Auckland Northcote Holiday home

I was extremely disappointed with my recent booking at the Auckland Terracotta Holiday Home through Booking.com. I had assumed that this platform upheld the same standards in New Zealand as it does in Australia. While on holiday in New Zealand with my family, I arrived at the property at the designated check-in time, as per the confirmation email from Booking.com. However, upon arrival, I found that someone else had already checked in, leading to a frustrating conflict. After a long journey, all I wanted was to rest. When I contacted the owner, she directed me to another property for accommodation. With no other options available, I reluctantly agreed to the new address she provided on my phone. We were understandably anxious about heading to a place based on instructions from a stranger. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the new property, there were no check-in instructions, and after speaking with the handyman, he had to reach out to the owner to help us locate the key. The condition of the house was far from acceptable, with an unpleasant odor of urine or sweat lingering on the couches. This experience was greatly disappointing and marred our holiday. To make matters worse, there was no internet available, and we were provided with no instructions whatsoever. Booking.com customer service didn’t even answer my phone calls or reply to customer service messages after a week. I was greatly disappointed with booking through this platform due to the lack of customer support at all. I sent many follow-ups to customer service but have yet to receive a reply.

Location was fantastic. Good off road parking & easy access. Plenty of beds which were comfortable. Had a fan in each room. Has 2 bathrooms with toilets which was convenient.

Some glasses for kids to use would be helpful as there were only wine glasses. The pillows were not the greatest so some extras would handy. The shower head attachment needs replacing as at high pressure it swung around spraying everywhere.

Good location close to lots of eateries, next to field, and close to the supermarket. Space for once off road parking on a steep driveway. Beds were firm but comfortable enough. Clean. Lots of towels. Lots of beds.

It was much shabbier than i thought from the photos. From the outside the house looks like it is falling apart so i was really unsure if it was the correct house when we initially arrived. There were old mattresses sitting in the car port. The rooms were adequate but not particularly pleasant. Some of the rooms were hot and hard to get good ventilation in. I wouldn’t pay the full price to stay here but the discounted rate is ok. The house felt cheaply furnished and cheaply decorated. I won’t be recommending this place or be coming back to stay. There were ants in the bathroom.