Gretna Hotel

We stopped in Taihape for one night on the way to Wellington. Have passed this hotel many times and never come in. We will be back. Don't let the outside fool you. Very old and basic inside but the food and service was 100%. Don't by pass this place... come in for a meal and a drink and sit by the fire on a cold winters night. Best place.

We both ordered steaks, 1 rare and the other medium and both were cooked perfectly. Big meals, including a nice fresh green salad and chips. We both chose the Mushroom sauce which complimented the meal well. There is nothing flash here, it's a pub in a small country town looking after the locals and delivering quality great value food. NZ$76 for 2 meals, a wine and beer. You can't go wrong here.

Passing through Taihape and thought we would try the Gretna Hotel for dinner. First appearances of the dining area were, it was run down/dirty, but there were plenty of people there, so I thought there was either nowhere else open, or this place was ok. We were greeted by the waiter and told we could sit anywhere, to view the menu, and to go to the bar to order. We picked a table, then noticed it looked like someone had spat or sneezed their food all over the table cloth, so we moved to one that had a little less aspirated food coating, but most were dirty to some degree - which wasn't a good start. Went through the menu and went to order at the bar. Some people in front of us ordered, but when it was our turn, we were told sorry the kitchen is closed. Wow, these were some big guys. Did they order all the remaining food? Or perhaps the bar person didn't like the look of us? Whatever the reason this was at about 7:10pm. Apparently, if we waited till 8.40pm, the kitchen may have opened again. But rather than wait we left and had a very nice meal in Waiouru. Wouldn't recommend the Gretna, and won't be back.

Initial Service was friendly when entering. We ordered Steaks, Burgers & kids meal and all were served hot, delicious and well presented. Chef of the night was very kind and friendly, we’d eat her food again. Enjoyed the music and quiet atmosphere. Thank you 😋

A break in our journey stopped us mid way in Taihape. The room rate is very good. The room was cosy with the heater, The bed comfortable and the shower and toilets across the hall were very clean. We had a couple of drinks in the bar and talked to a few locals too. A very friendly bunch of folks and the bar prices are very realistic compared to many city hotels. The roast of the day was on the restaurant menu and very tasty. Overall, we'd stay there again.

A very warm welcome on arrival by staff who bent over backwards to make our stay a great time. The rooms are so very affordable and - while basic - are spotlessly clean and have a certain dated charm to them. Bed was comfortable and the heating was very effective on a cold winter's night. We got an ensuite room for only a few $$ more so we didn't have to trapse down the hall to the shared bathrooms. No tea/coffee making facilities in the room but a shared kitchen down the hall did the trick. The restaurant and bar are a fun time. Old-school vibe. Locals and staff alike made us so welcome. The restaurant staff were so attentive and focused on making our experience a good one. Instantly fixed a wee hiccup with the meal and checked we were ok with the music volume etc. We felt very pampered. The perfect stopover for a couple of weary travellers :-)