Although we stayed at a condo within the resort, we had no direct dealings with the management. So…read morethis review is about our experience with the owners and the condo located at Benbrae Resort. The condo we stayed in was absolutely fantastic. To quote my youngest when we first walked in: "NOW THIS IS A CONDO!" 2 bedrooms / 2 baths Full and modern kitchen. Even has a dishwasher - hell, I don't even have one of those at home. Didn't use it, however. Forgot how to after 13 years without one. Gas fireplace . . . excellent, my family loved this. Quiet neighborhood. Lower units have parking spaces/stalls. Upper unit parking is right in front of each unit, along the driveway/roadway. Rubbish/recycling containers on premises, just a bit inside the entrance/exit. There's a pool and hot tub. We didn't use the pool since it was winter when we visited, but I did witness a few adventurers dipping in. Braver than me - I fear the ice water might stop something I'd rather it didn't . . . like my heart . . . not to mention the "shrink" factor implications. The hot tub, on the other hand, was FANTASTIC!!! My girls LOVED it. Oh, this ISN'T a jacuzzi, it's a simply a hot tub/hot pool. NOTES: There are NO food stores of note nearby. Buy food in Queenstown or Wanaka. There is, however, a restaurant/bar at the Cordrona Hotel. Queenstown is a 45-60 minute drive depending on road quality (snow, ice etc). over the Crowne Pass. Almost 2 hours drive if it's closed. Wanaka is a 20-25 minute drive. Cardrona Alpine resort (alpine skiing) and Snow Farm (cross country skiing) are both 20 minuets away, but on opposite mountains. Rent a 4WD and carry chains AT ALL TIMES. These drives can be challenging if you're not accustomed to driving mountain roads in winter conditions. This is a GREAT base if you aren't committed to any specific activity. Both ski resorts offer lodging if you just want to either alpine or cross country ski exclusively. Staying there would save the treacherous and, at times, terrifying daily commute.

This resort is about 50 minutes away from Queenstown and its out of nowhere! There's nothing to do…read morehere besides snowboarding or skiing. Even if you want to do that you would have to drive an additional about 30 minutes up to Cardrona Alpine Resort. After checking out Cardrona Alpine Resort, we decided to check in and drop off our luggage before driving back to the party life in Queenstown. As we were settling in there was a knock at the door. It was the manager and she was asking us how many people were in the room and we stated four. We explained to the manager that the other two people will be heading back to Queenstown while we stay here. She had the nerve to say "ok I don't like people sneaking other people in. I'll be back to check up on you guys!" Really? Unbelievable!! The manager was basically accusing us of sneaking additional people into our room. Really? Since when we can't have guests? How dare her of accusing us of doing such thing. That kind of ruined our trip. Worse customer service ever! I would recommend staying in Queenstown and just drive to Cardrona. There are more things to do in Queenstown and no one from the hotels would bother you like this one. Again there's nothing to do in Cardrona besides snowboarding or skiing and you can't be doing this all day long.

We ended up with a free afternoon on our short visit to Queenstown and was able to arrange a…read morelast-minute private wine tour of the Gibbston Wine region with a few emails back and forth with Matthew. This small company, only 3-people, is able to be flexible and deliver a bespoke, high-quality experience tailored to the needs of its clients. With our excellent guide Matthew we visited Three beautiful and unique wineries customized to our interests. We had asked him to take us to small, boutique wineries where the passions of the winemaker combine with terroir to produce something special. His recommendations did not disappoint and we tasted a wide number of varietals across the wineries in the Gibbston sub region of Otago Valley. He picked us up promptly at the promised time in a comfortable van provisioned with fruit, chocolate and water and even took care of shipping some wine back to the states for us. We were only 2 in the van but it could comfortably hold 8. He is VERY knowledgeable about wine in the region and beyond and provided us with some great information throughout the tour. Plus he's such a personable guy. We even stopped off at the charming city, arrowtown, on our way back (reminiscent of Carmel CA) for a short walking tour. Beautiful. Highly recommended

Jake runs the most informative wine tour that I've ever done. His education in Oenology and…read moreprevious experience working in the local wineries shows through. Not only is the overall tour he provides highly illuminating, but if you ask him specific questions, there is clearly great depth to his knowledge. There are several tour options. We did the Degustation Tour which includes food pairings with the wine. This is an excellent way to taste Pinot Noir, which is really meant to be enjoyed with food, and is the specialty in the Queenstown area. We also tasted Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gruner Veltliner, and Gewurztraminer. The first stop includes a wine and appetiser pairing at a winery cellar. The second stop is a full lunch with several pairings. After that, there were two more stops at wineries. You will taste about five wines at each stop, for a total of 20 wines.

