

Martin is the ultimate host. Nothing was too much trouble, the rooms were warm.and comfortable. Would definitely stay here again.

Because Magpie Cottage is so popular, I was only able to book one of the two nights we stayed in Taumaranui :-)

A very pleasant overnight stop on our trip north. A lovely secluded location, a welcoming informative host and a delightfully presented cottage.

Everything was excellent.

A warm and welcoming honestly log fire going when l arrived well appointed bedroom with my own bathroom across the hall . Martin the host so welcoming and paying attention to ensure my stay was all l could wished for . With some great conversation added in

Nothing

Friendly and welcoming host

Nothing, except the weather.

I had a lovely stay at Martin's house. He was super accommodating - very friendly and a great host. The rooms were warm, comfy and cozy. I stayed prior to running the Timber Trail and it was a perfect spot to start my journey from. Samantha the cat was a highlight!

Martin is a pleasant and friendly host who was keen to share his home and his town with us and made us welcome. The two rooms were not big but comfortable enough. The home was well kept and had everything we needed. Breakfast was fine and he offered to cook us eggs. Thanks again Martin.

We were comfortable but there isn't any space that is exclusively yours as a guest - you are very much staying with someone in his own home and that might not be comfortable for everyone.

A beautiful old homestead whith comfortable rooms and lounge area. The host was really lovely and we enjoyed his company - but he was very sensitive and did not intrude on our privacy. The beds were very comfortable and the bathroom well appointed and clean. We had full access to everything in the kitchen and Martin was very generous. I would stay there again.

Breakfast was a modest spread. There was an assortment of spreads, eggs that we could cook, and some options for cereal. The rooms were sufficiently big (where there was space to put our luggage). Towels were clean. Toilet was big and sufficiently clean. The host was friendly and accommodating to our request for checking in a couple of hours earlier.

While the kitchen was sufficiently equipped, the kitchen tools were not very clean. As this is a home stay, we shared the use of the kitchen with the host. The toilet was exclusively for our use, as were the two rooms we booked. The host stayed in a room that was along the same corridor as our rooms.

Beautiful house and easy to find! Very homely. It was less than a 5 minute drive to the beginning of the Forgotten World tour, which is why we stayed in Taumarunui. The host, Martin, who lives on site, was a very lovely character and quite interesting to talk to! Very friendly and considerate of his guests.

The host was very friendly. We had easy access to the kitchen when we needed it. The breakfast was good and there was plenty of tea and coffee available.

The bed was way to soft.

Seemed like it had been renovated not that long ago. Host accommodated more people staying on the pull out couch in the lounge

Wasn’t aware that ‘home stay’ meant that we would be staying with the owner in the same house. I thought that we could have been in a separate house. It was awkward but lucky we were only there to sleep and he left us for a bit in the morning. It needed to be more obvious on the booking.com page that it’s a shared house

Owner very helpful. A wide choice for breakfast. Lovely bedroom with access to decking and garden.

Cosy and superfriendly bed and breakfast in a quiet street.

Very hospitable host and excellent bedrooms, very comfortable beds and good wifi

It was comfortable and had a washer and dryer and a very nice drying rack. It was great to have breakfast.

I wasn't clear when we booked that Martin lived there and has cats. My husband is allergic to cats. The house was clean though so that wasn't a real problem. Martin was very nice but we were very tired from canoeing the river and just wanted to rest . We felt a little awkward.

Breakfast same as we would eat at home. Cereal, fruit, yogurt and toast and hot drink. Helpful host. Not intrusive, but likes to chat if you give opportunity

We arrived late afternoon, found house ok with GPS. Difficult to find my way back once I bought takeaways to eat as it was dark. By then, I had difficulty with my internet. Not fault of host though.

We loved Martin’s home hospitality. The house is lovely.

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Martin welcomed us to his home as old friends, room was very cosy and bed sooo comfortable. The house is in a very quiet area so it was a perfect place to relax in the garden after a long drive.

The property was very nice. The room situation was great; each of us had our own bedroom - very comfortable beds. We had a private bathroom. But shared living space with owner. Host was very nice!

Cat in the house, but didn’t bother us.

A beautiful garden setting, with a cute house cat. Martin was super helpful with accommodating our arrival and restaurant suggestions. The breakfast selection excellent. He went out of his way to accommodate our gluten free/ dairy free needs. The bathroom was very roomy and bed comfortable. It was a great price for the option of two rooms if travelling with friends.

Nothing

Didn't have the breakfast. Had to get away early as we had to be in Waitomo at 0930hrs.

N/a

Relaxing place, lovely house and our host was very helpful. Nice quiet neighbourhood a short walk to centre.

The place is run by a 79 year old gentleman.It is in a quiet street You can use the kitchen.And the common room A lovely place to stay

Location was fine.

To be advised that we were sharing facilities (including shower) with owner (a complete stranger)when we booked and that there would not be any privacy. If paying $50 per night, this may have been acceptable. The facilities were also not very clean, or at least to my standards.