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Fat Owl Motel, Bar & Eatery

3.0 star property

Photo gallery for Fat Owl Motel, Bar & Eatery

Garden
Room
Outdoor dining
Queen Room | Room amenity
Bar (on property)

Reviews

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful

Popular amenities

  • Parking included
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Business services
  • Bar

Explore the area

View map
12 Ruru Street, Piopio, Waikato, 3912
  • Place, Te Kuititanga-O-Nga-Whakaaro
    ‪19 min drive‬
  • Place, Big Shearer
    ‪19 min drive‬
  • Place, Waitomo Glowworm Caves
    ‪36 min drive‬

Room options

View all photos for Queen Room

Queen Room

Queen Room

9.6 out of 10
Exceptional
(4 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

View all photos for Twin Room

Twin Room

Twin Room

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful
(18 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Single Beds

View all photos for Queen & Single Room

Queen & Single Room

Queen & Single Room

9.2 out of 10
Wonderful
(5 reviews)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Queen Bed and 1 Single Bed

View all photos for Family Room

Free WiFi, bed sheets

Family Room

  • Sleeps 5
  • 1 Queen Bed and 3 Single Beds

View all photos for Room

Room

Room

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for King + Sofa Bed

King + Sofa Bed

King + Sofa Bed

  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 King Bed and 1 Single Sofa Bed

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  • Parking included
  • Free Wi-Fi
  • Air-conditioning
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4.5 out of 5, Wonderful, 283 reviews
The price is AU$121
includes taxes & fees
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About the area

Piopio

When you stay at Fat Owl Motel, Bar & Eatery in Piopio, you'll be 9 minutes by car from Tainui Historical Society Museum. .This motel is 26.4 mi (42.5 km) from Waitomo Glowworm Caves and 14.5 mi (23.3 km) from Te Kuititanga-O-Nga-Whakaaro.
View more Motels in PiopioOpens in a new window

What's nearby

  • Te Kuititanga-O-Nga-Whakaaro - 19 min drive - 27.6 km
  • Big Shearer - 19 min drive - 27.6 km
  • Altura Gardens & Wildlife Park - 35 min drive - 49.8 km
  • Waitomo Glowworm Caves - 36 min drive - 50.4 km
  • Woodlyn Park - 37 min drive - 50.5 km

Getting around

  • Auckland Intl. Airport (AKL) - 159 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Fat Pigeon Cafe - ‬5 min walk
  • ‪Clover Leaf Cafe - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Piopio Cosmopolitan Club - ‬4 min walk
  • ‪Pio Pio Orchard - ‬3 min drive

About this property

Fat Owl Motel, Bar & Eatery

Fat Owl Motel, Bar & Eatery offers 10 accommodations with coffee/tea makers and hair dryers. Flat-screen televisions come with satellite channels.

Bathrooms include showers and complimentary toiletries. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Housekeeping is provided daily.

Stay in one of 10 guestrooms featuring flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wireless internet access keeps you connected, and satellite programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with showers feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include coffee/tea makers, and housekeeping is provided daily.
Take in the views from a garden and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access and a picnic area. This motel also features barbecue grills and a banquet hall.
At Fat Owl Motel, Bar & Eatery, enjoy a satisfying meal at the restaurant. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at the bar/lounge. Continental breakfasts are available daily for a fee.
Featured amenities include express check-in, express check-out, and a 24-hour front desk. Free self parking is available onsite.
Continental breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning.
Fat Owl Motel, Bar & Eatery has a restaurant on site.