If I could give 100 stars I would ask to give 101 stars. This Lodge located less than 2 miles from…read moredowntown Queenstown is in one word, amazing! They have 9 separate villas on property. The staff here is genuinely friendly and beyond accommodating. We had stayed 3 nights in town at the Sofitel (nice place too) and ended our trip by relaxing at Azur. When we were ready to go we called Azur and were told someone would be to us in 10 minutes. The scenery on the way to the Lodge was gorgeous. We drove along the lake and took a turn into a residential area. My husband looked at me like WTF, where are we going??? I too was a little concerned. As we drove around we ended up at a large gate with a keypad. Now we are talkin! We were let out at the main "house" where check in is as well as afternoon cocktails and breakfast is served. The view is incredible as it overlooks the lake. They offer board games and dvd's at no additional cost. They employ a chef and baker so everything is fresh made. Bottled water along with beer and soft drinks are complimentary throughout your stay. We were shown around and then taken by golf cart down to our Villa, like 30 seconds away. Once inside our bags were already inside the room along with a bottle of wine being chilled and some chocolates to go with it. We were shown how to operate the fireplace and heating system and the flatscreen TV with a surround sound system, this place is hooked up! There was a sofa sectional and a round glass table that seats 4 very comfortably. The bathroom was gorgeous with a tub that easily fits 2 and also keeps the water warm. The floors were also heated so you don't have to worry about slippers (those were also included)!! The bed was huge and comfortable. The view from our room was just insane. We had a patio where we could sit if we chose to. Did I mention the view here? We had all sorts of plans while at Azur and didn't do any of them. We literally never left our room for a solid 48 hours. We binge watched movies and TV shows as our laptop easily connected to the TV. They brought us whatever we wanted for breakfast, like anything we wanted...no menu just ask! Where can you ever do that? As for lunch and dinner we opted for takeout. They have the menus in the room from places in town. You pick up the phone tell the concierge at the main house what you want and in 30-40 minutes your food arrives on china with silverware. How badass is that? They do an afternoon tea service and evening canapés if you are interested. If you are lazy like we were, they bring it to your room. Azur offers free "shuttle" service to and from the airport as well as into town whenever you want. It's simply a phone call away. They understand customer service here at Azur and exceeded anything you can imagine. I travel for a living and don't think I've ever received service like this. Not to mention how genuinely friendly each staff member we encountered was. It's not inexpensive to stay here but I can honestly say it's worth every penny! We will return and spend more time at Azur, that's for sure!

Visiting from California, British national…read more We loved everything about this hotel! Outstanding, personal service with the guest at the centre of everything. Made to order breakfast in room, and we took advantage of restaurant delivery via room service - really well done Amazing views and superior room. Each accommodation is a lodge with total privacy and stunning views of the lake and mountains. Champagne on arrival, and a wonderfully warm welcome. Highly recommended, and will definitely return.

Heli Tours is probably one of the greatest ways to see Milford Sound, beautiful Queenstown, and…read moreglaciers so quickly! It is a bit pricey, but definitely worth the $$$$! We booked our tour through Happy Travels in downtown Queenstown for the fly+cruise+fly package! Our tour details: 9am - We called ahead to make sure the weather was good to fly and our trip was not going to get canceled. There was a Heli Tours van that picked us up from our hotel in Queenstown! 9:15am - We got to the Heli Tours office and waited for 2 more people to arrive. 9:30am - Our tour was suppose to start at 9:30am sharp, but the other folks never showed up. 9:45am - Only 4 of us, including the pilot (Ben)! It was so awesome!! There was a quick safety briefing. We got on the heli and we were all super excited to be in a heli for the very first time! Ben did some commentary, but it was honestly difficult to hear everything he was saying. Also the window had our reflections so it was a bit difficult to take pictures through the window clearly. We flew over many beautiful rivers and mountains. 10:25am - When we landed in Milford, Ben escorted us onto the bus that took us to where the boats were. We hopped onto a small boat for our 10:45am departure with about 20 other people and they had a sectioned off area for the Heli Tours group inside the boat!! There was free tea/coffee and chocolate cookies. I really enjoyed the cruise through Milford Sound and because we were on a smaller boat, we got to go up close to the waterfalls!! Got a free shower too! LOL! 11:45am - After the cruise, Ben escorted us back onto the bus heading back towards the helipads! 12:30pm - Landed on a glacier! Took a bunch of photos! It was quite the experience! The fluffiest powder of snow I've ever felt and stepped in! It was so fresh!!! Unbelievable! 1:00pm - Headed back and flew over towards Queenstown 1:30pm - Arrived back at the Heli Tours office by the airport 1:45pm - Got a van ride back to our hotels 2:00pm - Arrived at our hotel It was definitely one of the greatest experiences ever. If you can afford a helicopter ride to see Queenstown/Milford, it's by far the best way to see so much in a short amount of time! This tour was really great because we got escorted throughout our tour and we were well taken care of! Ben was a great pilot and he made everyone get a chance to sit up front! I only wished they somehow had a Milford/Doubtful Sound tour! That would be so worth it since I haven't seen any tour group have both in one day! TIPS: - If you do book this tour, I recommend booking it thru Happy Travels. - Wear sunscreen and apply frequently (I got sunburned) and bring sunglasses! Wear appropriate shoes for the wet boat ride and the snowy glacier. Layer because it gets hot inside the helicopter and then it's quite cold outside the boat and on the glacier!

