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The Sands - Waiheke Island

141 The Strand, Onetangi, Auckland, Waiheke Island 1081 New Zealand
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Traveler (25)
Room & Suite (7)
Pool & Beach (5)

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Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.

About

#1 of 1 condo in Onetangi
Location
4.8
Cleanliness
4.1
Service
3.8
Value
3.1
Located directly on Onetangi Beach, The Sands offers a selection of one, two & three bedroom fully self contained apartments. Close to ferry points, wineries and other island attractions. We are only a 35 minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Beach
Car hire
BBQ facilities
Non-smoking hotel
Picnic area
Self-serve laundry
Room features
Housekeeping
Kitchenette
Refrigerator
Flatscreen TV
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
4.0 of 5 stars
70Reviews1Q+A20Room tips
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Katherine wrote a review May 2022
16 contributions2 helpful votes
We spent 3 days at Sands apartment 9 and absolutely loved it. Excellent communication with booking and arrival instructions, the apartment was very comfortable and cosy with gorgeous views. We enjoyed beach walks and the best fish and chips on Onetangi Road. Great bus service every 30 minutes, the Ostend Saturday markets were well worth the trip. We felt relaxed and refreshed after our very relaxing 3 days.
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Date of stay: May 2022
Cleanliness
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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hilary7772020 wrote a review Apr 2021
Wanaka, New Zealand3 contributions1 helpful vote
The seal on the shower was defective resulting in an overflow on to the carpet Management took an extra $250 without consultation from my credit card to clean a small area of carpet less than a metre. The shower door was so dirty that it was not immediately obvious that the door was leaking. Location excellent but expensive considering Entire apartment very dated and in need of a deep clean Definitely would not stay there again - dreadful management
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1 Helpful vote
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Response from Luke Andrews, General Manager at The Sands - Waiheke Island
Responded Apr 25, 2021
Thanks for the chance to respond Hilary, The shower is totally fine, all the guests before and the after you had no issues with the shower. This guest flooded the bedroom carpet on the 1st nig, didn't inform us at all, We found it once they had checked out and left the property. We had to employ a cleaning company to remove the excess water and dry the carpet at extra cost to us, plus inconveniencing the incoming guests. It is clearly stated in the terms and conditions we reserve the right to charge guests for extra cleaning costs. Thanks, Luke, Manager of the Sands
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Claire_F wrote a review Feb 2021
1 contribution4 helpful votes
We had the exact same experience as per a previous review by Kat C. We come to Waiheke every year over Xmas and New Years and have yet to try the Sands so I booked for 7 nights for the next Xmas/New Year period and received the booking confirmation as expected. We then received a cancellation request from the owner via the third party booking system with no explanation but the email clearly stated that if we wished to keep our booking then no action needed to be taken and the booking would be honoured. Out of respect to the venue, I emailed them directly to find out why they tried to cancel my booking and was curtly told that the price that I had been quoted for our stay was too low and they could/would not honour it. When I did not cancel my booking with the third party site (as we did not wish to cancel our trip) the owners then tried a new approach of trying to cancel the booking by stating that we had provided them with debit card details rather than credit card details and we “only had 24 hours to provide them with correct card details otherwise the booking would be cancelled”. This then started a little game of me providing my CREDIT CARD details on three separate occasions, with the owners promptly rejecting each attempt for the same false reason. At no point did the owners do me the courtesy of quoting the price they would be comfortable taking for that period and it’s safe to say the whole experience has left a really bad taste in my mouth and I will never attempt to stay there again. Conversely, we ended up booking the Onetangi Beach Apartments for around the same price as the original price I tried to book for the Sands. The location of the Onetangi Beach Apartments is much better and their customer service has already proven to be exceptional, so I actually feel very fortunate as reading some of the other reviews of the Sands, I think we’ve had a really lucky escape. If you’re looking for lovely, chilled holiday with people that want your business then would not recommend the Sands.
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Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
3 Helpful votes
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Response from Luke Andrews, General Manager at The Sands - Waiheke Island
Responded Jul 4, 2021
So this review and the one before were done by two families who booked via booking.com. To be fair this started as a problem with our booking system. It unintentionally sent our winter rates to be also the peak season rates. These when combined with the booking.com genius points meant that the families got a 60% discount on the normal rate, We emailed to explain the problem and that we needed to either cancel the booking with no fee or to raise the rates to the correct level, with a small discount as an apology. Neither family wanted this and protested that we HAD to honour the booking. After many emails and a flat refusal from the guests to be understanding, we cancelled the bookings. This is the reason for these revenge reviews
