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Reviews of Absolute Waterfront Retreat

Absolute Waterfront Retreat
Opua, Northland

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 7 out of 10 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 3 out of 10 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 10 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 10 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 10 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Travis W.

Liked: Cleanliness
Beautiful house and location
We had a wonderful holiday. The house was perfect! The host was great to deal with.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 29 Apr 2024
Thanks guys we are so glad you loved the house. Like us we feel it is perfect. Best wishes Serena and Simon

10/10 Excellent

Russell F.

Liked: Cleanliness
Private and great location
Plenty of room for two families of three. The deck with covered and uncovered seating was a great extension of the house. Getting a big boat down the drive would be difficult. We put the boat in the marina which made it super easy for heading out on the water. Having the bikes and kayaks available was a real bonus.
Stayed 10 nights in Dec 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 3 Feb 2024
Thanks heaps! We are so glad you enjoyed your stay and having the boat at the marina 5 mins walk away must have been super convenient.

8/10 Good

Ursula C.

Liked: Cleanliness
Family-friendly Getaway
We loved the setting of this house with an outlook over the water and surrounded by bush full of very vocal birds. The house is very well set-up, and we appreciated that it's comfortable rather than super flash - which means dogs and children are welcome. It's great having walking access to the coastal trail and marina - we wandered down to the waterfront every day. The driveway is steep but you could get a small boat down there as the listing says. We chose to hire a marina berth which was very convenient. I would definitely recommend this place for a great holiday - my only reservation is for those with asthma as the bedrooms are a little musty.
Stayed 13 nights in Oct 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 20 Oct 2022
Thank you so much for your review. Having had the wettest winter on record and with the house being hardly used we agree that the bedrooms were a bit musty but now due to some good cleaning of windows and carpet also using heaters and now it's spring the issue has been fixed. We are glad you enjoyed the location and house. Thank you do much

10/10 Excellent

Alathea M.

Liked: Cleanliness
Gorgeous place & location - perfect for action & relaxing
This house is very spacious with lots of areas to relax and perfect for our big family group, from my 12 yr old nephew to my 79 yr old mum. The deck is huge and the views are amazing, its so peaceful looking out across the bush and water. Serena was just lovely to communicate with and very accommodating and helpful. We used the kayaks and had a wonderful explore on the water from the nearby little beach. Also used the bikes to cycle into Kawakawa - the nearby bike trail is fantastic. So much to do in the area .This is a really good base for adventures. House had everything we needed, kitchen, BBQ etc and we all loved it. Thank you!
Stayed 7 nights in Jan 2021
Response from VrboOwner on 11 Jan 2021
Thsnk you so much for your gorgeous review. I'm so glad you all enjoyed your stay. You were so easy to accommodate. The grouse family loved you too!

8/10 Good

Lisa S.

Liked: Cleanliness
Sanctuary
We loved our New Years getaway at the Opua bach, this place was a beautiful sanctuary. Surrounded by trees and the deafening sound of the cicadas we never wanted to leave. The house worked well for the 8 of us that stayed for 4 nights, including celebrating New Years on the deck. Great indoor outdoor flow with loads of seating. The spa was a little neglected and needed new water, unfortunately stopped us from using it much. Overall we had a fantastic time with relaxing days here.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2020
Response from VrboOwner on 5 Jan 2021
Hi there Thank you for your lovely review. Unfortunately the previous guests allowed their children to use it as a swimming pool and I had to have my spa pool company out to fix the problem which it looks as if it didnt do the job 100% which is disappointing.its normally crystal clear and beautiful. Such a pity for you all. Best wishes Serena

8/10 Good

Jeanine D.

