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Lodgings in the Southern Alps and Fiordland milk the fantastic views for all they're worth. You can almost always find a room that looks out on a lake, river, or rugged mountain range. Queenstown and Wanaka are busy in summer (January through March) and winter (July through September), so you should reserve in advance. Luxury options are plentiful in Queenstown, and costs are correspondingly high. Other towns, such as Aoraki/Mount Cook Village, have extremely limited options, so you should plan ahead there, too. Air-conditioning is rare because it's rarely needed. Heating, though, is standard, and essential in winter.
Patronized by gold miners during the 1860s, Eichardt's is now an elite boutique resort hotel. Guest rooms are rich cocoa brown and cream; all have sitting areas with fireplaces, dressing rooms, luscious bathrooms, and lake or mountain views. Staff are exceptionally helpful and the penthouse package comes with a car and 24-hour butler. Eichardt's also has cottages nearby, with full kitchens, two bedrooms, and a common area.
Newly built on the hill behind Tekapo township, Galaxy's architectural design celebrates Tekapo's beauty from sunrise to moonrise. During the day, panoramic windows in each room frame the stunning lake and mountain vistas. At night, the single bedroom suites have expansive skylights above the bed, offering unparalleled stargazing of the International Dark Sky Reserve. The warm and modern interior is a welcome respite from windy and exposed environment of the Mackenzie Basin.
Famed for its stupendous mountain vistas from most rooms (there are floor-to-ceiling windows), the Hermitage is also home to the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre, a tribute to one of the most famous New Zealanders. There's a planetarium, the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Museum and theatre—perfect for when the clouds roll over. As the only hotel in the area, tours groups stay en masse over summer, so it pays to book well in advance.
Just 1 km (½ mile) out of the Milford settlement, on the banks of the Cleddau River, this lodge provides riverside chalets with either one super-king or twin bed, kitchenette, and spectacular mountain and river views. The on-site Pio Pio restaurant and bar serves high-quality meals all day. Campervan parking is also available.
This genuinely fun and quirky hotel with countless small touches ensures a memorable stay. There's a DIY-martini kit in each room, and many of the in-room art pieces and amenities, such as the Bose speakers and coffee machines, can be bought and taken home with you. The bar is better than most standalone venues in town and the Bazaar restaurant delivers a street market feel for breakfast and dinner.
This classic mid-19th-country hotel and pub, 20 minutes from Wānaka on the Crown Range Road, is the Cardrona après-ski spot for mulled wine in front of the outdoor fireplace. Another fireplace roars inside the spacious bar and restaurant. In the summertime, the outdoor beer garden is a great place to relax after a day spent in Wānaka.
On the lakefront in a quiet area away from town, this property is great for a longer stay in Wānaka. Some rooms are fully self-contained and there's a nice restaurant on-site, where the locals make a point of visiting on weekends for their house-made scones. If you take the walking trail to Wānaka township, you'll pass one of the most photographed trees in New Zealand, a solitary crooked, cracked willow growing out of the lake known as That Wānaka Tree.
Situated at the bottom of Fernhill, the Heritage is quieter than other local hotels and has panoramic views of the Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu. The hotel was built almost entirely out of South Island materials, including Central Otago schist stone and cedar. Rooms are notably spacious, and are fitted with writing tables and comfortable sitting areas. It's a nice walk along the waterfront to the center of town, but it may challenge those less able.
This boutique hotel captures elegant and cozy alpine ambience in an unexpected place. High up in the suburb of Fernhill, Kamana celebrates the panoramic views of the Remarkables Mountain Range in its gorgeous communal areas---and if you book the right room, from your private balcony. It's worth forgoing a night in town to enjoy the cuisine and cocktails at the on-site Nest Kitchen & Bar, then finish your evening unwinding in their lake-view soaking tubs.
A nice midrange alternative with good family-style facilities, this resort is in the center of town. The big Penthouse Suite is available if you're traveling with family, and studio-style rooms are also on offer if you are solo. Once settled in, it's a very short walk to the lakefront.
Filled mainly by busloads of package tourists, the stone-and-timber buildings have comfortable rooms, and large lounges complete with welcoming fires, that make quite an impression in this otherwise nondescript town. The 108 rooms range from deluxe to superior.
This plush hotel is located in the center of town, and you can walk to the lake, shopping, dining, and tour departure points in just five minutes. If you check in before dinner, guests are invited to drinks and canapes in the foyer, where you can share notes on the day's activities. The Remarkables rooms are bigger and quieter, facing away from the street, and better if you are staying for more than a couple of nights.
Named for Queenstown's first European settler—who oversaw the birth of the town during the 1860s gold rush—this hotel's accommodations range from rooms and apartments to multibedroom lakeside residences. The True South restaurant is worth sacrificing a night on the town to dine in.
Built on the bones of an older motor inn, this hotel has reinvented itself as an eco-conscious alternative to the standard hotel experience. Most rooms don't have a television, but there's good Wi-Fi and the communal outdoor firepits are a great place to unwind. The restaurant grows most of its own vegetables and the ever-changing menu makes it worth staying in for dinner at least one night of your stay. The retro, industrial style furnishings won't suit everyone, but they're fun.