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Kat C wrote a review Jan 2021
1 contribution3 helpful votes
I had booked in to stay for 5 night with my partner and 2 year old. I was sent a cancellation request with no communication given by the owners and the email said if I do not want to cancel I can ignore the email. I was then sent another email saying that they had tried to charge my credit card when the booking stated there was no prepayment and I was able to pay on sight at the time of my stay. I then emailed the owner to ask what was happening and they stated they had not charged enough for the time of my stay (over NY) and needed to put the prices up. I repeatedly asked how they could request it be cancelled because they hadn’t put the prices up from their normal prices. They also tried to blame the website instead of their own oversight in management of the prices they charge and tried to offer me an increased price of $100 per night to stay at the place I had already booked. The owners then cancelled by booking. Would not recommend, dodgy owners and did not honour the booking when we live out of town and have to make arrangements to visit the island
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Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2 Helpful votes
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jjs0n wrote a review Feb 2020
Auckland Central, New Zealand9 contributions
After travelling from Auckland to Waiheke Island by the sealink car ferry we drove across the Island to Onetangi beach and The Sands Apartments.We received an extremely warm welcome from the owner who showed us to our apartment on the top floor.The striking feature was a huge folding window that looked straight out to a fabulous ocean view extending to Coramandal peninsula. The apartment had everything needed including a free bottle of wine to welcome us A really comfortable bed and very high quality furniture and fittings. A new washing machine and clothes drier fitted in as well as stove, microwave and lovely open plan living room etc, Free WiFi and TV in Lounge and bedroom. I recommend The Sands for comfort and location and would definately stay again.
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Date of stay: February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from SandsManagerWaiheke, Manager at The Sands - Waiheke Island
Responded Feb 17, 2020
Thank you for the review. Loving the views and home close the beach is here as well. And we love show casing the wines here on waiheke as well
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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chip8 wrote a review Nov 2019
england15 contributions13 helpful votes
Couldn’t have been a better location. Although things in general were good they could have provided more toilet rolls and at least one tea towel. The sofa in our apartment could have done with a good clean as well.
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Date of stay: November 2019
Location
Cleanliness
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Room Tip: Best to have a room on an upper floor
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from naki4004, Manager at The Sands - Waiheke Island
Responded Nov 10, 2019
Thanks for the feedback guys, Sorry about the tea towels, Each apartment is stocked with 3 rolls per bathroom, and as we are a self-service apartment complex further purchases for items are up to the guest. We have booked the sofa in for a deep clean as well.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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mareepc wrote a review Mar 2019
Auckland Central, New Zealand2 contributions
We have stayed at the Sands probably 4-5 times now, you can’t beat the location on Onetangi beach as it is just beautiful. Facilities are also great for self catering families. There were a few things that needed maintenance - the heated towel rail was off the wall, hand towel rail also and one of the bathroom taps fell off. Reception were very helpful in gettting things fixed but for the price the rooms need a bit more attention. We had a great stay though and will be back.
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Date of stay: March 2019Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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MiaBennett wrote a review Jan 2019
Paris, France20 contributions19 helpful votes
Average Hotel and lazy & dodgy owners. Stayed here over early January of this year, the room itself had no milk in the fridge yet they supply "Tea & coffee making facilities" we question the owner and he says that he went up to get toilet paper but didn't get any milk. No apology or any resolution provided. The owner is barely there and the reception closes at random points during the day, in case of an emergency the owner wouldn't be on site and anywhere to be seen which is a mild concern for the guests safety. They call themselves the "sands" a beachfront hotel which you would associate with the beach, yet they have no where to hang swimwear when it is wet, so therefore using common sense most people would hang wet swimwear over the ledge of the window to let it dry. Because of us doing that we ended up coming back from our holiday to a over $200 fine. The owner had said to us that it was all because of a stain on the window from the togs/swimwear drying. Now I don't know if he knows how to put two and two together; togs,drying...the hotel provided no where to hang your swimwear when you get back from the beach. Also this beachfront hotel called "The Sands" has a rule to have no sand in the rooms yet most people staying are going to the beach where of course there will be sand, what a shocker! There is no consideration for the practical side of this "beach front" hotel and no consideration for the guests experience. The owner takes advantage of the guests payments and steals money for the most unreasonable situations without the authority, explanation and permission from the guests. The owner had however said they will get in contact with us if they couldn't get the stain out and then they will proceed to charge us, no form of contact and here we are with a charge that we were not told about. This owner is sneaky to think that they can put charges on guests accounts well after they've checked out and not let them know about it. If they thought about the kind of location they are in they would have known that people are going to go swimming. It's really not that difficult to understand. A real shame about the lazy standard for one of Waiheke's top spots. Thiefs,dodgy and arrogant. Don't EVER stay here unless you want to drink coffee without milk and come home to a large fine on your bank statement.
