Monika’s review

New Zealand | Mar 1 - Mar 15, 2026

Very centrally located. We were near numerous restaurants and shopping. We were able to easily walk to the Botanical Garden. Despite being on the first floor in a busy city, my room was very quiet. The only challenge was parking. There was a nearby parking structure and the hotel provided us with a discounted parking option but we had to pay for each departure, rather than a flat daily rate.

This hotel was comfortable and clean. Our two bedroom suite had an enormous bathing room with a jacuzzi spa and separate shower. A delightful bonus was the heated floor. We were greeted upon check-in with a basket of cookies and cartons of fresh milk for our coffee or tea. The only minor complaint is that I like to read in bed and the only light in my bedroom was an overhead light, which meant I had to walk in the dark to get to the light switch.

Conveniently located. Clean. Front desk staff were pleasant and professional. The only issue was that the door to the single bedroom was not able to close completely. The breakfast buffet was excellent. Our travel agent had prepaid for us and this made it easy to start the day quickly.

The suite interior had been updated but the exterior needs to be refreshed.

Very centrally located to restaurants and our booked boat cruise. We were placed in a two bedroom suite that was set up for handicapped accessibility, which unfortunately meant that the shower was open concept and it was impossible to limit the water wetting most of the bathroom floor. We ended up using most of our towels to mop up. Another quaint feature is that the front desk was in the same room as an ice cream shop.

This location was actually an air bnb. The upper floor is where the owners reside when they are using their vacation home. Our unit was on the ground floor. This meant that we could hear them walking overhead and water through the plumbing. They did provide a washing machine but no dryer. They did have an outdoor line or indoor drying rack but if you’re staying for only a quick stop, your clothes may not get dry. The kitchenette was very small, just a hot plate and no prep space. Lovely views and next to a neighborhood hiking trail. There was a large covey of California Quails wandering nearby.

Very centrally located but parking is a challenge. We were very fortunate to find street parking upon arrival but never used the car again until departure because we weren’t sure we would be able to find another spot. The hotel restaurant has a limited but tasty menu. Walking to other restaurants was a bit of a walk and due to the hilly nature of Queenstown we got our exercise.

Loved this! It was very well organized and operated. The tour guide was excellent and we didn’t feel rushed. We would have loved to spend more time there but it is a very popular destination and they need to keep things moving along to ensure that we weren’t crowded during the tour.

Very interesting. We learned a lot about their efforts to increase the number of kiwi in the wild. Take advantage of the gift shops, if you plan on getting mementos of your trip. We definitely had buyers remorse thinking that we would wait until later in the trip to do our shopping. Their prices were actually pretty reasonable.

It was quite fascinating to see the geothermal area. The trails are well maintained and the information signs are educational.

We were very fortunate and had wonderful weather. The sailing was very smooth and the views incredible. We were fortunate to see many dolphins but only one penguin in the water at a distance. The boat captain did a great job describing what we were seeing. The water was an amazing color.

We loved this. It was wonderful learning about the Māori culture and all of the staff did a fantastic job. The singing was quite good and the dinner was fabulous. Our travel agent passed on the dietary needs of two of us and the cooks provided excellent alternatives to the set menu. Their were so many courses of delicious food and plenty for everyone.

Underwhelming. Admittedly we had cloudy skies but the VR alternative was sadly rather amateurish and somewhat boring. Additionally, the “hot springs “ were just a chlorinated pool. Since it was outdoors in the dark it felt a little scary trying to traverse our way to the pool. The guide did a good job sharing Māori legends about the night sky.

Very expensive and chaotic. We were there in the off season and can’t imagine going at the height of the season. The facility is being remodeled so the restaurant was unavailable. The cafeteria style service was confusing and badly organized. We ended up not eating there. The views on top were beautiful and the gondola ride itself was very smooth. However, unless you are planning on participating in the offered sport activities, such as luge, mountain biking, or ziplining, the experience doesn’t take long. We were underwhelmed.

Lovely views of scenery and the Remarkables, the nearby mountain range.

This trip is well planned and executed. There is a bus ride through the countryside to where one boards a boat to sail across Manapouri Lake to get on another bus over Wilmot Pass to get to Doubtful Sound to board another boat. The views are amazing but we, unfortunately, saw little wildlife.