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.

This review is more about the location of the hotel in this small tourist town. Next to helicopter…read morepad created a ton of noise during the day with flights every 15 min. Ur breathtaking g views at night when all the lights were off. That and no air con but big fan are only reasons for reduced stars. Hotel has two restaurants but only one was open. Bar is full and stocked. There are also lots of restaurant options all very walkable. The la ding has good calimari (thicker) The kiwi and penguin center was fanatic and right behind hotel We also took a hike up the trail that is less than 1/8 mile from hotel rear. Great view at end of trail. Hotel also has electric bikes for use. Our tour meal was very good. I had the lamb shank. I wish it came with more than one small potato but the lamb was fantastic.

It's a small town, and this hotel is one of the nicest ones in the area. Given the context, it's…read morenice and comfortable. Check-in was easy, and it was a short walk to the room. The amenities are very minimal. The decor is outdated, and it's apparent that much of the room and bathroom will soon need a refresh. However, it IS a small town, and this isn't a huge chain. Housekeeping is good as the room itself was clean; they did their best with what they had to work with. We had a nice view from our room, and it's a short van ride to the glacier. Several diners were close by, so it's really convenient. We had breakfast included. The options were decent and included hot and cold options. It was packed as everyone had all their activities start early.

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.

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.

Wonderful hotel nestled in the midst of the Mt Cook area. Lovely views from the hotel and nice…read morefresh and hot food available in the cafe.

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.

Well where to start ... it is a very big hostel and during my stay it was crowded. The facilities…read morewere not really clean but this is just a result of ignorant guests that don't care about others. Kitchen is big and offers multiple ovens and places to cook with gas or electric. Free WI-FI Towels just 1$ donation Really beautiful location Inter City Bus drop & pick up at hostel Nice staff and good value for money

My review comes with some fine print... I arrived at 12:15am after a 13 hour drive from Picton (the…read moremain highway to Franz Josef was closed due to a rock / land slide). We were exhausted and just wanted to sleep. The address in google maps will point you too far down the road FYI! So we wandered around in the dark a bit... Once we found it? It was a huge relief. They had provided us a door code earlier in the day to enter for after-hours check-in and it was super easy to get our key and find our room. Granted, everyone was in their rooms so that probably helped it seem more quiet and clean but I was still surprised with just HOW quiet and clean it was... the room was small (2 twin beds and a small set of drawers w/ towels and extra blanket), but it served its purpose. The bathroom was just down the hall and was very clean and bright and spacious. We only walked by the kitchen a couple of times but it seemed very big and welcoming and clean. If I visited Franz Josef again, I would definitely stay here. Everything (heli / hikes, cafe, short hikes) are within walking distance too.

Keep in mind, if you're in Franz Joseph, you're out in the middle of nowhere. There are no major…read morechains, just nothing but 'mom & pop' options which can always be hit or miss... This is a modern hotel with nice amenities, a really good choice! Rooms were nicer and roomier than what was expected, the Manager was efficient on all queries, and the location was great. Clean onsite laundry facilities as well is a huge bonus if you're on the road for several days. Kitchenette had basic utensils, French-press coffee maker, kettle for boiling water, and a small amount of cookware that allowed for a more comfortable stay. Another bonus; large bathroom with huge shower and excellent water pressure. So don't hesitate to stay here, it's all good!!

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.