tramping new zealand

How bad can accommodation with a 3/10 rating be?

Would it be worth saving $100 for two nights?

I’d stayed in a 65c a night room in Java in my youth, where the fire risk of the paper-clad interior walls was a concern.

The worst night I had was in La Paz, where the room was immediately above the stage, and a band performed until 3 am. We might as well have been in the room, as the toilet paper, shiny on one side, blocking my ears, just didn’t work.

The Invercargill motel was being renovated, with the rooms being noisily cleared of their built-in furniture as I carried my bags up the stairs, limping heavily. I was the only occupant of the floor, other than a woman who sat on her bed in a flimsy dressing gown, despite it being 4 pm. Waiting for her first or next client.

The courtyard had a severely pruned tree, near dead, and a prison-like ambience, not from personal experience, just from movies.

Actually, they could shoot a terrifying horror movie there.

The immediate impression: the wallpaper was inspired by razor blades and would encourage suicide for those inclined. I opened the curtains and they fell off the track. The hot water took many minutes to arrive, the shower didn’t drain properly, and the bathroom floor flooded.

But the bed was clean and comfortable. The Wi-Fi was excellent, probably because no one else was connected.

A three rating was harsh. I’d give it 3.5/10.