14 Best Hotels in Upper South Island and the West Coast, New Zealand

Luxurious tree houses are the star accommodations here, but there’s also a main lodge with a restaurant and hotel-style rooms, plus the salubrious Olive House, a freestanding and self-contained three-bedroom suite featuring spacious dining, lounge, and bedroom areas and 360-degree views. The tree houses, made of rough-sawn timber, copper, glass, and steel, stand on stilts above native trees. Inside are freestanding baths and elegant handmade furniture. Each unit has a wide-reaching view over olive groves (the lodge makes its own olive oil) to the sea and Kaikōura mountains. A spa offers massage and beauty treatments. Rates include full breakfast and gourmet dinner.

Located alongside Lake Moeraki and surrounded by World Heritage Park, this lodge is a stunning place to relax and learn about New Zealand nature. A network of forest tracks radiate out from the lodge, which also has 20 single and double kayaks to explore the lake. The lodge features stylish accommodations and superb food, Skilled eco-guides can take you on half-day excursions where you will spot Fiordland crested penguins (September to early December), seals, and Hectors Dolphins. Also available are guided kayak safaris down the Moeraki River to the Tasman seacoast. 

One of the classiest of several fully inclusive luxury fly-fishing lodges in this region has six beautifully appointed cottages overlooking the Owen River Valley. Adjacent to Kahurangi National Park, lodge gives you access to 25 fishing rivers within a 90-minute drive, plus many more by helicopter. Back at the lodge you can relax in the cozy lounge, or wander the landscaped grounds, including the massive vegetable garden that supplies much of what arrives on your table for dinner.

Here, a short walk across soft grass from your luxurious, fully self-contained villa or studio unit gets you to your own quiet beach. Sunsets are sometimes enhanced by blue penguins arriving home from a day out fishing. During the day you can swim, kayak, or paddleboard (complimentary boards and kayaks are available). At night the doors and windows can be left open so the sound of the sea lulls you to sleep. Rates include a breakfast hamper crammed with fresh, local produce, and full housekeeping service, or you can opt for the "independent rate."

A contemporary luxury waterfront lodge built to complement the surrounding native bush and seascape, the property's spacious suites and apartments are built into the hillside. Cuisine, featuring the best local produce, is served in the stylish Foredeck Restaurant and Kumatage Lounge or the casual Bight Café on the jetty. Getting there is part of the treat: you can catch a water taxi from Picton, helicopter in, or walk in on the Queen Charlotte Track (the Lodge is a two-hour detour). Dolphin and bird-watching cruises, bushwalks, kayaking, and fishing charters are all at your door. Booking options include a bed-and-breakfast option, or a dinner, bed, and breakfast. 

Follow a lavender-lined driveway to this 1901-built Victorian convent, now a luxury boutique hotel. Its 10 rooms are decorated in an eclectic contemporary style that mixes old and new. Surrounding the building, 16 acres of established gardens and lawns appear to ramble into the surrounding vineyards (tours with head gardener on request). The heated outdoor pool is open from October to May, and six lawn tennis courts are available for guests to use. The hotel's on-site restaurant, Harvest, has just been awarded a Hat in NZ Cuisine Food Awards, and provides a unique dining experience with a deck opening onto the Orangery. 

Tranquillity, marvelous mountain views, and a superb standard of comfort are the hallmarks of this rustic lodge on 35 acres overlooking the Motueka River. Fish is a key focus here, especially dry fly-fishing for brown trout in the wild rivers. Booking ahead is essential during the October-to-April fishing season, and some dates require minimum a two-nights booking. 

This model for this grand old lodge has been given a thorough overhaul since pandemic times, and nowadays it only offers all-inclusive dine-and stay-deals November through April, on select dates only. Each year in September, a list of these dates is released. There is a choice between a two-, three-, or four-night stay, and includes chef-cooked breakfast, lunch, and three-course dinner. The rest of the year, the lodge is booked out for exclusive use only. The recently renovated facilities overlook the forest-covered hills and waterfront. If relaxing on the veranda gets too tiresome, try an adventure on a paddleboard, kayak, or mountain bike, or try your luck with a fishing rod—all are complimentary for guests. Getting here is half the fun, with the only access being by water transfer or helicopter.

This two-story luxury lodge sits in the country, high above the Hokitika River valley. The views stretch across the river, farms, and native forest to the Southern Alps. The lodge, with four spacious guest rooms, is framed by 3 acres of native bush and garden. Two ground-floor guest rooms open out to a large breakfast deck. Upstairs the rooms are larger, as are the views. The social hub of the lodge is the Great Room, with its spectacular cathedral ceiling and big fireplace.

Nestled beside an estuary, this estate features pure, simple luxury. Guests in the four purpose-built villas and suites come together for champagne each evening. Te Koi is surrounded by mature gardens. At high tide, the lawn is lapped by the sea and at low tide you can walk onto the sand flats. Full breakfast hamper included. Play some pétanque (bocce) or tennis, then relax in the solar-heated pool. 

Here you'll feel ensconced not only in luxury but also the rain forest, as the hotel has been built to fit in and not intrude on the trees—from concrete jungle to real jungle, as their mantra states. Enjoy the possum fur pillows, bathroom underfloor heating, and deliberately designed decor: the foyer is glacial-white while the dark rain-forest bar even comes with glowworms. Two-night stays are encouraged—that gives you more chance of fine weather for glacier trips, and the opportunity to try both the à la carte menu and the five-course degustation dinner. Amaia Day Spa is in the hotel, and the hot pools are just a walk down a rain-forest path away.

This graceful villa has one of the best waterfront locations in town. The 1905 house features native rimu-wood floors, luxurious furnishings, local artwork, and historic maritime photographs. Pure wool rugs warm the floors while heavy feather duvets warm the beds. Hospitality here is legendary; breakfast is different every day, and evening drinks and snacks are served on the sweeping veranda. One of the owners also runs a RYA sailing school (Sail Nelson) and you are welcome to set sail with him.

For unpretentious luxury near the glaciers, turn to this spacious, modern lodge-style B&B just a few minutes' drive from Franz Josef village. Rooms are spacious, with timber surroundings and a neutral color palette, some with outdoor decks. A huge open fire warms the guest lounge, which has an exceptional alpine and bush outlook. Hosts cook up a great breakfast.