The Sands

A very disappointing welcome and an unusually unhelpful approach at reception. I arrived early and fully understood that the hotel could not guarantee an early check-in. I explained, however, that I had online work meetings and was simply trying to plan my day. I asked whether, given that the hotel appeared to be quiet, it might be likely that I could check in before my midday meeting. The only response was essentially: “We cannot guarantee early check-in.” I then asked whether I might at least be able to check in at 13:50, ten minutes before the official 14:00 check-in time, so that I could connect to the Wi-Fi and set up my laptop for a 14:00 meeting. Again: “We cannot guarantee early check-in.” Eventually, somewhat exasperated, I asked whether even 13:58 could be confirmed. Same answer. Of course I understand that early check-in cannot always be guaranteed. What was disappointing was the complete absence of any attempt to help. The receptionist could have checked whether a room might become available, suggested somewhere suitable to work, offered to contact housekeeping, given me some indication of what was realistic, or offered to text me when the room was ready. Instead, I was left with no useful information and had to find the local library myself, which was hardly ideal for online meetings. I subsequently received a message from the hotel apologising and saying that my feedback would be addressed with the team. I replied explaining the practical problem and asking, at a minimum, whether I could expect to get into the room ten minutes before 14:00. I never received a response. When I eventually returned to check in, I dealt with the same receptionist. There was no acknowledgement of what had happened and no apology. The issue was never that the hotel could not guarantee early check-in. It was the unwillingness to make even a small effort to assist a guest with a perfectly reasonable practical problem.

The apartment had a great view and it was exceptionally quiet inside. Loved the sky lights as it may the apartment sunny during the day. Bed so soft like sleeping on a cloud.

The sky tv could of had more channels especially movies.

Lovely views, staff were lovely, well appointed apartment. Mostly beautifully clean.

Spider webs in skylights, even had white tail spider in shower in the morning. It felt very weird to have a window from the bathroom into the lounge.

i took my daughter to Nelson as she has never been, upon arrival Neville had informed me that he had upgraded our room, which in turn was more like its own mini house, which was absolutely stunning alongside the views and made the trip that bit more special for my daughter. was very much appreciated

everything was above standard, i have no negative remarks

Location - facilities - the apartment was very comfortable and warm and clean - the small touches of having laundry powder and dishwasher powder were appreciated

There was a terrible smell in the bathrooms most probably from the open drain that prob should be addressed

Location, views, and facilities were perfect

The outside lights for the neighbouring apartment are on all night and shine into the bedrooms

The views

The Manager of this place called us an hour before we checked in and cancelled our booking.

Being dropped at late notice most likely due to a higher paying guest walking in off the street.

Location

It was cold in spite of 2 heat pumps. No double glazing and only a net vurtain There were no external handles on the fridge!

Location was great.

This place is aged and the maintenance has been deferred. There are also serious issues with the cleanliness. The 2 bedroom apartment was filthy!

Very spacious room, close to the activities! Go carts, mini golf, beach, trampoline park etc.

for an apartment complex its pretty decent!

Good view, location

Certain things in the unit not functional, tons of storage space but no shelves, no curtain at bathroom window.

Good location to beach and resturants/take aways near by

Internet didn't work for most of stay.

3rd stay. Consistent standards. Great location, with bus routes nearby, restaurant/bar underneath, together with coffee shop in same building. Our apartment was a good size, with a balcony overlooking the beach.

Great location , kitchen facilities and outside deck with a view.

Room with no windows to outside view (back onto carpark building) Wind tunnels through the corridor/buildings and whistles under the door so a bit noisy.

Lots of storage. Two bathrooms..

Second bathroom needs more privacy on external window. No curtain or frosting on window.

Lovely spacious apartment. Very comfortable and good facilities. An issue with the toilet was sorted very professionally - impressive considering it was Easter Sunday. Great location for beach lovers.

Road noise was quite high and car wash across the road was noisy. Balconies were spaciouis but not very private.

Great location and nice apartment, with a good coffee shop and pub on site.

