More about Novotel Royal Lakeside Rotorua
Rotorua Best Hotel by the Lake
by TripAdvisor Member World Passport
Cannot get any closer to Rotorua lake. Book your room with a lake view. It's worth to see. The room is very clean and spacious. If you want to see Maori cultural show, it is next door, part of the hotel. Cost NZ$60 per person for buffett dinner and Maori dance and singing show. It's like luau in Hawaii. It's just okay.
Many restaurants, souvenir shops, bank, convenient store, etc. within walking distance from the hotel. The staff is very friendly. Free parking. Parking space is rather small, good for small cars. Buffett breakfast is okay. Nothing special. We were in this hotel on New Year's eve and fireworks were just above the lake. It was really nice. The hotel sent us warning that loud music would go on past midnight. Did not really bother us. It was loud but it's New Year.
The hotel also has guest laundry facility. It's nice so you can pack light and just wash your laundry. Only cost NZ$2 each for washing (detergent is included) and drying. High speed internet is about NZ$34 for 24 hours. Not cheap but it worked well. Pool is small. No sulphur smell except by the spa and pool area.
Overall, it's the best lake side hotel in Rotorua.
Great place to stay!
by TripAdvisor Member Traveler2007-2
As we know that the standard of Novotels can be very different depending on the country you are, we were totally surprised about the Novotel in Rotorua. The room was spacious and very clean. The staff was friendly and always helpful. The food in the restaurant was very good, also the breakfast buffet was great. Free car parking was available right next to the hotel. The pool & spa was nice and clean, not busy at all. We also had a great view over the lake. As we traveled with our toddler we can say that the service for families is perfect. E.g. when we arrived for breakfast, they brought a highchair straight ahead without us asking for it (we had way other experiences...). The location of the hotel is perfect. Really a great place to stay and enjoy!
Very good, clean hotel offering excellent value for money
by TripAdvisor Member Sussex_John
Very good, clean hotel offering excellent value for money. Large, clean rooms, friendly service and an excellent buffet breakfast. Great location close to lake within easy walking distance to the town centre and museum (beware a number of hotels in Rotorua are on the outskirts of town).
Comfortable, and very convenient location.
by TripAdvisor Member Aredhel
This is an ideally-situated hotel: right by the lakeshore, and within easy walking distance of many shops and restaurants. I had a room with a lake view, which was lovely. The room was spacious and very clean, and the bed was extremely comfortable. The shower was nice, with very good water pressure. There was no sulphur smell at all. I had room service twice; the service was excellent, the food was good but nothing special. Amenities include on-site internet access, guest laundry facilities, a spa, and a gym, as well as a Maori concert and hangi nightly, but I cannot comment on the quality of these as I was too busy out and about seeing Rororua to try any of them. I'd happly stay here again!
Great room for the price
by TripAdvisor Member nina2727
Stayed two nights in a room overlooking the lake, very nice room and view was excellent. We didn't want to stay at a large chain hotel, but the prices in Rotorua forced us to make an exception. I'm glad we did as the room was very nice and the room service was actually excellent. Pleasant surprise.
Business orientated hotel, but still good for travellers.
by TripAdvisor Member BarbKs
Rooms are comfortable, medium sized, with a view of some of the town, the bathroom was very nice, with good sized basin for shaving and decent shower. Decor was fairly plain and the hotel was marketed towards business clients that were on short stay.
There is a good bar in the hotel with a pool table next to the loby of the hotel. There were many spa facilities available with geo-thermal pools a well as a normal heated pool.
It is located at the end of a main street which has plenty of restaurants and cafes. There is a nice little chololate/coffee shop just next door which makes great coffee.
Staff were very friendly, some new more about the local area than others. Booking tours and transport was easy from the front desk. They have quite a few board-room facilities for conferences etc.
Novotel Royal Lakeside Rotorua
by TripAdvisor Member lithlith
We stayed here for one night in July 2007. I was really worried before we arrived that the sulfur smell of Rotorua would be overwhelming to me; however, there was just a faint sulfur smell in the air at the hotel and after a few hours you actually get used to it. We had a average sized room with a view of the lake. There was a small pool and a hot and a cool spa tubs at the hotel.
We had dinner and saw the Maori cultural show at a building right next to the hotel. It was a huge room and only about half filled. The dinner was a buffet with Hangi and "normal" food. There was a good variety of food - something for everyone. The show was also very entertaining.
We had breakfast at the hotel, compliments of our tour. It was a very large breakfast buffet with lots of choices of hot and cold food.
Decent choice in central location
by TripAdvisor Member socal1223
Rotorua is an interesting small town, where you will find two main clusters of hotels - one along Fenton which leads away from the main shop/tourist area, all the way out to the Whakarewarewa Geothermal park, often lined by roadside motels of varying quality (some quite nice) and a couple nicer hotels. The other main area is down by the lakefront and near the main restaurants and shops.
I would recommend staying at the latter, as everything in Rotorua itself is easily accessible.
This being said, you have several choices, but the main two hotels are both Accor properties - the Novotel and the Ibis.
The Novotel is the slightly fancier and slightly more expensive of the two. Staff are always very friendly, and the hotel is clean and in good condition. The rooms are also comfortable - nothing too fancy, but quite clean and modern with comfortable beds and immaculate bathrooms. Save your money and don't bother paying extra for a lake view, however, as you can just walk out and enjoy a stroll along the lakefront for a bit less! The pool is heated by geothermal waters supposedly, and is quite warm and pleasant, but can get crowded by kids at times. There are a few private hot pools next to the pool, each in a simple and clean cubicle of sorts - not peaceful with the noise from the pool, but certainly comfortable.
The hotel has plenty of parking to the side and never seems to feel crowded - I have stayed here about 3 times thus far and have been pleased each time.
I have not eaten at the Atlas Brasserie, so cannot comment on their food, but hear it's pretty decent.
Overall, I find this probably the best of the nicer-grade hotels to choose from in Rotorua.
