Fern Motel

Fern Motel is a self-catering motel at 4 Westminster Avenue, Tamatea, in western Napier. It sits between Taradale and Napier city, just off the Hawke's Bay Expressway, and is a member of the Napier Motel Association. Hosts are Steve and Carolyn Gibson.

Location

The Tamatea position puts the motel close to Napier Airport, the Park Island Sports Complex, Pettigrew Green Arena, the Onekawa Aquatic Centre, and the Church Road and Mission Estate wineries. That mix — expressway access, airport proximity and two significant Hawke's Bay sports venues nearby — is the practical reason a group organiser would look at it.

Units

All units are ground floor with heat pump air-conditioning, fully equipped kitchens, Sky TV, free Wi-Fi, a private courtyard and off-street parking, and all are smoke-free. The published types are:

• Basic Studio (sleeps 3) — queen and single bed, flatscreen TV, kitchen with small oven and microwave.
• Deluxe Studio (sleeps 2) — refurbished in 2010; 32-inch flatscreen TV, new kitchen with microwave and convection oven, queen bed or queen plus single.
• Basic Family Unit (sleeps 5) — spacious one-bedroom unit with full kitchen including oven and microwave, queen bed in the lounge and three singles in the bedroom.
• Deluxe Family Unit (sleeps 5) — refurbished in 2010; kitchen with dishwasher, microwave and convection oven, two flatscreen TVs, queen in the lounge and three singles in the bedroom.
• Two Bedroom Unit (sleeps 5) — large kitchen with dishwasher and ceramic hob, queen in bedroom one, three singles in bedroom two (two king singles can be zipped into a king for stays of two nights or more), flatscreen TVs in both bedrooms and the lounge, sofa bed and dining area in the lounge.

The association listing also shows an accessible deluxe family unit among the property's photographs.

Facilities

Motel facilities are a very large swimming pool, heat pump air-conditioning in every unit, free wireless internet, private courtyards, secure off-street parking and a fenced children's playground. The motel states that special corporate rates are available. Pets, including dogs, are welcomed.

Suitability

Fern Motel publishes no meeting or function room, so it is accommodation rather than a venue. For organisers, the draw is corporate rates, secure off-street parking, expressway and airport access, and larger multi-bed units that work for teams travelling together — particularly groups attending fixtures or events at Park Island or Pettigrew Green Arena, or delegates at conferences elsewhere in Napier.