The Cambridge Hotel

TLDR: Won't stay there again. Location: Convenient to everything like restaurants, Mt Vic, waterfront, bus to airport. Price: Price was right for my own room (w/ shared bathroom) at about $70/night. Noise: It's an old building in the city centre, so you definitely need earplugs. However on the second night there, earplugs were not enough -- the noise was coming from their own bar, and you could feel it through the hotel. I called down to reception, and all they would do is ask them to turn it down, which of course didn't solve the problem. I ended up having to call municipal noise control. Wifi: Barely worked, ended up having to use a lot of my phone data. Service: When I arrived, the woman working at the front desk was so engrossed in her phone, she made me feel like I was interrupting her because I wanted to check in. Rooms: Small but functional, with an old British style sink (with a cold tap and a Too Hot tap; no "just right"), mini fridge, electric kettle, and a weird chest of drawers with carpet on the top. The main thing that could really used a clean is the windows, pictured. Vibe: It's hard to describe the vibe of this place: maybe 1800s NZ boarding house meets 2000s NZ rural pub. The bar downstairs has a vibe that's very off; it's mostly men in there, horse racing on the TV, you can imagine they'd be smoking in there if still allowed.

I strongly advise against anyone staying here unless necessary. The management is petty and incredibly unreasonable. A fellow backpacker did not have a pillow, so I grabbed one from an empty bed in my room for them. There was nobody at the front desk to help at the time. I was kind enough to notify the desk staff later, and they charged me for an extra bed and treated me like a thief, claiming that I "took something that wasn't mine." Scummy treatment toward somebody only trying to be helpful and honest. Some of the folks I shared my room with also had no consideration. Watching videos with audio, closing the door hard, and turning on the room light throughout the night. There is a cheaper hostel in town and it's better.

The room was very spacious and had a comfy bed. In the afternoon and then during the night it got very warm inside and there was not enough ventilation or air conditioning. I appreciate having a mini fridge and also a sink. My room didn't have a toilet or shower, but at least I could brush my teeth without leaving my room. The shared bathroom was really close to my room. The staff is very friendly during check in and check out.

Really nice, basic hotel (way nicer than we expected for the price we paid). Everything we needed for a short stay and right in the centre of town. Huge, comfy beds. Plus you get a discount at the pub downstairs if you're a guest!

Mat race was very good we were in a single room with a double bed... our room was clean, we even had a fridge and a sink. However it was very loud at night because of the street next to the hotel. The toilets and showers were ok but not super clean. Nevertheless for the price it was a good quality.

The location was great. Although we didn't sleep much the three nights we stayed here. There are common bathrooms for some of the rooms which means people are constantly opening and closing doors. The hotel is old so you can hear everything! The noise of the doors all night long made it impossible to get some peace and quiet. The hotel itself is fine. The rooms have beautiful high ceilings and our room had a nice kingsize bed and bunk bed for the kids. Unfortunately the wall had unidentifiable smeers on them by the top bunk. A little gross. There was no AC so we slept with the windows open. This did not add help with the noise because others had their windows open too. All in all a good place but wouldn't stay here again.

I loved it here. The staff were great and made things super easy. The restaurant was really great food!!

Stayed in a single room for one night. Felt kind of prison-esque but not necessarily in a bad way. It was kind of loud, but with a good pair of earplugs I slept like a baby. Front desk staff was very personable. Shared bathrooms were clean but dated and cramped.