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transport

  • Electric car charging station on site
  • Free self parking on site
  • Limited on-site self parking
  • Wheelchair-accessible parking available

Food and drink

  • Daily continental breakfast available for a fee: NZD 10 per person
  • A bar/lounge
  • A restaurant

Family friendly

  • Laundry facilities

Conveniences

  • 24-hour front desk
  • Laundry facilities
  • Luggage storage

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (daily)

Business services

  • Meeting room

Outdoors

  • Barbecue grill
  • Garden
  • Picnic area

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • Wheelchair-accessible parking

More

  • Banquet hall
  • Smoke-free property

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Private bathroom
  • Shower
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • Flat-screen TV with satellite channels

Food and drink

  • Coffee/tea maker

More

  • Heating

Policies

Check-in

Check-in time starts at 2:00 PM
Express check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM
Express check-out available

Special check-in instructions

Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

Pets not allowed (service animals welcome)

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Payment types

Important information

Optional extras

  • Fee for continental breakfast: approximately NZD 10.00 per person

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher

National rating

Property class, provided by our rating system, is based on property type, amenities, and services.

Property is also known as

Owls Nest Motel Piopio
Owls Nest Motel
Owls Nest Piopio
Owls Nest Motel
Fat Owl Motel, Bar & Eatery Motel
Fat Owl Motel, Bar & Eatery Piopio
Fat Owl Motel, Bar & Eatery Motel Piopio

Fat Owl Motel, Bar & Eatery Reviews

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 119 out of 221 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 80 out of 221 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 16 out of 221 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 5 out of 221 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 221 reviews

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.8/10

Amenities

8.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Hetal

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Comfortable stay. Visited with family and was not disappointed with the accomodations.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2026

10/10 Excellent

Raewyn

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Room was comfortable, food and drinks in the restaurant excellent and the staff was lovely. Manager Dee fantastic. Thank you for another lovely stay
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Maree

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2026

8/10 Good

Carol

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Very quaint and quite setting. Absolutely loved the ambiance. Lots of character.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2026

10/10 Excellent

Susan

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2026

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A welcoming, comfortable environment where we felt right at home!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

6/10 Okay

Fiona

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Critique: TV didn’t work. Folder could do with some new plastic inserts. A cup was chipped. Power board hanging below TV. Bit Dodgy. Kettle under TV. Maybe why TV didn’t work? Little things that could easily be sorted. Otherwise, shower great, bed great, staff great. Great place for a passing night stay.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

8/10 Good

Alastair

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The room was clean and adequate for an overnight stay. Staff were helpful. The bar and eatery was closed the night we were there but the Fat Pigeon around the corner was exceptional for a small town.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2026

10/10 Excellent

Juliet

Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2026

8/10 Good

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice room and stuff
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Julia

Business traveller, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Awesome spot. Staff so very friendly. Clean and loved the styling.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Ruby, Taihape

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2025

10/10 Excellent

Matthew R

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Breakfast is not available at the hotel, but there is a very nice bakery/Café one block around the corner
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025

10/10 Excellent

Christine

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Just so flean and quite
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We were here for maybe 10 hours but very surprising at the quality of room with this stay. One of the best roadside motels ive ever been to in terms of comfort. Large new bed, good qater pressure, clean, and nice soap. Easy check in/out and even though we showed up too late, a nice looking, lively, pub on site. Great stop on our road trip.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025

10/10 Excellent

Sue

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very friendly check-in, and pet friendly. Clean and quiet
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025

8/10 Good

Shruti

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Perfect for our 1 night stopover to New Plymouth.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

Emma

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Nice tidy rooms, friendly staff. Great proximity to the pub!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

Nicola

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice room, good restaurant on site, friendly staff,
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

ian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
clean tidy friendly rural type setting
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Kath

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Good little room for a night.. clean and tidy..
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Ross

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very quiet. Staff very helpful and friendly. Restaurant next was excellent.(
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Garry

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stay but would be nice to have hooks to hang towels and clothes Shower drained away very slow
Stayed 1 night in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Marianne

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This place is a great place to stay. It is comfortable and super clean. They were so lovely and accomodating to my needs and even offered me free breakfast! I was very impressed with the place and would definitely stay here again.
Stayed 1 night in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Kristina

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in May 2025