Circular Bay

We recently stayed at Circular Bay Beach House on Waiheke Island. The location itself is undeniably beautiful, peaceful, and very special. The natural surroundings and sense of remoteness are part of what makes the property unique, and we did enjoy the serenity and scenery during our stay. However, there were several important details that were not clearly communicated in the listing, which significantly impacted our expectations and experience. Firstly, the reservation was non-refundable at the time of booking, yet critical access information was only provided in a confirmation email a few days before the stay. The property is extremely remote and requires a true four-wheel drive vehicle to access comfortably. This was not clearly stated in the Booking.com description. We were fortunate to already have a suitable vehicle, but this could easily catch other guests out. Secondly, the listing indicated proximity to Mudbrick Estate, which led us to believe we were staying near the winery grounds with the ability to walk through vineyards to meals and tastings. In reality, the house is approximately 40 kilometres away, requiring a serious drive. This should be clearly stated in the listing copy to avoid misunderstanding. Another point worth noting is that the upstairs bedrooms do not have a full divide between them, which affects privacy and should also be made clearer in the description. From a practical perspective, the kitchen was also missing a large cooking pot. For a house that accommodates 8–10 guests, a large pot is essential for shared meals such as pasta, clams, corn, soups, or even mixing a large salad. This would be a necessary addition to the kitchenware. Finally, on our departure morning, despite checkout being at 10am, gardeners arrived at 9am and began mowing and working noisily around the property. A house cleaner also arrived just before checkout.

This meant our final paid hour of quiet enjoyment was disrupted, which was disappointing given the premium nature of the stay and the emphasis on peace and seclusion. Overall, the property itself is beautiful and we did enjoy many aspects of the stay. However, due to the lack of clarity in the listing, the remoteness logistics, privacy limitations, missing essential kitchenware, and the early morning maintenance disruption, we would not personally recommend this property to others unless these details are clearly understood in advance.

Beautiful location, clean, comfy beds and pillows. Really peaceful, spacious living area, great privacy & amazing views. This was our second stay in this house and would definitely return and recommend to others.

The road out to house is quite narrow, steep and curvy in parts, would make sure we always travelled in daylight.

Very private location, away from the main road and areas. Good white towel and they are soft and snow white.

Only the main master room has curtain and upstairs top room has blinder, although it is very safe and private at the location.

Amazing location!!! Right on the water. Everything you could possibly need inside, beautiful decor and very comfortable.

nothing. we loved it