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Taupo · Hotel shortlist

Taupo hotels with a bar

Marc Delacroix

Marc Delacroix France

Updated 1 September 2026 · 11 Taupo hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Taupo, out of the 11 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 5 down to 4.3.

The Flying Trout Boutique Lodge is the one I would book myself.

The Flying Trout Boutique Lodge

Highest rated of the five

The Flying Trout Boutique Lodge

★★★★★5 from 42 reviews

The Flying Trout Boutique Lodge comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 5 from 42 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 5 star property, found under city centre and around $404 a night on the dates we checked.

11 hotels in Taupo qualified for this list and five made it. Ashbrook Motel Taupo is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Bara drink without going back out
  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze
  • Parkinga real consideration if you are driving in
  • Airport shuttlethe first hour after landing solved

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All five, ranked

  1. The Flying Trout Boutique Lodge1

    The Flying Trout Boutique Lodge

    ★★★★★5 from 42 reviews

    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kid friendly
    • Air conditioning
    • Accessible
    • Airport shuttle

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  2. Ashbrook Motel Taupo2

    Ashbrook Motel Taupo

    ★★★★★4.7 from 301 reviews

    • Spa
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Air conditioning

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  3. Lake Taupo Holiday Resort3

    Lake Taupo Holiday Resort

    ★★★★★4.4 from 1,812 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kitchen
    • Kid friendly

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  4. Hilton Lake Taupo4

    Hilton Lake Taupo

    ★★★★★4.3 from 1,687 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

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  5. Suncourt Hotel & Conference Centre - Taupo5

    Suncourt Hotel & Conference Centre - Taupo

    ★★★★★4.4 from 698 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Kitchen

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How this list was put together

11 Taupo hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Marc Delacroix

Marc Delacroix France

Closes the shop two weeks each winter and goes wherever people make something fermented. Dairies in the Basque country, the Caucasus and rural Sardinia.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.