We arrived in Greymouth on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Like many post industrial towns Greymouth has seen better days as had the Kingsgate Hotel. Without the sun one's mood might have suffered a serious decline into depression. The hotel seems to have been built in the seventies and nothing much has been done to it since. Having said that, the hotel was clean and the staff, as always in New Zealand, friendly. What's more, the overnight stay was extremely good value for money. This is a hotel for a convenient overnight stop and that's it.

We stayed at the Kingsgate hotel for one night and weren't that impressed. There are rooms in an annex and in the main hotel, we were put out in the annex and the rooms were small and so dated, the bed linen was the worst as it looked very old and used. The breakfast was good though.

I was a bit disappointed with Kingsgate, mainly due to the age of the hotel. We stayed in the 2 room suite, which was basically 2 adjoining rooms, but one room contains a lounge, and a kitchen instead of a second bathroom. (Personally I would have preferred another bathroom!)

The room smelt a bit musty - smell of dust or mould. Anyhow, upon entering the room, my friend started having a mild allergic reaction to the room. We asked if anything could be done, and to the hotel's credit, they put a device in the room (an ionisier???) which seemed to clear the air.

It's a big hotel, and service was friendly enough. It's in a central location. The carpark is a bit far away. The facilities are just a bit old.

In March 2003, I stayed for one night at the King's Hotel as our biking tour was barely into its run of much of the length of the South Island.
The place is nothing to gush over. But it certainly was at or above what would be expected in that sleepy harbor town. Nice pub for unwinding and celebrating a 100 km day of riding. Comfortable and quiet rooms. Great breakfast buffet to fuel the next day's ride. Wonderful location - across from the monument to those who built the great wall.