The chairs on the balcony were mostly broken and we had difficulty with the door lock, but everything else was fine.

We loved the location, the view, the clean linen. The range of facilities in unit,the spacious feel, the secure parking, cooking facilities.The large balcony. It was a great stay

Each unit is individually owned so varies in standard, ours was good, but some maintenance required, a little tired but nothing that spoilt our great stay.

Location to the beach was great

The traffic noise Kitchen cooking supplies was lacking Noises behind the bedroom every morning

Close to park. Ocean view

Very rude reception. We had requested in writing 2 beds. 4 months ago. Says did not get message. Showed him printed proof. Blunt Denial. No apology. Booked out can't do anything. Not good enough. Would like to give 0 stars

The reception staff were very welcoming. Most helpful. The apartment was large and well equipped. Convenient for beach

A few instructions would have been useful. Couldn’t find any for dishwasher and couldn’t get it to work. Honestly that’s the only thing.

Fantastic location across the road from the beach. Great deck out the front.

Beautiful Location with great views of the beach. Very pleasant to watch the sunset from the balcony, good and allocated car parking slots. Well furnished and equipped kitchen. Clean and fresh linens. Spacious bedrooms and living areas. Well maintained ensuite and bathrooms. Easy check in and check out. Neville the property manager was helpful and available for any troubleshooting or queries.

The Aircon was playing up a bit, had to switch on and off the main switch which was next to the unit in the balcony, to get the right ambient temperature. The interiors can get very warm on a sunny day and if the aircon is not getting you the right cool temperature then it can be uncomfortable..

Great location, well equipped kitchen, washing machine, dryer was handy. Safe and secure car park and I lovely view

Carpets are filthy, shower leaks over the bathroom floor, rooms are not serviced and it is not advertised, I had to wash and dry towels due to needing them to shower and mop up the floor. Bed is very uncomfortable and the bedding is to small so it doesn't cover properly. Plug doesnt hold water in the sink, door to deck is very difficult to lock. For almost $300 per night I expected better

The manager Mr Neville Smith was extremely helpful and cooperative one of the best host we experienced in new zealand. . The place is wonderful with beautiful view of beach.

Geen ontbijt

De ontvangst van de building manager. Hij liet ons een uur wachten terwijl hij zat te lunchen en 30 minuten aan de witte wijn in een cafe om de hoek

Great location

So convenient, clean and easy parking

Location

A modern, well equipped, and spacious place to stay, a very short stroll to the beach, offering beautiful sunsets from my balcony, I’m glad I picked The Sands for my stay in Nelson.

Location, very comfortable, fantastic apartment.

NA

The manager was very patient with me (had a few internet problems). The place is right on the beach and above a bar/ restaurant, a Cafe, and a good fish and chip shop, so lots of convince in one place for a good summer weekend get away. Secure car park as well is a bonus.

Great situation. Very large apartment. Comfy couch and comfy bed. A very warm apartment. Heat pump/aircon units in lounge and bedroom. Well equiped kitchen. On-sight covered and secured parking. Very good Bar and Bistro on the ground floor of the complex. Lift for upper floors.

Street noise when sitting on balcony or inside with the doors open. Not an issue with doors closed. We live in a quiet lane, so this was noticeable to us. High narrow window in bedroom, so no view and little natural light.

Loved kitchen and bathroom was good, it had a nice walk and facilities across the road and it was roomy

The noise from the main road and the carport right behind the bedroom, the couch was very hard.

Stayed there before just a great spot views etc and very comfortable apartment.

Nothing we didnt like

Good location. Large and well appointed apartment. Comfortable bed.

Light from the carpark shining into the bedroom all night. The toilet struggled to flush toilet paper.

The apartment was comfortable and reasonably well equipped.

We specifically booked rooms that both had double beds and paid extra for this ($50-$60). It wasn't provided and the facility did nothing but make excuses rather than own up and offer a solution or a partial refund. Instead, the facility manager discriminated by saying 'it was too much work to rearrange beds and that families mostly stay in those rooms'. The room had no remote for the heating so no ability to control the temperature. We woke up to find the heating function on rather than the cooling function. Have contact the facility and they have ignored the message. I also spoke with them as did others at the time of the issues. Just feel ripped off and irritated given we were so deliberate in choosing accommodation that would cater for our needs. In terms of location, very few options to eat nearby. The local cafe only seemed to do coffee and no food.

