I arrived to Kaikoura by train and as the following two whale watching cruises were complete I booked the first cruise available and went to the motel.
Unfortunately, they don't let me get in because it was 10 a.m. (a few hours before 2 p.m.) and so I left the luggage and go around to see something (not a lot actually because it was raining) in the city center and spent some time at the tourist information waiting for the cruise.
After the cruise I returned to the hotel and so I could go to the room and have some short rest.
The room is quite confortable but there was no a good view as publicised.
The accomodation is not very far from the city centre (5-10 minutes walking) but you must walk 100-200 metres in a very step road. The railways station (the whale wathing is located in the same site) is another 5-10 minutes walking.
The centre of Kaikoura is quite small and there is nothing of particular attractive apart from something I haven't see because I didn't read very careful the guide: an old house made entirely with whales bones.

We stayed here for two nights to attend a family wedding. It was the holiday season and a last minute booking, however the price of the room was too much for the motel. Upon arriving, the service was fine, though nothing spectacular. We were given milk, a map, and the option to pay now or at check out. We were given directions to town (5 minutes down the hill). Good points - it met our expectations of a motel room, ie the room was very clean, equipped with essentials, and despite the information provided, we received fresh towels for the second night. Bad points - the bed wasn't very comfortable, the bathroom window needs a blind to block out the light (that blinded a sleeping person if an early riser opened the bathroom door), the shower pressure impossible to wash hair in, and the temperature of the water was affected by other units using water, and the units were noisy (lots of street noise). It was nothing spectacular, and most definitely not value for money at $145 per night. We expect not to visit Kaikoura again, however if we did, we would find somewhere else to stay.

We were on our way back to Wellington from a South Island trip and wanted somewhere to spend the night before we got the ferry. The Bella Vista is located on the side of SH 1 - far enough away so that the noise of the trucks thundering past isn't obtrusive. There are peeps of the ocean from the eastern side and on the west, where our windows were, some lovely views of the countryside and the Kaikoura mountains in the distance (when the cloud isn't hanging low). It is a 10-15 minute steep-ish walk down the hill to the quaint little township of Kaikoura (booming these days because it has become a compulsory waypoint for the motorhomes and backpackers to watch the whales and other sealife). The motel itself is modern and well-maintained. We had a studio room upstairs which was rather cramped - OK for a place to crash overnight after a long drive but we wouldn't have wanted to be there for much longer. We had to dine on our fish and chips off our knees, sitting on the bed. The mattress was a bit soft and it was impossible to adjust the shower before getting in without flooding the bathroom but apart from these minor inconveniences it did the basics properly and the tariff was reasonable so we have no real cause for complaint: we got what we paid for.

We had a lovely, albeit too short, stay. Great location, very nice rooms, and dealing with Joy and Don was like being with family. They went way beyond the call of duty for us, and we are forever grateful. When discussing our trip with family and friends we always include the hospitality we received at this facility. We would go back in a heartbeat.