We had a great hotel and restaurant experience. Sadly the weather wasn't cooperating; it was…read moreextremely rainy and windy. So we didn't get to do much outside. The in house theater was great with stories about Mt Cook and Sir Hilary. They played throughout the day and you could come and go as you pleased. The dinner buffet was so big!!! So much to choose from and it was all delicious. At least 30+ items to choose from. I especially liked the fried chicken nuggets. Haha, a little taste of McDonalds. But they were hot, crunchy and fresh out of the fryer. They were actually really really good! The breakfast buffet is also large and excellent. Every breakfast item you can think of. I don't usually like buffets but this hotel did them very very well. Being stuck inside all day isn't so bad when you have all this food to choose from.

I stayed one night in a standard king bed room. The room was clean, and the bed was comfortable…read more Sadly, there was a rather horrible smell from the bathroom fan, which turned on automatically when I needed the light. The room was pretty basic despite the high nightly fee. The staff members that I interacted with were friendly, efficient, and helpful. I was upgraded to a free breakfast when I checked in. I was not told why and didn't bother to ask. I wonder now if it had something to do with the smell. The location is perfect for the hikes I was interested in. However, I'd probably look into a different lodging option if I were to go back.

Pros: -nice views of Aoraki from the property…read more-hiking/walking trails of a variety of difficulty levels (15 min and flat up to 4-5 hours with 1000m of gain) -staff are nice and very patient -road to get there from eastern side is well maintained Cons: -Expensive for middling quality accomodations. It's cheaper than the other hotel (Hermitage) on the property but at ~$270/night it's not cheap. Examples of quality issues include.... -"King" bed is actually two twin beds pushed together. They put a pad (more like a cloth? About the thickness of a kitchen mitt) to cover the gap but you could definitely still feel it -Forgot to take a picture, sadly, but the top sheet of the bed had what appeared to be a dirty blackish grey bird footprint(?!) on it upon arrival -Toilet leaked water extensively from the base when you flushed or used the shower (see photo). Presumably this was clean water due to a faulty O ring but it was gross nonetheless -Breakfast is not included. Cheapest breakfast option on the property is $40 for the breakfast buffet. At a cheap motel I could see not having breakfast included, but for $270 a night this was a bit much. The kicker is that breakfast is not actually in the Lodge itself either - you have to walk 400m or so outside over to the Hermitage. They have a captive audience so they can charge whatever they want I suppose

The Mt. Cook Lodge is a 1-2 star motel in a five star location! Beautiful views surround the lodge,…read morewhich provides all the basics required after a day spent exploring the area - fresh simple towels, functional hard beds, wifi ($5.00 per day), beer, and simple food menu in a cafeteria type atmosphere. Free parking is also offered with plenty of spaces. The private room itself is simple (see photos), and fine for the $100.00 price. They also have several different dorm rooms, cannot imagine them being much more basic than the private room. The private room was very dated, felt dirty, and in much need of some TLC. However, it served is purpose for our one night in Mt. Cook. Staff was friendly upon check in and throughout our interaction. Decent pub menu with pricey options such as pizza ($22.00), steaks ($30.00+), salad ($18.00), fish n chips ($22.50), burgers ($22.50). We arrived around nine and they refused to serve us, claiming the kitchen was closed while others were able to sneak in orders. Luckily we were able to grab a couple pints before heading offer to bed, though the draft offerings are limited to some of new Zealand's lower quality beers (Macs & Speights). While I would much prefer staying somewhere a little more updates and clean, I would have no problem staying here for a couple of nights whilst exploring the area. Just understand what you are getting.

We stayed at Lake Tekapo Scenic Resort for one night during our stay in Tekapo…read more As soon as we arrived, we checked in at the office and they escorted us to our room facing the beautiful blue lake! The room itself is very spacious and comfortable with a bed, couch and neat bathrooms. I loved waking up to the sight of the lake. So refreshing! There is car parking space in the property. Breakfast joints and restaurants are 2 min walk away. There's also a convenient store nearby and a gas station as well. Best location! Lake Tekapo is a very popular place to see the milky way galaxy. At night, you simply walk out of the room and walk for a few minutes towards the lake and look up. Boom, if the skies are clear that day, then you see the lovely galaxy. I LOVED my stay in this resort and couldn't recommend enough.

