Name: Rainbow Lodge - Hostel
Address: 99 Titiraupenga Street Taupo 3330,Titiraupenga Street, Taupo, Taupo, Taupo, 3330, New Zealand
Rating: 8

Smoking areas

Heating

Garden

Terrace

General

Linens

Rooms

Safe-deposit box

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Common kitchen

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Transfer services

Transfer

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Bike rental

Barbecue grill(s)

Billiards

Fishing

Sun Deck

Recreation

Free parking

Parking

Cycling

Sports

Sauna

Beauty and wellness

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the hostel

Taupo Airport

Rainbow Lodge - Hostel

Taupo

Thankyou so much rainbow lodge..
For our stay it is a most relaxing environment
It's home away from home..
Very warm an cosy..
Thankyou to the office lady for her understanding..the owner is a great guy..

Thankyou..

Kelly n Les,,,

I would say, this is definitely the best backpacker I've ever stayed in NZ. After 8 months away, my boyfriend and I came back to Taupo again literally just for Rainbow and our "family" here. It's our home in NZ.

The location is great, in the town center, near Pak N Save and The Warehouse, a short walk to the lake. The public area and the yard is  big enough and they grow vegetables and lemons in the garden, which is really nice for us. The rooms are pretty cozy with very decent prices. The kitchen  is our favorite because there are fire stoves, which are so much better for cooking. And this place is very eco-friendly, which I really appreciate!

The people are the highlight of staying here. The owner and the managers are really nice and reliable, the staff are also very friendly. We got our "family" friends here. Pot luck nights are the best, we can enjoy food made by people from different countries. I really love the vibe, I've had so much unforgettable memory here, it's the only place that actually makes us feel at home.

Feels Like Home

Well what can I say about this magical place. If you are looking for good vibes, amazing company and a quirky layout you have found your place. Want to chill in a magical tree house above a fairy garden you got it, want to live in your van but still make amazing friends you got it. I was only meant to stay at this hostel two days and I ended up staying a month and woofing there, dorms and rooms are clean and comfortable. Memories made here will last a lifetime, I even met my boyfriend there!!! Everyone comes together like a big family, this place really has a special place in my heart. Love to everyone who lives and works there, great staff and so much fun. ❤

Best hostel in New Zealand FACT!!

Absolutely loved my stay at Rainbow, you immediately feel welcome in a friendly, cosy atmosphere. I came to stay for a few days and ended up staying for 3 weeks. It feels like a family home equipped with everything you need, a clean kitchen and comfortable common area. It is easy to relax here but you can also get involved in the social scene and enjoy yourself with your fellow guests. I would stay again anytime, one of the highlights of my trip in NZ was the time I spent here. Special shout out to Charlotte for looking after us all!

A super hostel

Rainbow Lodge is one of the best hostel I stayed in, while travelling New Zealand. They have an awesome team of staff there, great facilities and a real compfy and welcome common area, which I like the best!
I only intended to stay a few days, ended up staying a few weeks. I can only highly recommend this hostel!

Loved it!!

Stayed here several times in the last year and will always come back! Staff are brilliant, always on hand to help in any way they can. Rooms were great, good size for the amount of people. The atmosphere is always welcoming and chilled, a home away from home. Great facilities, the sauna was a definite favourite!

Excellent stay!

I really enjoyed my stay here, this hostel is super friendly, well equipped and perfectly placed in Taupo. I enjoyed my bedroom with a good mattress, the different showers with a nice pressure. The kitchen was perfectly to cook meals for me and my friends. The staff was always helpful and friendly.
I'll definitely recommend this place to stay for 1 night or more !

Amazing place to stay

Does not looking anything like the pictures on the website which is very disappointing. You share facilities with the Rainbow Backpackers. Could not sleep due to doors slamming at all hours. We left early and when arriving at the front desk(lol not what I would call it) there is never anyone to assist. We called on the mobile phone to get someone.

Avoid at all costs

Bed was very hard, shower was high pressure one squirt, found previous guest medication in room. Staff unhelpful.Bathroom dark and tiny.Car park offered nowhere to turn around. Kitchen area small and ill-equipped i.e. only one zip, which the water did not stay hot in thermos over night.

Would never stay again or recommend to anyone.

Debatable

Bear in mind that I am experienced backpacker, I stay in multiple hostels throughout the world and have never had a problem.  Also bear in mind that I last wrote an internet review (for anything) in 2009.  

Here we go ...

Arrived on site with a car full of all my possessions as I’m moving. A bloke is sat outside the front gate smoking a spliff. Just past him, torn and dirty outdoor furniture is scattered around the exterior. Nobody on reception initially so I walk in to the communal area. There are a few people lounging about in a way that suggests they are permanent fixtures of the place. It looks like they’ve been there all day. These are ‘long term’ guests as described by the receptionist. I’m an experienced traveller and use hostels often. This place has more the feel of a doss house than a backpackers. Which makes sense. Afterwards I check the website. They’re renting rooms by the week for 150 bucks.

I told the receptionist that this was not what I had in mind when I booked. And that based on first impressions, I did not feel comfortable leaving my car full of possessions on site. Given I had paid for a service I assumed would deliver on that basic principle, I explained that I did not feel it was reasonable to pay for the room if I wasn’t staying. He listened to my complaint, came out to see if he could smell cannabis. By that time the bloke had finished his spliff and gone. He tries to tell me I’m imagining it.

So then I’m stone walled by him. He said he would cancel the reservation and readvertise, but unless the room was taken, then I would be charged.  I said this was unreasonable. He couldn’t seem to understand why. Instead he tries to deflect blame for this situation on to me by saying nobody has complained before. He doesn’t understand why I might be upset if I’m being charged for a service that is not useable. I explain that without really being left any other recourse, I’m going to leave a review describing what has happened. I’m told I’m being unsympathetic to the backpackers, who have already dropped prices because of Covid.

I said I’d like to speak to the boss. Ross the boss who was there 2 minutes before, has apparently gone. Like a child, the receptionist petulantly refuses to tell me Ross’s surname. He says I can contact Ross the boss on Monday.

The finale - I am then told to leave the premises!

Rainbow Lodge - Hostel

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