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Reviews of Catlins Newhaven Holiday Park

3 out of 5
Catlins Newhaven Holiday Park
324 Newhaven Rd, Surat Bay, The Catlins, New Haven, Otago

Reviews

9.2

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 55 out of 91 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 31 out of 91 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 91 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 91 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 91 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.4/10

Staff & service

9.0/10

Amenities

8.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

damon

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great place to base yourself for an adventure in the Catlins!
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024
Response from gabo on 24 Mar 2024
Yes it is and thanks so much for for great review.Go well and I hope the rest of your holiday goes just as well.

10/10 Excellent

Christine

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Just beautiful surroundings. We saw some sea lions resting on the beach. The cabin is well equipped and the shared bathrooms spotless clean. Great campground for a relaxing and peaceful time.
Response from Gabo on 16 Feb 2024
Thanks Christine that's great feed back cheers

10/10 Excellent

RUTH

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location as near the beautiful big beach. Saw a sea lion basking in the sun. Cabin was well equipped, though a shelf in the bathroom for our toilet bag would have been useful.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024
Response from Gabo on 31 Jan 2024
Noted and thanks for the great review Ruth. Enjoy your holiday

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful location,quiet, accessible for other attractions,friendly and relaxed location.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024
Response from gabo on 22 Jan 2024
Thanks Andrew that's great news. Its such a beautiful location. Cheers and safe travels

10/10 Excellent

Markus

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
an ideal place to stay for nature lovers and families who want to introduce their children to it. Our apartment had two rooms with shower and toilet so we didn't have to share it and we also had a well equipped kitchen which served us well. On the grounds there is a small playground and a common room with kitchen shower toilet and washing machines (which you have to pay for). The surrounding area is great with a few steps or minutes drive you can see sea lions in the wild, lots of different bird species and flowers. Weatherproof clothing should be taken at least at our time of travel (OCT/NOV). Shopping facilities are available in Owaka and should be planned.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023
Response from gabo on 4 Nov 2023
Thank you so much Markus. Thats a great review and were so glad that you enjoyed our place and had a great stay.

10/10 Excellent

angeline

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Love the location. Place was clean and comfortable for our short stay here. Wifi was great. Kids loved playing in the small beach area and the chess set.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from gabo on 19 Oct 2023
Thank you so much for your great review. We try hard to make our camp a great experience

8/10 Good

Stephen

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Gabo on 8 Nov 2023
Cheers Stephen

10/10 Excellent

Tiffany

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in May 2023
Response from gabo on 3 June 2023
Thanks so much Tiffany we really appreciate it

8/10 Good

Susan, Kerikeri

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Right next to beach to see sealions. Comfy unit.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023
Response from Gabo on 22 Apr 2023
Thanks for your review Susan. Those scallions are fantastic animals to watch. Hope the rest of your trip goes great for you all

8/10 Good

Geoff

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice place and close to the beach and there were places that were great for shopping
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023
Response from Gabo on 14 Apr 2023
Cheers Geoff its primo that you enjoyed our place. Hope the rest of your holiday goes great

10/10 Excellent

Chris

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice location, nice hosts
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023
Response from Gabo on 19 Mar 2023
Thanks so much for the positive feed back Chris it makes it all worth while to hear were providing our guests with the right settings

4/10 Poor

Ross

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023
Response from Gabo on 10 Mar 2023
Well that s to bad Ross

10/10 Excellent

Colin

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023
Response from gabo on 12 Feb 2023
Thanks so much Colin we really appreciate your kindness

8/10 Good

Keren

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Loved being so close to a beach at which e could watch sea lions. Kitchen was well equipped with cooking equipment, and the cooks knife in our cabin was amazingly sharp (a rarity in holiday parks).
Response from Gabo on 24 Jan 2023
Cheers Keren were glad you enjoyed your stay with us. Pass it on cheers

10/10 Excellent

Peter

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Tidy clean cabin in great location
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2023
Response from Gabo on 27 Jan 2023
Thank you Peter we really appreciate your review and are glad you had a great stay

8/10 Good

gary

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Location by sea
Response from gabo on 11 Jan 2023
Cheers Gary

8/10 Good

Lynette

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Really pleased with the cabin and the facilities
Response from Gabo on 7 Jan 2023
Cheers Lynette glad you enjoyed your stay

