Kokonga Lodge - Kokonga Lodge 33 Kokonga Road

What a fab place to stay! Hospitality the best on the Rail Trail! We 10 weary cyclists were picked up by our lovely hosts, Frank & Alexis and driven from Hyde, back to the Lodge. We all just relaxed on the deck with an awesome cheeseboard & wine and enjoyed the spectacular scenery. Evening dinner was another treat, beautiful salmon! Huge thank you Alexis and Frank for making our last evening on the trail one to remember

You know there are some places you stay and it nice and some places you stay and it's great. Well Kokonga Lodge is simply fabulous! The hosts Frank and Alexis not only make you right at home but make your visit an all round lovely experience to a trip. Every detail to make sure your stay is comfortable and relaxing. A fantastic evening meal freshly prepared and served on the deck after a stunningly beautiful day was absolutely nothing but outstanding. Sent on our way after a great nights sleep a brilliant fresh breakfast and a memory to keep Kokonga Lodge, it's hosts and location won't disappoint. Highly recommended ? will make sure we visit again.

A very special place to stay for our last night on the Rail Trail. We had a yummy dinner too. Recommend it.

My wife and I were booked on a five day, four night Rail Trail with my parents (a 70th birthday present for my Dad) and Kokonga Lodge was our final night. We arrived just after 12pm after biking the short 18km from Ranfurly for that day. My wife and I went in while my parents waited out on the trail. Geoff, who was on the lawnmower at the time, approached us at the front gate looking fairly unimpressed. I initiated the conversation introducing myself and saying I was aware we were really early, apologised, and asked when a suitable time would be for us to come back. The response was short: “Yeah, you’re way too early. This is our time. We can’t do anything for you until about 2pm”. He then backtracked somewhat saying we could be shown to our rooms but “that’s it”, but then rode away. Given the reception, we both left. The four of us then arrived at 2pm where we were met at the door. Geoff introduced us to his wife Jo and asked us how the ride had been. I was honest in saying it was great until we arrived at 12pm. This was laughed off by him and responded to by Jo with “Oh very welcoming” - ironic and not the responsibility of guests either. Rather than try to address it with me though, Geoff showed me and my wife to our room upstairs and instead entered into a verbal altercation about it with my parents. This was a discussion that had absolutely nothing to do with them given they weren’t even there at 12pm. They told him we would be finding elsewhere to stay and Jo proceeded to then scream at them “If you don’t like it then you can F*** OFF!” - loud enough to be heard upstairs by me and other guests. Geoff told Jo that she should go home and said to me from the bottom of the stairs “Well I did say to you you came early”. Fortunately, our Rail Trail provider was able to transfer us and our bags to Waipiata Hotel at short notice, so we rode the 8km back for the night where, like with every other host we encountered during our trip, we received faultless hospitality. Kokonga Lodge was the only negative experience on our trip, which is a shame because the grounds and views are lovely and the reviews were very encouraging. We soon learned however that it is only their first season as owners and most reviews pre-date this. Given their replies to reviews elsewhere I trust they will read this: We were early, yes. I acknowledged it though, apologised and asked when to come back before you said even a single word to me. You chose your attitude and the approach you wanted to take when you responded, then took exception to being called out on it. I truly wish you luck if this is how you intend to run your business. You would both do well to remember the pivotal role your guests play in it before behaving so unprofessionally over something as simple as an inadvertent early arrival. No one should be spoken to in the manner we were - it’s disgusting. If I behaved in the same way toward any customer in my current or previous lines of work then I would lose my job. We will never return, nor recommend Kokonga Lodge to anyone and will be sharing this experience with all those that we know. Some final points: Had we done a little more research and looked more into the area, the facilities, venue setup and cost breakdown (one lump sum was paid for the whole trip and everything booked) then we would have gone elsewhere, but these points are worth considering: - [ ] Our room had no facilities other than a bed and ensuite. Everything else including Tea/Coffee was all communal. Spa bath was placarded as unusable. - [ ] Crowded/busy: 10 people were booked during our stay and I understand it can house more. - [ ] No other food options in the area. Unless you bike or drive back to Waipiata or another town the additional $55pp cost for dinner is essentially unavoidable. - [ ] Expensive - considering all of the above, the in excess of $800 we paid for one night (2x $325 per room + 4x $55pp for dinner) this isn’t great value for money.

From the minute we arrived Geoff and Jo made us feel welcomed, relaxed and at home. The lodge is extremely clean, tidy and every little detail has been thought of for their guests. Kokonga lodge is in a fabulous location and can only get better with Geoff and Jo as the new owners. Cuddles from Monty was an added bonus.

What an amazing stay! Hosts were friendly and welcoming, location was breathtakingly beautiful, Monty the retriever and the sheep were delightful, food & wine were excellent, vegetarian curry was particularly delicious, bedrooms were spacious and spotless, best sleep of our stay along the Otago Rail Trail. Our family of 4 couldn't fault anything about Kokonga Lodge. Hope to return one day with extended family from overseas. Thank you Geoff and Jo-Anne.

What a lovely surprise. A beautiful property with stunning views. Jo and Geoff were just great hosts (with help from the gorgeous Monty!) The food was delicious and plentiful! Our stay was comfortable and a very enjoyable experience we will return and highly recommend!

Beautiful place to stay stunning views, lovely and quite. Our room was lovely and clean and soft towels which I loved after biking all day. Even the smell of roses was a lovely touch. Food was delicious and new owners Joe and Geoff made us feel at home as soon as we got there. Beautiful setting and the gardens under their care will be back to what they once were. Quail were around on the lawn it was just awesome.