After spending the first night in an International Hostel in Paihia, I moved the Longhouse B&B located a few kilometers north of Paihia. A private room with bathroom at the hostel cost $60. It was clean, but smelled a bit musty. It had cement block walls, and there were no toiletries, so it was a good thing I brought my own soap. The B&B on the other hand cost $74, and included a gourmet breakfast. When you factor in the cost of the breakfast, the B&B really didn't cost any more than the room at the hostel. Of course I could have gotten something around $20 at the hostel if I had been willing to share a room filled with bunk beds with the bathroom down the hall.
The place is run by a very nice gay couple, John and Mike. John is a professional trained chef and loves to cook. I was pleased with my decision to pay an extra $38 for a three course dinner the night I stayed there. The first course was an avocado that had been mixed with some other ingredients and then put back into its skin. Both a beautifully presented and delicious, I should have taken a picture for my foodie friends. Next was a steak with a grilled portobello mushroom, salad, and home made fries. Instead of dessert John decided to go with a tray of cheeses with bread, crackers, and grapes. I was in heaven, but when I mentioned I also like my sweets, he brought out some leftover something to let me try. I don't remember what it was, but it was also scrumptious. We also shared a bottle of wine with dinner and he offered me a glass of port after dinner which I gratefully accepted. I knew then to look forward to him making me breakfast in the morning. I could go on.
If you are going to be in the Paihia Bay of Islands area, this is a bargain. Other than the hostel, it was the least expensive place I stayed the entire trip and it was one of the two top places I stayed. If interested, the URL is:
Here are some photos of from the B&B. The room I stayed in was originally build as an in-law unit so I had my own separate entrance and a small kitchen area with a half frig, sink, microwave, etc. The bathroom had heated towels. There are two other rooms they make available which I didn't see, but I suspect this one was the best.
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| my very nice queen size bed |
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| a nice deck off my bedroom |
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| the room had two large glass doors with a great view |
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| I had use of the living room |
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| the kitchen |
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| if the weather had been better, we would have had dinner on the deck |
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