Liked: Cleanliness
Ladies weekend away
We had a lovely weekend at (insert name of property) for our biannual Girl's Weekend Away. The Pros: • Gorgeous views of the water • 2 lounge areas with lots of options to watch movies or snuggle up to the fire. • Ample outdoor entertaining areas, and a lovely deck that extends the living area • Spacious spa pool (rain water, so mentally prepare for water that isn't crystal clear, which is normal for rain water) • Well appointed kitchen • Reasonably secluded (important when you have a pack of women laughing and dancing well into the night to not disturb the neighbours) • Great basecamp for wine tasting and exploring the local areas. The Cons: • You are a 10-15 minute drive from anything, so if you need anything, it isn’t a quick grab down the street. Something to keep in mind if you are drinking and run out of toilet paper or wine. • Given that we had 8 women for 2 days drinking wine, and not doing much more than that and gabbing, we went through a fair bit of toilet paper. The 5 rolls that were provided (2 bathrooms) when we arrived were gone by the following morning. We called and 2 more rolls were dropped off for the remaining day and a half. It was easily fixed when we contacted the owners a second time, but not before we had to find tissue packets from our purses to use the loo. • No shampoo/conditioner provided. This was a first for us, as most places generally offer small samples to use. • The “hand & body soap” in the showers at the sinks, are not the actual products on the bottle. This is important to know if you try to wash your colour treated hair, as some products such as dishsoap/some handsoaps will strip colour from your hair. So please bring suitable hair shampoo, and do not assume that the bottles match the product. • Even though the listing says that the property can sleep 10, be aware that there is really only 6 beds (2 queens x 4 bunk beds). The rumpus room “bedroom” is not enclosed, and really just a 2nd lounge with a futon-type bed. This was a surprise to us when we arrived as we were expecting an enclosed room, but the photo online doesn’t show that it is open to the entry and not an enclosed room. We had a great weekend and an amazing time. Amazing memories were made and we would be happy to stay here again!
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2020
Response from VrboOwner on 20 Oct 2020
Thanks so much for your review Jeanine, Just a header the local Opua store is a 1 min drive away or a 5 min walk along the waterfront, which would have been a fun thing to do after a few wines.... (this is in my house notes which I sent via email to you and there is a copy is in the front hall) if you needed any essentials it is great for pizza really great coffee too it also has a great wine and beer selection, and plenty of toilet paper!! Spa pool. I have since emptied the spa as it was full of grass, the water is from a tank as we are not on mains, but now it is back to being crystal clear again. Having a spa company manage it is a blessing as it does have a lot of use. Partying. This is a great house to have for a family group or group of friends but should be noted that the norm is to bring the fun inside at a suitable hour. Which you did after a nudge. Love to have you all again 6/8 max with plenty of toilet paper wine and hair necessities!!

10/10 Excellent

Morgan K., Kerikeri NZ

Liked: Cleanliness
Fantastic weekend away!
We had an amazing weekend away, it was perfect for our group of mums and had everything you could possibly need! We loved relaxing in the spa and the view was incredible. The host was lovely and accommodating and we will definitely be back!
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2020
Response from VrboOwner on 14 Oct 2020
Thanks Morgan It was so lovely to have you all. I only wish I could have stayed to have a glass or two! What a fabulous lovely group of ladies.

10/10 Excellent

Shamal P.

Liked: Cleanliness
Host is amazing
Had an amazing time at the Bach. Host is amazing, easy and clear communication. Thanks Serena!
Response from VrboOwner on 3 Jun 2020
Thanks team loved having you to stay jenga is in the post! Please come again. Big hugs team whaikere lodge

10/10 Excellent

J C.

Liked: Cleanliness
A little slice of heaven
This property is everything it promises to be: perfect location, great facilities, easy and relaxed host to communicate with, and a phenomenal view from the hot tub. Couldn't recommend higher.
Response from VrboOwner on 5 Mar 2020
Thank you for your fab view so glad you enjoyed the house and hot tub! You were perfect guests

10/10 Excellent

Darragh M.

Liked: Cleanliness
Lovely house with amazing views
This is a lovely house with an amazing view. Only 10 minutes from pahia is has all you need to enjoy the bay of islands and relax in style.
Response from VrboOwner on 5 Mar 2020
Thanks Darragh it was a pleasure to have you all to stay I'm so glad you liked the house, style and its tip top view.