10/10 Excellent

Keely

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great family spot
Beautiful spot. Well maintained. Fun walk to the sea with sea lions along the way. Very scenic. My so. And husband loved the huge chess board.
Cabin A
View from Cabin A
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2022
Response from gabo on 19 Dec 2022
Thank you so much that's very kind of you. Were glad that you enjoyed this place and the sea lions as much as we do. Cheers and merry xmas to you all

10/10 Excellent

Siew Hui

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property is nearby to a beach where we managed to see some sea lions. The apartment itself is also well-furnished. Host is friendly and helpful.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2022
Response from Gabo on 23 Nov 2022
Thanks Siew Hui its so nice to get great reviews.Even better when you had a great time here

10/10 Excellent

Stephen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Laid Back spot right on the coast
We stayed in cabin #3, which was roomy and comfortable for 2 of us. (There’s a 2nd bedroom with bunk beds, which we just used for storage of the too much stuff we were hauling around.). Location is outstanding for walking along the beach and seeing sea lions. Dining options in the nearby town of Owaka are pretty limited, but the Whistling Frog in Chaslands about 46 km west is pretty good if you are going that way.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2022
Response from gabo on 20 Nov 2022
Cheers for the great review Stephen. its a great area to look around not so much for fine eats

10/10 Excellent

Martin

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2022

10/10 Excellent

Amy

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022
Response from gabo on 16 Oct 2022
Thanks so much Amy. Were glad that you enjoyed our place and beach. YAY

10/10 Excellent

Penni

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Lovely clean place wonderful staff
Stayed 3 nights in May 2022
Response from gabo on 12 May 2022
Thanks Penni for the great review

10/10 Excellent

AEKYUNG

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was an amazing spot with tidy spacious room. We truly enjoyed our stay there. Oh friendly staff as well.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022
Response from Gabo on 9 Feb 2022
Thanks for that great review Aekyung and were glad you had a great time too

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Reception is very friendly and informative.
Stayed 1 night in May 2021
Response from gabo on 17 May 2021
Thank you thats very kind. Cheers

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Can't get better than this if you're looking for an old-school, inexpensive, fuss-free getaway in one of the most beautiful & unspoiled locations you could find. You won't even be disturbed by your mobile phone ... fantastic! Thanks to our very obliging hosts; Mum & I stopped here for 1 night but couldn't bring ourselves to leave that quickly. You have been warned.
Stayed 1 night in May 2021
Response from Gabo on 6 May 2021
Thank you so much for your great review, and you are most welcome

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Close to the beach. Nice for a stop along the Caitlin’s. Quiet location.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2021
Response from gabo on 2 May 2021
thank you

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good self contain tourists unit, well equipped,comfortable to stay in, well presented
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2021
Response from gabo on 20 Mar 2021
Thank you for for kind review, we appreciate it

10/10 Excellent

Helen

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
The chalet was comfortable, clean and roomy for three people. Kitchen was well equipped and the setting was lovely - even a view of Mt Cook Reception very friendly and helpful
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2021
Response from Gabo on 4 Mar 2021
Not sure thid was meant for us but we will take it cheers

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Loved or stay. Super clean cabin and friendly staff. Definitely be staying here again.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2021
Response from Gabo on 23 Feb 2021
Thats great news folks, please feel free to call again anytime

6/10 Okay

Rob

Keeping it kiwi
If you want a good backpacker type acc or camping then this place is good for that. Right near the beach. Room was clean and warm but a bit tired. Took a while to figure that the freeview plug had been pulled out and left behind the tv. Dissapointing there was no milk or soap given the distance from any shops and we had booked tourist flat with bathroom. The reception was helpful on arrival. The rooms appeared fully booked out. Expensive for what was provided. Save $40 and stay in the units without the bathroom.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2021
Response from gabo on 17 Feb 2021
Hi Rob we dont supply milk or soap as we are not a motel - hotel and most of the time the products are thrown out, which also goes against our eco policy. The $40 dearer places in Owaka do

6/10 Okay

David, Dunedin NZ

Travelled with family
Disliked: Amenities
good place only grumble there was not enough showers /toilets for the amount of people who can stay at one time.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2021
Response from gabo on 17 Feb 2021
cheers David we have been fighting with the regional council for the past year about this and there main concern is we will be over 3k litres a day in waste water. The cost of the treatment is to great to justifiey with the covid thing. But when the numbers return we will be installing another block. thanks for your patience

