Horse And Jockey Inn - Matamata

They host a great quiz night on Wednesday nights. The staff are friendly and attentive. I've never ordered food there but a friend went there for a Christmas Day smorgasbord and said it was great.

I should have done a little more research before booking a room here, as they don't have any of the amenities I usually expect in a modern inn. No phone, TV, wifi is offered but can't be picked up from your room, so you have to go to the lobby to use the 50 MB vouchers they give you. The room is just really minimal, and the bathroom is very cramped. The rooms are stark white and it makes you feel like you are in a dorm. This room is best for those who plan to spend as little time as possible in the room, and don't mind the hostel/dorm room feel of the place. I was just very underwhelmed upon arrival.

Haha, this was kinda my introduction to New Zealand. My best friend moved to NZ and I chose to visit him for my 40th birthday. After that wonderful trans-Pacific flight, I landed in Auckland and we pretty much came down to Matamata to go to Hobbiton the next morning so we needed a place to stay and Horse And Jockey Inn was a great price for us to crash for the night. As Tom C. (currently the only other review for this 'Inn ' mentions, it 's a cross between a motel and a hostel. I knew that when I booked the room. BFF and I were college roommates so sharing a room was no big deal. It was pretty cozy to say the least. It had 2 beds, a heater, and I think there was a chair. That 's it. Down the hall was the bathroom. Everything was kept clean, but they probably haven 't made improvements since this place opened in the 60 's or 70 's to the rooms. Not sure what the age of the bathroom was. I was pretty tired and it 's all a blur now. However, for 2 guys who needed a place to stay for a night, it worked just fine. It 's located right off the main drag of this otherwise very quaint town. Staff was super friendly when we checked in and very helpful. They had some sort of rule about coming in late with keys, but I can 't remember, but the key situation with getting to the rooms was different than I 've ever seen before. There 's a bar at the bottom of the inn and a grocery store that has seen better days across the street. I can 't imagine spending more than 1 night here though. I think it 's okay for a just-passing-through type of place.

The difficulty with the Horse and Jockey Inn is that it 's a cross between a hostel and a motel. If you 're expecting a motel...you 're going to be disappointed...if you 're expecting a hostel, you 're going to be happy. Pros: Our room was clean and orderly, good size (about 24 x 18 as a guess). It had a sink in the room outside of the bathroom. There was lots of natural light from the two large windows. There were blackout curtains on the windows for those wishing to sleep in and not be awakened by the morning sun. There is a very small communal kitchen which has a fridge, microwave, and sink along with utensils, cups, glasses and dishes. There is a small table with two wicker chairs (if you get there before other guests). The space heater did a good job keeping our room warm. Cons: You 'll walk 4 flights of stairs (27 in all) to reach the floor with the rooms. You don 't have a microwave or fridge in your room...you share with the other guests in the communal kitchen. The building is not well insulated from outside road traffic noise. There isn 't a TV or phone in you room. The sink is provided with two (tiny) bars of soap. If you 're showering, you need your own proper bar of soap. Shampoo and lotion are not provided. The advert says free wifi however...it doesn 't say where the free wifi is provided ...it 's not necessarily in your room....I met other guests in the lobby to use the wifi. The lobby is about 10 x 10 and is bracketed by a pub bar restaurant on one side and a slot machine parlour on the other...so if you need to be in the lobby to use wifi you 're in for a bit of a noisy racket some of the time. The rooms are provided with an electric space heater...if it 's winter you 'll need it. The walls have no insulation and the windows are steel framed single pane glass. Ice cold. Other than leaving the bathroom door open, there 's no way to warm the toilet or shower area. A note: as in a hostel, some of the rooms offer a communal toilet and shower. These were kept very clean but if a communal toilet is a problem for you then take time to insure your booking includes an ensuite room. Prices reflect this, ensuite rooms cost more than rooms which share a bathroom. Prices are competitive with other properties located in town. The property is a successful restaurant, bar and gambling (slot machine) venue, there is a full bar, TVs, and restaurant ...the hotel portion seems to be an after thought...and customer service reflects this...

Great Staff, A1 super service...friendly very obliging to our need for a special dietry meal for our Son-in-law. I'll go out on a limb and say they will endeavor to cater for your requests . Our meals were sublime **** sorry no pics we were all busy eating laughing and forgot GREAT TEAM H J Service: 5 Location: 5