The Godley Hotel

Moved from a lake-view room on the second floor to a larger, updated lake-view room on the first floor! It's much better than the second-floor one; you can just step out the door and be right by the lake! I was absolutely awestruck by the starry sky in Tekapo! The Milky Way was visible to the naked eye, and there were stars everywhere!

We stayed in Tekapo for two days to stargaze and visit Mount Cook, and chose to stay at Godley. Overall, it was a great experience! 👍 The location is fantastic; it's right by the lake, and our room offered lovely lake and mountain views. The Church of the Good Shepherd is also just a stone's throw away. There's a large supermarket within a few minutes' walk, and both the Intercity bus stop and the stargazing shuttle are conveniently located nearby. The room was quite spacious and had heating, which made it wonderfully warm at night. On our first day, the front desk even invited us to the hotel's evening concert, which was a very thoughtful touch, though we couldn't make it due to a schedule conflict. If I ever get the chance to return to this charming town, I'd definitely consider staying here again.

Check-in is after 2 PM, and check-out is at 10 AM. You can store your luggage at the front desk. A deposit is required upon check-in, payable by credit card or cash. The reception and hotel are in adjoining buildings. My room was on the second floor, and there's no elevator, so I had to carry my luggage up myself. The room was clean and spacious, but the soundproofing wasn't great. You can cast your phone to the TV via Wi-Fi. When I checked out, there was a front desk staff member who could speak Chinese.

The hotel faces Lake Tekapo, offering beautiful scenery. You're definitely paying for the location here, as the room itself is quite small – it was even a struggle to open our luggage. Then, early in the morning, around 6 AM, there was a fire alarm incident. Staff made everyone evacuate and stand outside for over an hour. After checking, they found it was a false alarm and just offered a brief apology. It was a really bad experience, and I won't consider staying here again if I visit in the future.