"Oh, show me 'round your snow-peaked mountains way down South…read moreCome and keep your comrade warm" (The Beatles) As our tour bus approached the Mt. Cook mountain range, we saw New Zealand's highest mountain- over 12,000 feet high. Mt. Cook and the Tasman Glacier are in massive ice and snow-capped mountain ranges. Our hotel for tonight was the Hermitage, located in Mt. Cook National Park. It's a self- contained gigantic complex of two interconnected buildings with a gorgeous bar and lounge overlooking the mountains. Our room had two very small twin beds and little furniture. The big wall where the tv was fastened had almost nothing else, no dressers, desk, etc. Check out my photos. What the room did have was an an amazing view of Mt. Hood from our rear patio. The hotel includes a museum on Sir Edmund Hillary, the NZ explorer that climbed Mt. Everest. The food at the Hermitage was amazing. Our group enjoyed a buffet dinner here, and I passed up their bounty of roast meats for sushi and dumplings. The breakfast buffet included everything and more. It included something new- Japanese omelets. The eggs were paper thin, almost like a crepe. They were cut into wedges with a lot of greenery in there, and I'm not sure if that was spinach or seaweed, but I did like it.

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.

Absolutely spotless and clean with new, modern furnishings. Easy check-in and only one block away…read morefrom the main road w/numerous eateries. Loved our stay...best of all the places we stayed during our 3-week stay in NZ.

Amazing accommodations!! After a long bus ride we were met with a warm welcome by Heather and Mike…read more Our room was very clean with all the necessities. We enjoyed our evening meal with a view of Mt. Cook, just outside our room. As a surprise bonus, Mike was kind enough to drive us to an overlook to see Fox Glacier. Staff were friendly, happy and so accommodating. I definitely recommend and will stay at no other place on our next trip.

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.

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.

Great location right in the heart of small Franz Joseph, right next to the gas station,…read moresupermarket, restaurants and ticket offices. Rooms are very clean and spacious, with modern decor and a patio. This was our second motel in NZ and turned out to be a pleasant surprise! It's not a five star hotel obviously, but it deserves five stars as a good quality motel.

Typical motel with all the necessities --microwave, fridge and small kitchen area were helpful…read more Overall, fairly clean and near town center. Nothing too glamorous but not too shabby either. Free wifi included.

WOW. That's all I can say is, "WOW."…read more Grand Suites Lake Tekapo left me speechless with it's amazing views, amazing room, and top notch customer service. I only spent one night here, and I am 100% coming back here--for way more than one day. You'll see the hotel from the main highway, and the entrance is right at the corner turn from Greig Street to Allan Street. It's hard to see the sign, but it's there! Free parking everywhere. The staff was very welcoming, friendly, and polite. Welcomed us with cartons of milk! It might be a touch pricey for some, but it's well worth it for the experience. There are studios, 1-, and 2-bedroom suites. We only need a studio, and it was quite spacious in size. The largest room we stayed in during our New Zealand trip. This was a fully equipped room with a full kitchen: stove, dishwasher, microwave, coffee maker, small refrigerator, French press, Neospresso machine, chinaware, utensils, and etc! Huge radiator heater (I know why it's huge. Cause it can get COLD!). Modern and spacious bathroom with heated floors. Loved the modern European style kitchen cabinets. Had a desk, dining table, couch with ottoman, big screen TV, etc., etc. Also, high ceilings! Even though, the room was amazing. Nothing could beat the pristine and gorgeous view of Lake Tekapo from the balcony. Overall, everything was so clean, organized, and well maintained. From check in to check out, the experience was amazing. The receptionists were so friendly, and gave us excellent recommendations and important information. On the evening we went out to grab dinner, she told us there was a heavy snow storm coming, and the estimated snow fall would be 60 cm. SIXTY! That's almost 2 feet of snow, and start at 7AM, which did! The snow definitely was not expected, but very welcomed! I enjoyed it! After a night of high winds, rain, and low temperature, plus several hours of snow, our rental car was caked with ice and snow. Luckily, the receptionist was kind enough to give us a scraper, which was very helpful! We will definitely stay here again! Repeat customers get discounted rates too!

Dave is fantastic, staff friendly and helpful…read more 1 and 2 room suites amazing. Full kitchen setup for extended stay. Large 1 BR suite. Bathroom is amazing. Views fantastic. Easy parking and elevators. Laundry facilities. 2.00 each. Highly recommended.

One of the best places I've stayed in my three trips to New Zealand…read more Decent room with en-suite shower and toilet. Enormous lounge with a beautiful view of Mt. Cook Deck with two barbecues Large kitchen with lots of pots, pans, and utensils and three different fridges Quiet at night Good value for money, if you book ahead.

The Lodge offers no-frills, rustic (i.e. outdated) accommodations. Our room on the 2nd floor was…read morefairly small and most of the extra space was taken up by bunk beds. We did have a great view of Mt Cook. Staff was friendly. Tip: There are not a lot of options for food in the area. If you bring your own, you can take advantage of the large common kitchen with multiple fridges, cooktops and plenty of plates/utensils.

One of the worst hotel rooms I have stayed in. The pictures online make it look amazing and maybe…read morethere are amazing rooms. Ours was very old, dingy, outdated, old carpet, dirty walls, dark hallway very little light. The beds were uncomfortable, the bathroom was small and the room had no air conditioning just a fan. No ice machine, I had to get ice from the bar. The shower was small and dingy plastic. The reception person was very nice, and the restaurant staff and chef were fantastic! They do have laundry on site is $4 for a load of wash and $4 for drier. I did not take photos of the room, but the dinner meal was very good.

Appears to be the better hotel in town. Few choices as most visitors I would guess come to town…read morefor the glacier and don't stay overnight. A bit chilly in room until we got wall heater going. In summer sitting out on room patio looking at mountains would be very attractive.