Rotorua’s Alpin Motel and Conference Centre was our favorite motel in New Zealand. It had all the comforts of home and added a hot tub filled with geothermally heated and mineralized water. The room was large, had a kitchen, and the couple in charge were really nice. The motel was the only place we stayed that provided a French press, or plunger, and ground coffee to go in it. (Everywhere else had instant coffee.)

Breakfast at the motel was filling and huge. The couple that runs the hotel brought it to our room hot and ready to eat. This breakfast allowed us to try New Zealand staple foods, including Weet-Bix, spaghetti on toast, and beans on toast. Additionally, we had eggs and orange juice. It depends on the type of package that you get when you stay there, but our breakfast was definitely worth the extra.

Everyone warns you about the Sulphur smell that comes with a trip to Rotorua. All of the geothermal activity in the area creates an atmosphere that reeks of Sulphur. However, the odor seems to be strongest near the city center, and it fades in and out, probably due to wind and rainstorms. Staying outside of the city center can help further distance you from the smell.

Perhaps, a minor detail, but an important one, Rotorua’s Alpin Motel and Conference Centre was the only place we stayed at that offered Kleenex in the room. The other places we stayed at we used toilet paper, so it was nice to have something made for our noses. Next to Whakarewarewa, the living Maori village, this should be the first motel you check into when you visit Rotorua.