Name: Wrights by the Sea Motel
Address: 387 Kapiti Road, Paraparaumu Beach, Greater Wellington, NZ
Price range: $92–$114 per night
Rating: 8.08

What guests think

Wrights by the Sea Motel earns strong praise for very clean, comfortable rooms, friendly service, and a convenient location within easy walking distance of the beach, cafes, and shops, making it a practical base for short stays and local visits.

Many reviews note dated decor and occasional maintenance issues such as worn taps, low water pressure, or older bathrooms. Noise from neighboring or upstairs rooms is mentioned at times, and parking can feel tight. Overall, expect a friendly, well-located classic motel with simple comforts.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Shared guest laundry is available. Parking can feel tight.

Related guest reviews

10

Barbara

Nov 18, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

A great rest spot that is walkable to the beach and cafes. The unit is clean and fully equipped. Bonus a washing machine and dryer available for use.

8

Francine

Feb 10, 2026

·

Stayed 1 night

Good basic motel. Although furnishings show signs of age, very comfortable beds. New bed linens (would buy these if I could) and towels. Heated bed underpads for colder nights. Very clean. No charge laundry washer and dryer for common use. No elevator but very accommodating staff will assign a ground floor room on request. The only con was poor wifi in our unit.

6

Christine

Dec 7, 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

Enjoyed the Exec Suite being upstairs. The location was great in walking nearby the beach & shops. Overall state of the motel requires ALOT of upgrading! Quite dilapidated. Appears to be nice looking on website, but BEWARE! Bedding & linen is very old. Needs to be replaced! Double bed had no support. Quite worn out. Ended up with a sore back, first night. Moved furniture around to sleep on single bed. Quite horrifed at the rubbish/dust hidden under single bed & 2-seater sofa! No instructions on how to use the Daiken heat pump. Carpark is very pokey. Came out next morning to leave & found my small car sandwiched between (2) SUVs. Car park lines are faded. No room for visitor cars. Receptionist handed me a small bottle of milk on my arrival. The day I booked in was the expiry date of the milk! Cleaning/servicing was terrible! Dead insects & dust seen clearly with the naked eye around edges of carpet. Very little pride or professionalism shown in the staff. Quite disappointed overall.

8

John and Moira

Jun 13, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

It is abetter than average motel parking is tight

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Cleanliness

Rooms are consistently described as very clean or spotless. A few guests reported missed areas or dust.

Related guest reviews

10

Helen

Feb 27, 2026

·

Stayed 5 nights

Clean pleasantly decorated room. Helpful reception staff.

10

Barbara

Nov 18, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

A great rest spot that is walkable to the beach and cafes. The unit is clean and fully equipped. Bonus a washing machine and dryer available for use.

6

Christine

Dec 7, 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

Enjoyed the Exec Suite being upstairs. The location was great in walking nearby the beach & shops. Overall state of the motel requires ALOT of upgrading! Quite dilapidated. Appears to be nice looking on website, but BEWARE! Bedding & linen is very old. Needs to be replaced! Double bed had no support. Quite worn out. Ended up with a sore back, first night. Moved furniture around to sleep on single bed. Quite horrifed at the rubbish/dust hidden under single bed & 2-seater sofa! No instructions on how to use the Daiken heat pump. Carpark is very pokey. Came out next morning to leave & found my small car sandwiched between (2) SUVs. Car park lines are faded. No room for visitor cars. Receptionist handed me a small bottle of milk on my arrival. The day I booked in was the expiry date of the milk! Cleaning/servicing was terrible! Dead insects & dust seen clearly with the naked eye around edges of carpet. Very little pride or professionalism shown in the staff. Quite disappointed overall.

10

Sara-Jane

Nov 10, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Generous rooms, very clean and comfortable.