We had a perfectly serviceable stay here for two nights in a lake view studio…read more We booked well in advance because there are extremely limited options in this part of the South Island in terms of traditional hotel/motel rooms. It's about an hour from Mt. Cook, which was our primary reason for booking. The room is roughly on par with an American Best Western. The room was spacious and included a sitting area, small fridge, and balcony. The decor was dated but clean. The property included other rooming options for backpackers, so we were essentially next to a hostel dorm, but they were quiet. Keep in mind that Lake Tekapo is a small town. The motel office is not a 24 hour front desk (I think it closed at 8) so you may want to try calling ahead if you're arriving in the wee hours. There are some good dining options literally steps from the motel, but good luck getting a table or even finding an open shop after about 8 or 9. Plan accordingly. Finally, despite the very real beauty of Lake Tekapo, this spot is not especially serene one for two reasons: (1) the town is overrun by tourists (yes, I recognize the irony of that statement), and (2) the motel's lake view is increasingly obscured by a hostel and what looks to be a new astronomy center. Our view of the lake from the second floor therefore looked out over the parking lot and between those two buildings. I suspect this may be why we saw the motel listed for sale on a local real estate board.

We just stayed at the hotel and our time here was great. The rooms are large and very modern. The…read moreroom was very clean and neat with a wonderful view. It is only a quick 5 minute drive to Franz Joseph. The owner is very nice and welcoming and provided a nice continental breakfast. We would definitely stay here again if we ever pass through this way again.

I'm here. Like right now. I'm actually in my room and still in awe of how clean, modern, and…read moreamazing this place is!!! This would honestly be a 5 star boutique hotel if it was in a larger city. Fantastic toiletries, towel heater, double sink, king sized bed, large flat screen tv, cozy electric fireplace, etc... We've been on the road for almost a week and this is definitely the nicest place I found on hotels.com. The reviews were outstanding. You won't be disappointed. Stay here. This place is truly an oasis.

Great location. Fun place to stay. Bring a nightlight for the top of the stairs for those trips to…read morethe bathroom (downstairs) at night. Host was friendly and even gave me an extra towel for my hair. :) We went on the Glo Worm Hike. It was cool to see them, but was difficult to hear the guide if you were more than 6-8 people behind her. Missed out on fun facts about them and the area. But, worth it just to see them. Squat down and look up! Minor note: why is the outlet closest to the bathroom too far away (outside the bathroom) for the provided hair dryer?

Such a nice stay in Franz Josef! The room was decorated beautifully with everything we needed for…read moreour short visit. The rooms can be challenging to find, as the place has lots of twisty roads leading to different cottages, but once you're there it feels like your own private treehouse. The Monsoon Restaurant was too busy for us to get dinner there, but we did go for breakfast. Food was very good but service was INCREDIBLY slow. Don't go if you're in a hurry. But good food and a nice place to relax if you've got plenty of time.

We absolutely loved our stay at Rainforest Retreat! We were only in Franz Josef Glacier for one…read morenight, but I wish we had longer in these amazing accommodations. We were in a Gecko Cottage, which was in it's own little area with a few other cottages. We had a hot tub that was only for the cottages, so it was basically like we had it all to ourselves. Our room had a king bed, a little living space, and a bathroom. It was perfect for the 2 of us. And the location is great! Everything we needed was in walking distance, including a grocery store. There is also a restaurant as part of the resort, so it's easy to go get a meal and some cocktails without having to drive anywhere. We would happily return if in New Zealand again.

What a incredible place to stay and lovely owners!! We loved our stay here, we arrived at 8pm on a…read moreSunday we asked the owner of there was a good place to eat and she wasn't sure if there would be anything open in for dinner. She owner offered to feed us if we were not succesful, lovely gesture!! We stayed in the lodge with communal kitchen with everything you need to cook or make packed lunches. Rooms were clean and spacious with a great deck overlooking Mt Cook and a great place for star gazing at night. A nice heater in the bathroom to keep you warm on cool mornings. The bonus of having a pet dog for a couple days was awesome for our son who read to him and played, i felt comfortably safe letting him play. Would stay here again and certainly will be suggesting this as great base for Mt Cook, the drive up to the village along the lake is exquisite.

This Hotel quite big well-located in the heart of this little village. You are within a couple of…read moreminutes walking to restaurants, bars or supermarket. Also, some rooms have a nice lake view. We choose this accommodation due to its value for money (and coz everything else was already booked out). It was good to stay one night at Godley, but I don't think I would stay for a whole week. The rooms are old-fashioned, the bed is semi-comfy, I even heard someone in the room next door snoring. Wifi is only available in the lobby, bathroom us ok, but not more. A comfort level is usually an individual matter. From my point of view, the Godley is ok, not more or less.

I was with a tour so I have no choice. They have a sign about overflow in the bath tub or shower,…read morethat if there is any damage I would be charged. As I started to take a shower, the drain was clogged and the water was starting to overflow. I had to stop and called the front desk. The lady kept saying she didn't understand. I don't think my English is that bad. She showed up to take a look herself. Obviously I was right and she gave me a key to the next room for shower only. I went and it's the same situation. She finally sent someone to check it out. The drain was full of hair that's why it didn't drain well. However, what I don't appreciate is that she questioned me and asked if I was sure.