We stayed at Mantra Marina just for one night. The reception closes at 5.30pm, so if you plan on…read morechecking in late, there's a phone by the reception where you can call and get the code to open the lock box nearby. The keys and WiFi instructions are placed inside the envelope with your name written on it. The room itself was neat. Bed were comfortable. The bathrooms are clean and chic. Bus stop is just a block away from this hotel. Town center is 15min by bus. Airport is 10min by bus. If you are not too keen on staying in the town center, this is a good option in Queenstown. Check out time is a little earlier than other hotels- its at 10am. Upon request they allowed us to check out a bit later, at 11am. They also held our bags in the office until we picked them up later in the day. Oh and they offer free WiFi.

stayed 5 days in queenstown, had an awesome stay at this hotel which is basically a small building…read morefull of condo/apt managed as a hotel. had a room right in front of the lake. The trail that runs by the lake is not fenced off, but hey nothing to worry here. We took both our kids, 8 and 3 along. They have a full kitchen WITH washer/dryers. For around $150 a night. All in all, I think this is one of those things you have to get right for a great vacation!

I only stayed here for 2 nights with my 3 other friends in one room, (so called 4-beds share room i…read moreguess?) i would say that i had a wonderful time here. This backpackers has a great view of mountain and outside hot tub!! My highlight of staying was that we had some beers with friends in the hot tub at night. Was just amazing!! was just indescribable ... Wifi connection was also stable i believe. Seems like there are many people, backpackers just working and living here for a couple of months. I bet you will meet some awesome people from all over the world. Only downside (well i wasn't bothered much tho) was it's a bit far from the town, and on the way back to the lodge, kinda long uphill is waiting for you,,, Overall, i would definitely stay there again if I have a chance to visit Queenstown again!!

Budget place with 5 star views. This is nothing fancy but it does it's job. The loedge is located…read morealong side a steep hill side. They have parking, around 20 spots?? but is really tight. If you can't find a spot, there's so space to turn around and you have to do some technical car reverse maneuvers. There is no elevator/lift which is a bummer especially if you have a lot to carry and lotta of sports equipment. They do have a courtyard with a hot put and bbq area. the noise travels to all the rooms easily. Continental breakfast was cereals, yogurt, fruit, bread and a few Spreads with coffee. Basic but appreciated. Bedrooms are tiny, pictures look a lot better then in person. Towels are basic, not thick and fluffy. I added a photo of the shower, just one soap for all attached on the wall. The sink area has no extra hand towels, hand bar soaps or lotions. But I'm glad each room has our own bathroom. It's a tiny tv with a mini fridge. Got a toaster and hot water kettle. There is a ski shop and a bar downstairs. This place does the job.

We had a pleasant experience with Air New Zealand…read more The staff were very friendly and helpful. The safety video was quite entertaining and engaging. The wife loves the footage of all the beautiful people in the video. Overall good experience flying from Sydney to Wellington.

Good news is they were on time, very friendly and overall pretty decent...they did what they are…read moresupposed to do. BUT...had a chance to fly business/1st class internationally on this airline and I will say it was a major disappointment. It felt like bunk beds....meaning for the price, we basically got a seat to ourselves, it did lay flat...but absolutely no privacy. literally felt like you were at camp in beds and could see everyone. So you got a seat with low dividers, no real pods or privacy and open air. Hate complaining about first class international...but for the money...not a great experience.

Stu was a great host! He showed us the lake, educated us and we caught our limit of fish! This was…read morea great day, I would highly recommend a day with Stu!