10

Val

Nov 27, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

I loved my stay here. The room was spotlessly clean with brand new bedding and recently decorated walls plus why I think was a new carpet. The in room coffee was excellent and the service from reception was exemplary. Would highly recommend a stay here

8

Kenneth

Jun 28, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff are great and the place is very clean, if a little bit tired. Arrived in the dark and left at dawn so can't comment on outdoors

8

Mark

Jun 5, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Clean and tidied.

4

John

Sep 30, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Bed was as hard as rocks, pizza boxes still in the cupboard from previous people, kitchen was in poor condition and the whole place was extremely tired. Did not enjoy it at all.

4

Kevin

Apr 14, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

We were disappointed. It was dark, lacked cleaning, not well appointed. Not soundproof rooms. Quite expensive for what was provided. .

10

Mark

Nov 16, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean and roomy, full kitchen

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Rooms

Rooms are often spacious, comfortable and well equipped, with some offering full kitchens. However, decor and fixtures feel dated, with recurring comments about thin walls/noise, occasional plumbing or low water pressure, mixed bed comfort, and weak Wi-Fi in some units.

Related guest reviews

8

Alan

Aug 15, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

A bit dated and low pressure shower. However good value, very clean, handy to bar and shops. Would definitely stay again

8

Francine

Feb 10, 2026

·

Stayed 1 night

Good basic motel. Although furnishings show signs of age, very comfortable beds. New bed linens (would buy these if I could) and towels. Heated bed underpads for colder nights. Very clean. No charge laundry washer and dryer for common use. No elevator but very accommodating staff will assign a ground floor room on request. The only con was poor wifi in our unit.

6

Martin

Jun 29, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Had a downstairs room and heard everything from the unit above. Not a great stay this time round

6

Russell

Mar 24, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Property was tired, shower wall broken

10

Sara-Jane

Nov 10, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Generous rooms, very clean and comfortable.

8

Nick

Jan 9, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Very convenient for "Param" centre and beach. Comfortable motel, but walls v thin and quite a lot of noise

6

Angela

Jul 14, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Property was great, but the toilet layout was rough. Can't open and close the door with a human inside. Shower was ice cold.. everytime. Like cold!! Staff were lovely, and the room itself was great! Had everything we could possibly need. Definitely stay again... if even luke warm water.

10

Mark

Nov 16, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean and roomy, full kitchen

8

Jennifer

Jun 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Room was comfortable and warm. Nicely decorated. Area to sit and eat. Only slight grouse was the bathroom was old fashioned and no hooks to hang anything. Was clean though

8

Stephen

Apr 23, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Rather disappointed with some features/condition of the executive studio. Old style taps difficult to use, and two taps worn out and couldn't stop flowing. Couldn't get the plug to work in the sink so unable to wash dishes properly and the shaver point in the bathroom was faulty and not working.

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Service

Staff are frequently praised as friendly, helpful and accommodating, with smooth check-ins and assistance when needed. There are occasional lapses in availability or professionalism.

Related guest reviews

10

Helen

Feb 27, 2026

·

Stayed 5 nights

Clean pleasantly decorated room. Helpful reception staff.

10

Brian

Mar 3, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

It was convenient for our trip to Kapiti Island. We had to leave at 7.30am, to check in for the boat trip. Frank said the office would be open at 7.30am, but it wasn't so we left the room key in the silver box on the wall next to the office.

8

Delia

Feb 23, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Handy close to eateries and beach. Friendly helpful staff. Clean and tidy

6

Christine

Dec 7, 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

Enjoyed the Exec Suite being upstairs. The location was great in walking nearby the beach & shops. Overall state of the motel requires ALOT of upgrading! Quite dilapidated. Appears to be nice looking on website, but BEWARE! Bedding & linen is very old. Needs to be replaced! Double bed had no support. Quite worn out. Ended up with a sore back, first night. Moved furniture around to sleep on single bed. Quite horrifed at the rubbish/dust hidden under single bed & 2-seater sofa! No instructions on how to use the Daiken heat pump. Carpark is very pokey. Came out next morning to leave & found my small car sandwiched between (2) SUVs. Car park lines are faded. No room for visitor cars. Receptionist handed me a small bottle of milk on my arrival. The day I booked in was the expiry date of the milk! Cleaning/servicing was terrible! Dead insects & dust seen clearly with the naked eye around edges of carpet. Very little pride or professionalism shown in the staff. Quite disappointed overall.

