My husband and I had a good stay in the eMotel, check in was made very easy, parking right outside the room, stylish interior and something so amazing that gave us some morning happiness - you can hear the waves of the ocean through the window. It was clean and tidy, we didn’t use the kitchen but going back into the room we saw some neighbours cooking with us a nice option.
What was a downside for us was the bed - very very soft, we woke up with sore backs. It’s subjective of course for the ones that prefer firmer beds.
Also the location - the emotel is far from the town center if walking by foot - a little over 20 min. After a very active vacation, hiking and climbing and a whale watch boat leaving us a bit sick it was a bit of a long walk for us. It is true though that it is 3 min away driving. Not a good idea if you intend to have a drink in the evening though.
I wouldn’t say the price is cheap but Kaikoura attracts a lot of tourists so there is no way around that. All in all I can say we had a good stay and I do recommend the place!