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2020
Response from gabo on 17 Feb 2021
Yay a great review thanks so much

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Loved it that it was close to the beach and the owners were fantastic.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2020
Response from Gabo on 9 Feb 2022
Yay for us

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020
Response from gabo on 31 Mar 2020
thanks for your review

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A small site with cabins and pitches/hook ups. Our cabin was attached to another and it vibrated a bit when the kids next door jumped about or a door slammed, otherwise it was quiet from about 9pm. A lovely beach a couple of minutes away tide dependant but gorgeous with sea lions. Beautiful coastline and forest. Lovely views and plenty of places to explore. The Catlins is a delightful place to visit and not overcrowded.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2020
Response from gabo on 26 Jan 2020
Thanks for the great review we appreciate it

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Great location close to Surat Bay, very friendly, quiet, as described,
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020
Response from Gabo on 14 Jan 2020
Cheers to you thanks for the great reveiw. Go well and safe travels

10/10 Excellent

Lee

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The manager was friendly and the cabin was clean, comfortable and spacious. In a lovely location close to where we wanted to explore. 😆
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2020
Response from Grant on 13 Jan 2020
Hi Lee thanks for your kind and great review it makes it all worth while

10/10 Excellent

Liz

Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Ursula

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice and basic
The room was fine, no toalit or a shower in the room, all shared. Taking a shower cost a few coins for 5 min. Everything was clean. The owners are very nice.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from Gabo on 22 Oct 2019
thanks for the review. Glad you had a good time as the weather was a bit off

10/10 Excellent

Bezan

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The sea lions are right on the beach. Beds with heating pads!
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from grant on 29 Mar 2019
Hi Bezan we are happy that those sea lions co operated with you and the electric blankets keep you warm

10/10 Excellent

James

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Remote cabin by the sea
These little cabins stand near a spectacular walk on beach. Well thought out and equipped.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019
Response from grant on 6 Mar 2019
Thanks for your kind review. We try hard to make it a great place for folks to come and relax and enjoy the beautiful beach scapes

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location to see the Catlins. Saw sealions within 5 minutes walk from the camp. Need to be happy to drive on the short stretch of gravel road to get there.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2019
Response from gabo on 27 Feb 2019
Well we a sure happy with this review thanks so much for your knidness

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2019
Response from gabo on 27 Feb 2019
Thanks for the reveiw

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I like its green grass. A table outdoor. Nice bed. Big Kitchen
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2018

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was quiet and had easy access to the beach and other beaches in the area. Great to see some sealife e.g.seals.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018
Response from grant on 29 Nov 2018
Glad you got to see some of the wild life and enjoyed your stay. Safe travels

10/10 Excellent

Darren

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great place to stay, a bit out of the way, cabin was good, only thing was that you needed $2 coin to have a 5 min shower that didn’t get warm for over 2 min of that and then very hard to keep temp control!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from grant on 13 Oct 2018
Sorry about the showers Darren they have been a bit tempurmental lately but plumber is on the way. cheers

10/10 Excellent

Natalie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Cruio Bay
Great place to stay. New accommodation. Close to the beach, and to view the penguins. Also for walks and waterfalls. Very friendly Manageress, helpful.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from grant on 10 Oct 2018
Glad that you enjoyed your stay and the sites with us Natalie. It is such a beautiful place in the world. Go well and safe travels

2/10 Terrible

Mumtaz, Malaysia

We are not allowed to check in
We are not allowed to check in although we already reached there at 8pm. We are requested to pay additional 190NZD for having additional 3 kids (6yrs, 6yrs, 3yrs). While we were still discussion, they chase us out saying that they are closing now and if we are not going out, they will call the police. They said that we did faulty by putting only 2 adults. We had to leave and find for other place, which we are unable to get as all are sold out and the walk in hotels are close. We're left with no place to stay for the night with 3 small kids. The hotel already charged us although we did not stay there.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018
Response from Grant on 25 Sept 2018
For a start we were contacted by the holiday park you stayed in last night saying what a mess you made and they had to have it professionaly cleaned. You booked in saying that there was only two people hiding your three kids then caused a uproad when caught and asked to pay for them. Exactly the same as when you checked in here. The tourist flat you booked is not allowed that many people according to NZ fire regulations. You were to be up graded at the extra cost of the 3 kids ($60) to another unit. You refused to pay this amount, and deciced to leave on your own free will after being caught out