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This review was a long time coming! I had the privilege to spend four nights at the Matakauri Lodge in May. Upon arrival, I was upgraded to a ginormous suite facing Lake Watatipu. Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect stay. The room was beyond comfortable. It was so relaxing that I easily would’ve been content hanging out by the window or on the patio all day. Being about 10 minutes outside of town, I liked that the property was full board and included mini bar items. I wish all properties would just tack on a fee and include items to the room rate. Food in the dining room was excellent. You could order ala carte or opt for the tasting menu, which allows you to sample a little bit of most of the menu. I definitely have to praise the F&B team in taking the care to ensure my items were gluten free. The only thing that can be improved is their god-awful coffee, which tasted like jet fuel. Davide, the GM, discussed this. Among all my stays at various properties around the world, very few know how to really do coffee, which is too bad since som much effort is put into wine and alcohol programs. Before you arrive, be sure to contact the concierge and they can arrange all sorts of excursions and transfers for you. There are hiking trails right outside the door of the property, so the active visitor will always have plenty to do. Thank you, Davide and team, for making my stay at the Matakauri Lodge a memorable one.

Lake view rooms are perfect. The hotel is ok and as a Mercure, pricing is reflective in the higher end. It’s about a 20 minute walk into town which is downhill. To many sherbets and coming back I would recommend a lift. The local bus is halfway down the hill also. Bar staff and restaurant staff are smiling and helpful. Front desk need to take some learnings from them. Dinner 1 night was a nice meal accompanied by a nice wine and very pleasant service. Breakfast….save your money and head into town. You are paying for the view. Pay as you go as you don’t want a surprise when you check out.

We really enjoyed our stay at this hotel. We were a family group so we required three rooms. Everything was beautiful, comfortable and cosy. However the highlights were the evening meal(s) we had at the restaurant. We stayed three nights and had such a wonderful time the first night we dined at the hotel that we ended up eating there every night. The menu was comprehensive, our group ordered widely and we all enjoyed each dish. I particularly loved the pumpkin soup, but the steak and pork dishes as well as the hamburgers , were equally popular. Attention was paid to detail, and this was especially the case with the deserts and their superb presentation. The staff were cheerful and generous and made us feel like welcome guests.

In the middle of the mountain, it may not be as convenient as the frontage hotel, the suites are furnished, the balcony faces the lake, and the scenery is very good. Don't save money and book a room without a lake view. The only downside is that you have to walk 10-20 minutes without going to the pier and the town center. It’s hard to go back to the hotel during the winter night.

Cannot believe how good this place was!... We ended up getting a private 8 bed dorm for 6 of us, the room itself got a little hot, but the staff quickly brought us a fan which helped massively. Toilets and showers were so well kept and the lounge, washing machines and drying rooms made the whole process so easy. Kitchen is absolutely huge and perfect if you plan to prepare you food there. But the staff were something else, unbelievably friendly and one lady even lent me 50c out of her own purse for the lockers, completely didn't need to do it but wanted to help me out!... An absolute gem! I will DEFINITELY be staying here again in future.

The hotel is on a slope. This time, the first row is facing the road. There is a garage below the road on the first floor. Parking in the garage is very convenient. You can also drive up the slope, making it easy to pick up luggage. There are three bedrooms and three bathrooms on the first floor of the hotel. The second floor is the living room. We have four adults and one child, which is just right. The hotel is quite cozy, and the facilities are very new. The location is not far from Queenstown on foot, about 10+ minutes, but there is a long steep slope... It's a bit tiring to get back to the hotel...😂 There is road construction going on near the hotel these days, which will wake you up in the morning. The only shortcoming is that there is no radiator in the hotel room. Sometimes it feels cold in the middle of the night. Everything else is good.

Definitely! Book a lake view room! The pictures were taken in the room and balcony. Don't expect too much from the room facilities, it's just the level of domestic homestays, but the scenery is really beautiful! The front desk staff is very friendly. We are a family of three, and they also took the initiative to provide sofa bed extra bed service (Figure 1) There is no free mineral water, you can ask the front desk for free tap water, boiled water can also be used to make tea, no odor. The hair dryer is Dyson 🤩 It's a 5-8 minute walk from the town center, but there is a big slope, which is a bit unfriendly to the elderly and people with poor legs and feet, and it will be a bit tiring. It is not recommended to drive by yourself, because parking in Queenstown is really too difficult (◍•﹏•)

Room selection is very important. I chose the one with a large public terrace, but the view was blocked. Choose a room with a protruding front!

The environment and location are very satisfactory and there is no room for picky. But the facilities are a bit unbearable for a four-star hotel! The bathroom with a double bed, the metal frame screws are gone, and they will fall off at any time. The hot and cold water is very unstable. Everyone has hotted  a few times, and the temperature is lowered and it becomes cold water. There are carrots in the dishwasher that have not been cleared.

We are very dissatisfied with our lake view suite. The building in front basically blocks our lake view. I don't know why we are on such a low floor, which results in a very poor view. The lake view suite we booked has this kind of lake view and it is amazing.