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Date of stay: January 2019
Rooms
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Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2 Helpful votes
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Response from Luke A, Owner at The Sands - Waiheke Island
Responded Jan 18, 2019
Well, as you see from this review we had a guest that didn't enjoy there stay down to one reason only, they left a pair of new togs on the stone tiling and the dye from the togs leached onto the stone tiles badly staining the white tiles pink. The Apartments are all equipped with Drying racks and have clothes dryers as well. The other 31 apartments staying at the same time seemed to have found these. As to the owners not being on site, this is just not true, the site is manned from 0830-1800 every day and there is an on-call bell to alert the manager at anytime day or night. The $200 fee is quite plainly in our terms and conditions for unreasonably bad damage to an apartment. We also don't have any rule about no sand in the apartments. This is a revenge review based on being charged $200 for damaging the tiling.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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maitai2203 wrote a review Mar 2018
Redhead, Australia83 contributions42 helpful votes
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The view from the open lounge windows and main bedroom was breathtaking. As two couples I appreciated the ensuite bathrooms for each bed room. Plenty of luxurious towels and beach towels were available from reception. Loved the recliner lounge chairs too. We cooked a few meals and found what we needed in the kitchen. There was also a washing machine, dryer and air dryer which proved handy. There are bbqs available on site but we didn't use these. In literally a few steps you were standing on the beach. A little bit of luxury in paradise.
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Date of stay: March 2018Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2 Helpful votes
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212sharon2017 wrote a review Jan 2018
South Luangwa National Park, Zambia19 contributions5 helpful votes
On arrival, the manager did not even get up from his chair to greet us. The room was not ready which was not a problem at all, however we returned at the allotted time to find no one to check us in, a child seated at the desk said his Dad would be back soon. 30 minutes later he arrived. An ideal location, facing the beach at the end of a quiet road.The accommodation is spacious and well appointed for self catering. House keeping could be more attentive to cleaning details, bugs in light fittings etc. I did expect self catering but not self cleaning. For that rate I do not expect to carry my garbage to a central bin area overflowing with garbage. Bales of linen left in the passage is also not very appealing. Disappointing was management's inability and unwillingness to control noise after midnight. In fact, they contributed to the noise. The worst part of the stay was the use of foul profanity in reference to paying Guests. Don't they realise that it is these Guests that pay their salary? An apology and discount was offered the next day. Unprofessional management does not encourage returning Guests.
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Date of stay: January 2018
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
2 Helpful votes
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PRICE RANGE
$257 - $408 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
the sands - waiheke island hotel waiheke island
LOCATION
New ZealandNorth IslandAucklandWaiheke IslandOnetangi
NUMBER OF ROOMS
23
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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THE SANDS - WAIHEKE ISLAND - Prices & Condominium Reviews (Onetangi, New Zealand)

Frequently Asked Questions about The Sands - Waiheke Island
Which popular attractions are close to The Sands - Waiheke Island?
Nearby attractions include Wild on Waiheke (1.0 miles), Oneroa Beach (3.9 miles), and Rangihoua Estate (1.7 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at The Sands - Waiheke Island?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free parking, self serve laundry, and barbeque facilities.
Which room amenities are available at The Sands - Waiheke Island?
Top room amenities include a kitchenette, a flat screen TV, and a refrigerator.
What food & drink options are available at The Sands - Waiheke Island?
Guests can enjoy barbeque facilities during their stay.
Is parking available at The Sands - Waiheke Island?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to The Sands - Waiheke Island?
Conveniently located restaurants include Casita Miro, Tantalus Estate Restaurant, and The Heke Waiheke.
Are there any historical sites close to The Sands - Waiheke Island?
Many travelers enjoy visiting Stony Batter Historic Reserve (3.2 miles).
Is The Sands - Waiheke Island accessible?
Yes, it offers wheelchair access. For specific inquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.