10

Christie

Oct 4, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Wrights by the Sea was by far the cleanest accomodation I’ve stayed in for a long time. They were very helpful & accomodating with our check in at midnight after coming off a late ferry. We would most definitely stay there again.

10

Sarah

Mar 23, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Wrights by the Sea Deluxe studio was very clean and tidy. Had lots of space and large kitchen space. We had booked the room for a couple for the night but after seeing the room we could absolutely fit the 3 children next time we come back. We would book again. Happy with our stay, easy communication, clean and close to Kapiti shops and park.

10

Barry and Suzanne

Mar 2, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Lovely and clean. Reception lady was lovely,friendly and helpful.

10

Sammie

May 19, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

We were incredibly impressed with our stay. We arrived in the late evening and were greeted with enthusiasm and kindness. We were thrilled with the room, it was warm and comfortable after a long travel day. We weren’t even at the motel for 12 hours but have not been able to stop talking about how much we enjoyed our stay. Your front desk lady is an absolute star!! Please pass on our many many thanks.

10

Zdravko

Mar 18, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Very helpful staff alerted us to issues with ferries ongoing for our trip

8

Barbara

Nov 27, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

The place was fine for our needs. The man at reception helped carry our luggage which was great. It was an older property but otherwise great. Location was excellent.

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Location

Highly convenient for the beach, cafes and shops, with many places an easy walk. Several guests also mentioned a generally quiet, safe area and good access for Kapiti Island trips.

Related guest reviews

10

Brian

Mar 3, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

It was convenient for our trip to Kapiti Island. We had to leave at 7.30am, to check in for the boat trip. Frank said the office would be open at 7.30am, but it wasn't so we left the room key in the silver box on the wall next to the office.

10

Barbara

Nov 18, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

A great rest spot that is walkable to the beach and cafes. The unit is clean and fully equipped. Bonus a washing machine and dryer available for use.

10

Erik

Nov 20, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Room was clean and neat and tye staff was super helpful. The location is very convenient.

8

Phillip

Aug 28, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Adequate for what we needed and handy to cafes and restaurants

10

Matthew

Feb 2, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Great spot near the beach

10

Filiva'a

Feb 14, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Nice place to stay close to the beach/eateries

10

Eleanor

Dec 8, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

A little tired but clean and tidy, and great location so good value for money.

10

Bryan

Feb 3, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was clean, spacious , and well laid out. We had a pleasant stay. The motel was a block from the beach and the neibourhood was quiet and safe.

10

Michelle

Aug 28, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

A lovely motel close to the sea and shops, very comfortable.

10

Jen

Dec 31, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

very handy to the beach.

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Dining

Not enough information in reviews.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	$95
February	$102
March	$95
April	$92
May	$91
June	$89
July	$90
August	$92
September	$91
October	$93
November	$92
December	$100

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
1 $92	2 $101	3 $98	4 $102	5 $102	6 $103	7 $108
8 $101	9 $102	10 $102	11 $100	12 $102	13 $100	14 $105
15 $99	16 $97	17 $102	18 $101	19 $102	20 $101	21 $103
22	23 $110	24	25 $93	26 $104	27 $105	28 $105
29 $102	30 $107

Wrights by the Sea Motel

Prices for Wrights by the Sea Motel

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Executive Studio

Deluxe Studio

Family Unit

Luxury Studio

One Bedroom Apartment

Guest reviews of Wrights by the Sea Motel

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property Policies

Check-in instructions

Good to know

Optional extras

Prices for upcoming dates

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21 $103	22	23 $94	24 $110
25 $102	26 $98	27 $94	28 $95	29 $108	30 $114	31 $104