Copthorne Hotel and Resort Bay of Islands

The views, the location, and the service were all great.

The breakfast buffet was less than spectacular. Recommend going into town and eating at one of the local establishments for better food, better price. The pool area needs some work; recommend ocean water sports instead.

The hotel is okay and was convenient because we visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. Otherwise, however, its location is not particularly convenient. I was also looking at the hotel as the potential venue for a conference that I am organising in late 2026. I have decided against this and will never stay at the Copthorne again, principally because of the offensive behaviour of one staff member during breakfast on our first morning.

I did not like being loudly harassed by a staff member while we were eating breakfast on our first morning. She mistakenly believed that we had not paid for this the previous day when we checked in (and we had paid a deposit by credit card) and, in effect, demanded that we should stop eating and pay before proceeding further. We had, in fact, been told to proceed with our breakfast by the restaurant supervisor, but our assailant decided to take matters into her own hands and to loudly argue the issue while we were endeavouring to have breakfast. This was appallingly bad behaviour on her part and appears to be symptomatic of staff attitudes generally in the hotel, which overall are not as good as they could be.

I enjoyed the breakfast!!! It was the best part for me. The scrambled eggs were on point then bacon, hollandaise and tomatoes!

The toilet was dirty behind the toilet seat there was long hair on the floor and black build up on the bottom of the tiles close to the bath! The swimming pool smelled of stale public toilets. It was hot and that's all you could smell!

This time round I would probly rate the breakfast 3 out of 10 as the food was low, had to ask the workers to fill up things.The room was also messed up as I booked for 2 adults 3 children. I reception said that they don't have rooms for more then 5 people. Was advised because it was a health and safety thing.Also offered to do another room but I had to pay extra I refused. After talking to manager I was allowed to stay in the room that I originally booked for.

The service

Perfect for families with children. The swimming pool was amazing for the kids. We spent a lot of time playing there. Even though it was a bit dirty, it didn’t stop the kids from having fun, and it gave a real holiday vibe.

The bathroom was not very clean and could definitely be improved. The main pool is also a bit dirty . The food options were quite limited, so there wasn’t much variety to choose from.

Location, Pool and view

Bathroom needs an upgrade, the rest was lovely

The location was absolutely perfect and stunning. The pool was incredible. Breakfast buffet was lovely and had something for everyone. The ability to be in the pool or in the ocean was great. The grounds and gardens were beautiful. The rooms were exactly what we needed to accommodate our group. Will definitely return and have already recommended to others as a great family location. Enjoyed the poolside bar, cafe tables and lawn chairs and umbrellas poolside. The fireworks over the bay on NYE was the perfect end to our stay!

No one this was undesirable. Every attention to detail was provided. Even check in and check out pool towels.

Great hotel, comfortable beds, beautiful gardens and a really lovely view over the water. The breakfast was delicious and lots to offer. Staff were friendly and helpful. The place is a little tired but still a good standard.

The only complaint is the large pool is cold.... not a big deal as the sun was shining and the hot pool was glorious.

Views of lake beautiful. Decent breakfast. Short Walk to treaty grounds - we went twice as one tickets allows access over 2 days.

The pool great for kids, not lap swimming.

The hotel was in a beautiful location but not 4 star rated, the pool was beautiful but only 14 sun loungers were provided, not enough for a hotel that size. The rooms were large but very dated, the carpet looked to have iron burns on it and the handrail in the bath was coming off the wall. We had a garden room which offered no privacy unless we closed the doors needing the lights to be tirned on, the slated doors should be movable. The concierge was brilliant offering free trips into town but we came across this by accident, it wasnt widely advertised... nice hotel but needed to be much better for the rating.

Location was amazing.The staff were kind, smiling all the time, and very helpful

The hotel needs updating.The towels in the room need changing..I left the used one on the floor but they put it back unchanged..that was disgusting.Should serve food and drinks a bit later.The swimming pools were disgusting No spaMould in the bathroom.Carpets were stained and dirtyThe room smelled like rotten fish and old medications were left in the room.The noise was unbearable.

Location

Stairs corridor and restaurant

Pool is nice

The room looked nothing like the pictures, it was dusty and dirty, the curtain was ripped and the walls were scratched, there were cobwebs in the corners and a random sock in the bed that didnt belong to us! No room service as advertised, and the restaurant had one main option - curry. Really disappointing this used to be a nice place, now the rooms are barely 2 star quality.

The room was very clean with had amazing views. We were on the first floor - seaspray apartment. Bed was very comfortable and room size was good. Loved the location of the resort. It was close to the Treaty grounds and great walks. The breakfast staff were amazing, very friendly and helpful and efficient.

The bathroom was very basic but very clean.

Great clean modern rooms, perfect for an overnight stay.

Expensive - stayed at other similar places that weren’t as costly

Location

Bathroom was dated, low water pressure and mouldy grout in shower

Sea view and close to the beach. Children loved to be able to go explore the beach. Room size is good. Pool looked good but sure this is much better in summer. Rooms were nice and warm, didnt need to use the heatpump. Pancake machine was a hit with the children when it did work.

We had bad tv reception, like there was a loose cable or something. The shower had hair on the wall that was not from us. Seemed dirty. No extraction fan in the bathroom or did not work very well. Bed were super soft and felt like we were rolling to the middle of the bed. Coffee pod machine would be nice in the room. Pancake machine was not working properly but the lady on duty tried her best to help get it going after 1 pancake. Breakfast was very expensive for what we got. Saw other guests specially ordering coffee from the bar as they didn't like the filter coffee. If you are paying that much for breakfast an automatic coffee machine would be nice.

The View/ The Beds and the Rooms where very beautiful and worth what we paid for the room

The parking was to far from our room

The food was lovely, restaurant staff approachable and the beds were lovely and soft.

The shower/bath didn't work the pull across shades were broken, no privacy unless you lock yourself in, too noisy from people slamming doors. Wouldn't recommend the ground floor, better to book a balcony. Didn't find the people at the desk friendly or approachable.

Outdoor pool should have been heated as alot of visitors came to pool but didnt go in as it was too cold for a swim.