Springboard Vacations

Nice views of the mountains from most rooms. Nice buffet for meals and an ala carte Cafe as well. Since the hotel is in the natio al park there are no other restaurant options other than those at the hotel. Staff was exceptional.

Old building remodeled into a nice boutique hotel. Rooms were very nice. Bedroom was smallish but there was a nice sitting room as well. Very close to restaurants and the city.

Not too many hotels to choose from, but this one is nice. A little older, but you wouldn't know that by looking at the nicely appointed rooms.

Very nice hotel right on the wharf. Close to many restaurants and shopping. Rooms were immaculate.

Hotel is built on a hill. Very awkward routes to get to rooms including two elevator rides and a walk though the parking garage. There is a shuttle to town that is very responsive to requests, but personally I would have preferred staying closer to town.

Older hotel. Absolutely no human interaction as keys were left in the doors with a sign directing us to our rooms. Breakfast was just ingredients left in refrigerator for us to make our own breakfast.

What a find. One of our favorite stays on our trip. Staff was super friendly. Rooms are unique and very well appointed.

Very nice small hotel close to town. The breakfast was great and the staff super friendly.

Outstanding breakfast! Nice, clean rooms near downtown Sydney.

A beautiful hotel with a great view. The breakfast buffet was wonderful, but I was surprised at how small the dining room was, so that people had to wait. One morning we were directed to a dining room on another floor, which was fine. I was disappointed that the walking trail to the central city was closed and we had to walk the highway sidewalk. We used the shuttle service to and from central city a number of times and luckily, we learned to make reservations. It was very timely and worked well. We had been told it would go to different locations in the city if needed, but that was not correct. But we made it work without any issues.

Upon arriving at this Hotel, it felt more like a Motel 6! It had no character, seemed old and outdated; there was not a patio or any place we could sit to enjoy company with our travel mates. There seemed to be a bar, but it appeared closed and very small. Our room was particularly dreary with a dark brown carpet that invited the belief that it was dirty. I did not feel comfortable stepping with my bare feet on the carpet. The whole building seemed old and outdated. The only plus for the hotel was the breakfast buffet which was very good. The front desk staff were not helpful, and even somewhat rude. I asked about the availability of coffee and maybe some fruit for our very early travels, and they told me to make coffee in my room (which was terrible) and to go to the grocery store before it closed! Maybe it was the tone in which they said it, but it bordered on being rude. Not helpful.

Unfortunately, because of a mistake with our hotel booking, we only had one night here. We noticed immediately that the property was for Sale. Which is rather concerning. The grounds were not well kept. Our room was pretty small and felt crowded. I liked having the patio where we could sit. The dining area was very nice, and we noted that all of the guests were scheduled around each other to allow for private dining at the one table. It was also awkward to get coffee, since it had to be prepared by the staff - not easily available. The breakfast itself was wonderful - we all liked it. The staff was very courteous - we enjoyed many aspects of the property. I don't see the second night where we had to relocate to the Edgewater Hotel! We liked this hotel very much!

This hotel was fantastic, with all of its amenities and the views! It was crowded at times, and we were not able to take advantage of the coffee shop and its patio. It took a little time for us to get familiar with the restaurants and need to make reservations. The breakfast buffet was great, and we did have dinner at the hotel one night - which was likely the most extensive buffet I have seen for options. Our room had a fantastic view of Mt. Cook - we loved it. It would have been nice to have a balcony to be able to sit outside and enjoy the view with a glass of wine.

The Lodge has a lot of character and different room styles. The dining room and outdoor patio are lovely, with a nice fireplace in the dining room. We had thought the Lodge would be closer to the lake than it was, but it was just a short walk. It was very peaceful.

This hotel has a great location, and the room was very clean and modern. We enjoyed the breakfast and our brief stay.

The view from our private Hot Tub was excellent! The staff were courteous. The facility had a great spa feel to it and felt luxurious.

This activity turned out well, and we are grateful for the help of the travel agent the night before to be sure the wine tour did not prevent us from getting to our Hot Tub experience. The Wine tour driver was so courteous and was aware of our time crunch to get from the wine tour to the Hot Tub. He volunteered to drop us off directly at the Hot Tubs and make our schedule work. We are grateful for everyone working to make everything work together. The wine tour itself was interesting and a great way to see the communities near Queenstown and learn about the local wine industry. Our tour guide was excellent and told us a lot of facts about the community and the wine industry. The wineries were interesting and it was a nice way to spend the day.

A beautiful golf course! The course was in great shape and the views were excellent. The staff was courteous, and the club house and dining patio were inviting. We enjoyed the day!

We were not expecting an hour bus drive from Queenstown, but it was a comfortable bus. We liked jet boat experience; it was something we had not done before. The boat driver was obviously an expert! We also enjoyed the funyaks - it was an exciting challenge to steer the boats clear of rocks and other boats. The directions of our funyak guide were at times confusing, but we made it without getting wet! It was an active experience, and I loved the views of the river and the mountains, along with the stories about the filming of the Lord of Rings.

The gondola ride was great! It was not crowded, and we enjoyed the views from the dining room/bar with a couple of drinks.

A nice drive.

The Guided Walk was longer than I anticipated, but it was a lovely walk! The group was larger than I expected also! There were 13 guests and the hiking guide. The waterfall at the end of the hike was great, and the hiking guide was also very good. The walk did seem a little rushed, but I know we were on a schedule to be able to make the Cruise. The Cruise was the favorite part of the activity. It was beautiful to see all of the waterfalls and the steep sides of the sound. The Cruise went further out into the open ocean than I expected. We saw dolphins as we came back into the sound - a real treat!

We don't know what this is.

This trip was a dud! There were no icebergs floating and the glacier was not very recognizable because of all of the dirt. There was no calving of the glacier. Our guide did the best he could and was very knowledgeable. But after the boring 20 minute walk with 40 other people, and then some time in a boat with little to see - it seemed like a waste of time.

We loved the helicopter experience. It was a first for all of us. We had an excellent pilot, and he was great at telling us interesting facts. Our scheduled flight was pushed back a half hour, and we were told to check in an hour before the trip. We waited around for 1 1/2 hours - which was not a great start to the experience.

We enjoyed the views from our room, the glacier boat trip, and the Sir Edmund Hilary museum.