The Headwaters Eco Lodge

A fantastic lodge in a beautiful location. We choose the hotel based on excellent reviews. The room was beautiful and the staff very friendly but at times not enough of them. They tried to do everything to make our stay amazing. On our first evening we ordered pre dinner drinks but they never came. Breakfast was brilliant, a large choice and all delicious. Dinner was great but it would have been nice to see the menu in advance so we can pick out any dislikes. We stayed for two nights and the menu was very similar. Turkey with chestnuts both nights with seasonal veg. Dessert came with coconut and miso gelato both nights too. Not great when two out of three in our party don’t like nights. On the Christmas Eve special event the canapés weren’t suitable for vegetarians and the side of vegetables arrived as we were finishing. We would return as the setting was beautiful and the philosophy is wonderful. The serving staff just need more support when it’s busy. Loved the laundry room to refresh some clothes and that they left little welcome gifts in the room. The room was spotless. Lots of nice spots to read a book or sit by a fire. Plus a good selection of wines to choose from.

My husband & I stayed here for 4 nights in October. It was a wonderful and totally unique experience in the most beautiful surroundings. Our cabin was unlike anything we had stayed in before, very cosy, comfortable with total peace and quiet. Every member of staff was friendly, professional and could not have done more. The food was also excellent at breakfast and dinner. Our thanks to the whole team. It was just perfect.

My wife & I recently stayed for several days & dined in-house on 2 evenings. The first evening was great but the second evening (2 nights later) was the disappointing part of our stay. On the first night, I politely but unsuccessfully attempted to clarify whether the set menu would be lamb rack chops again 2 nights later. The chef replied with a disengeuous response. In the event, it turned out to be lamb rack chops again on our second evening. Unfortunately, this time, they were undercooked & bleeding dark blood. Before eating these, I politely mentioned it to the waitress who I watched talk to the chef. At the time, the chef was having a very loud conversation with a well known NZ film director. I watched the chef look in our direction & dismiss our message while he continued his prolonged discussion. For the record, the (also repeat) crème brulèes were cold, lumpy & unappetising. I now raise these points as I attempted to give significant feedback quietly & without fuss. However, this was brushed off by the chef. The delivery, response & attitude full short of our expectations arising from the establishment’s expensive tariff. Also, as requested, I have responded to the standard follow up questionnaire inviting our feedback. Several weeks later, I have only received a brief “holding” response.

Headwaters Eco Lodge was a dream come true. My traveling partner and I were a strange case - having spent very little time with each other before flying in to Queenstown and taking the ~1 hr trip out to Glenorchy. From the moment we got off the plane we were treated so well and didn't have to worry about a thing for the next 4 days. The staff at Headwaters were ready for us and had the most beautiful meals prepared for Day 1. I'm vegetarian and my partner is not, which can be a bit difficult in the states but was made so easy by the wonderful hosts and chefs at Glenorchy. In planning the trip, I was most nervous about the 7 minute showers and composting toilets. When I say there was not a single smell out of the toilets, it's real! I was truly shocked and not ready to return to normal bathrooms after our stay. We booked the Ultimate in Paradise experience which meant we had breathtaking guided tours for hiking and heli-hiking. We were able to customize our stay and add in horseback riding which was absolutely beautiful. To say our guides were phenomenal would be understatement of the year. They were all so knowledgeable and each individual brought a passion of their own to us. I can't rave on every single one of our guides enough. In addition to the adventures, we each had a massage and daily yoga at Headwaters which was well worth it after our more physical activities. Honestly, there were no disappointing interactions in Glenorchy. We did make it out in town to a local pub for snacks one afternoon and found the people there just as charming. Towards the middle of our stay we did a beer tasting and cookout with Glenorchy Brew Co. It was one of my favorite evenings in Glenorchy. There's many reviews about the food at Headwaters and all I can say is that they're completely correct - the food was amazing. We were often so tired from our adventures during the day that dinner was a happy wind-down. The sustainability aspect is well-documented so I won't go into too much detail on that as well as the overall beauty of the whole property. Glenorchy, and specifically Headwaters, is a wonderful place to stay and I would go back in a heartbeat.