Excellent service - beautiful views

We always stay at the Sands. Great units with best views. The restaurant below is under new management and the food was excellent.

Excellent location. Good view. Enjoyed the beach

I was happy with everything

Location and size

Mattress to old and uncomfortable

Everything

Nothing

Fantastic property, very comfortable and had everything we needed. Good views and fantastic location. Private secure parking at the door of the property. Fully equipped with all amenities. Bar/grill and fish and chips shop on bottom floor. Great location just across from the beach and park. Near to town and shops etc.

The property is on a busy road junction so there is some noise from traffic. This was not an issue for us but is something that may be a problem for some people.

Great location close to everything you need bars restaurants beach

Our bed was substandard and needs replaced very uncomfortable

Fantastic location with wonderful views!

No smart tv and broken outdoor furniture

Good location, nice and light.

The second bed room had two single beds which had to be pushed together to allow the door to close. My daughters weren't too keen on that arrangement. Also there was no wifi password available.

Incredible views

All good, the door was broken but they explained it was being fixed.

Great layout with lots of space

location was perfect

The balcony pots/garden could have a bit of a tidy up

Loved the washing machine n dryer

Couch was uncomfortable

Parking was a little tight with a big SUV vehicle- I’m sure I gave the owner a laugh trying to park 🤣

It was easy access, very quiet and felt secure.

The property could do with more crockery and the shower leaked, but it was clean.

We really enjoyed our stay here. The view was good, a 100 meters from the beach, easy access to a cafe and takeaways. Quality furnishings and a wonderfully comfortable bed. Aircon was handy. Highly recommend for a luxurious stay.

Nothing.

Location, size of rooms and extra bathrooms

Nothing

Excellent location! Right by the beach.

Light from the carpark kept the bedroom light all night. Was hard to sleep.

It was spacious and clean. Well supplied.

The second single bed/trundle was broken. We had to use a footstool to prop up one end. I called the front desk. No other bed to replace it. The maintenance contractor came. Couldn’t fix it. Cleaners came to remake the bed. They stated they were embarrassed by the situation. The ventilation fans in the bathrooms don’t work.

The locality - closeness to the beach and restaurants.

On busy road so noisy out on the patio

Location view

Smelly drain

Great hotel, friendly staff (Neville), and awesome location

Everything!

Nothing!

Location

Room was not clean with unpleasant smell and noice during night fish and chips

Awesome apartment, great location. We'll definitely be back.

Superbe appartement avec vue sur la mer et un immense balcon. Très propre et très bien équipé. Des lits extrêmement douillets. Après 3 semaines en N-Z certainement le plus bel appartement. Restez le plus longtemps possible pour profiter de ce site exceptionnel.

Rien.

Das Bett war wirklich gut und auch die Miele Waschmaschine und der Miele Trockner waren sehr hilfreich

Das Apartment macht einen schon etwas gebrauchtes Eindruck. Kein Duschgel war auch enttäuschend.

Great location, clean, and tidy. Spacious unit. Lovely view.

Close to Tahuna beach, good size bathroom.

Na

stunning view sun most of the day through a bit noisey with traffic but after a while you didn't notice it

higher up next time

We love to stay at The Sands. Wonderful location, fantastic view and we love having the outdoor balcony. Great amenities with the likes of own kitchen and laundry facilities.

Unfortunately the rooms are getting a bit tired and run down. Our bed in the main bedroom was incredibly uncomfortable, very hard mattress that felt like we were crawling into a cardboard box. We got up after the first night to realise that my husband had been sleeping on the electric blanket switch which was positioned in the middle of the mattress! We were able to rectify that by simply moving the electric blanket over so it sat centre on the bed but were very surprised that the bed was made like that as it was a significant lump.