Best Hotels in Lower Shotover, New Zealand

What a beautiful location, we had a large family trip to Queenstown for the weekend & had the entire lodge to ourselves and it was absolutely perfect!! We didn’t want to leave, the owners were friendly & accomodating, it was so lovely and warm, fantastic spa, comfortable beds & the grounds were just stunning!! The main house was awesome for all of our family gatherings over the weekend with the pool table & roaring fire it was so lovely! The only small thing I would change would be an update of some of the furniture, we stayed in the large studio & the couches were a bit out of place looking in such a stunning location! With a little bit of an update here and there it would be PERFECT! But it was such a fantastic stay that, that was such a minor detail. Thank you so much couldn’t recommend this place enough!

“Sudima Queenstown Five Mile” -is in Queenstown, right? The name seems pretty clear. It’s shown as being in “Queenstown Central” which is in central Queenstown, right? The name seems pretty clear on that point too. Close to the lake perhaps, looking towards the mountains, near the Queenstown bars and restaurants? WRONG. WRONG. “Queenstown Central” is not in central Queenstown. It’s the name of a shopping centre outside of Frankton, next door to the airport, surrounded by massive carparks, supermarkets, K Mart etc and about 50m off the main State Highway 6A. Hence the “Sudima Queenstown Five Mile”, despite the name, is 7.6 km from Queenstown according to Google maps (or a $50+ taxi ride away, as I can tell you from frequent experience) and about as far away from the experience or the convenience of staying in central Queenstown as you can get. Close to the lake perhaps, looking towards the mountains, near the Queenstown bars and restaurants – in your DREAMS. Having booked in a hurry and taking at face value the name(s) described the reality, we were stuck at this hotel for three nights. On arriving we were given an “underground carpark pass”, meaning that as an elderly couple we had to park 5-10 minutes’ walk away from the hotel in an isolated underground location, walking through deserted carparks late at night or early in the morning. (As we were checking out, we discovered that the receptionist could have simply noted our car registration number and for the duration of our stay we could have parked in the massive carpark immediately outside the hotel door.) We were given Room 223 for our stay, which I found overlooked the massive nearby roundabout on the main State Highway 6A (meaning trucks would be audibly braking at all hours), with a view to K Mart, I went back to the desk and asked for a room away from the Highway. We were moved to Room 214. On entering Room 214, I discovered a woman lying on the bed, semi-undressed, on the telephone. I quickly backed out of the room and went straight down to reception, where I was told, “that’s odd, someone mustn’t have updated the system”. I went back to Room 214, knocked on the door and apologised to the occupants, explaining what had happened. All attempts to find another hotel to stay in were unsuccessful; there were no vacancies at such short notice. We stayed in Room 223, but tried to be out of the hotel as much as humanly possible. I had booked restaurants in Queenstown – full degustation menus with matching wines, for every night we stayed - meaning I couldn’t drive, and we consequently were paying an extra $100-130+ per night to go to dinner and return to the ‘carpark-hotel’. Had the room we stayed in been in a hotel located in central Queenstown then it would have been a pleasant experience, but what we experienced was simply awful. Might the name of both the hotel and the shopping centre mislead people who are booking a stay in Queenstown? I will leave it to you to decide.

Located in Lake Hayes, Queenstown Country Lodge is in a rural location, a 3-minute drive from Amisfield Winery and 7 minutes from Lake Wakatipu. This upscale bed & breakfast is 5.6 mi (9 km) from Millbrook Resort Golf Course and 7.1 mi (11.4 km) from Queenstown Gardens.Take advantage of recreation opportunities such as a spa tub or take in the view from a terrace and a garden. Additional amenities at this Tuscan-style bed & breakfast include complimentary wireless internet access, concierge services, and ski storage.Featured amenities include express check-in, express check-out, and luggage storage. Free self parking is available onsite.Stay in one of 5 guestrooms featuring flat-screen televisions. Your pillowtop bed comes with premium bedding. Prepare your meals in the shared/communal kitchen. Complimentary wireless internet access keeps you connected, and digital programming is available for your entertainment.

Had to be one of my worst hotel stays and I definitely wouldn’t return to the Ramada in Queenstown. We arrived to check in only to find the doors locked and reception closed, there was no forewarning that reception would be closed and no after hours contact so we initially thought we had no way to get in. Thankfully a member of our party that we were meeting there had had a change of plans and had arrived earlier than us, originally he was going to be later. Once we got in I headed to my room and the whole floor stunk, I can’t even describe the smell but it was horrendous, I got into my room which was an absolute sauna as the air conditioning didn’t work, they had put a small fan in my room but all that did was move the hot air and smell around. When looking from the bathroom I could see used tissues under the bed and there was dust and hair stuck to the bottom of the toilet door so when you opened and closed the door it worked like a broom. I couldn’t open any windows and had a terrible nights sleep, I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone. It was $250 for the room and it wasn’t worth half that cost.

The hotel service is very good, there are Chinese people, and the language is very convenient. The facilities and the scenery outside the window are top-notch. If you come to Queenstown next time, you should also stay here. There is bus No. 1 that can go directly to downtown Queenstown.

Our experience from check in was a bit disappointing. The assistant took ages to find our booking then rattled off a lot of information re parking etc. If there is a lot to be relayed please put it on paper and give it out at check in. Our plans the next day were shattered when we went into Queenstown and found that a running event-marathon etc was on. No parking, centre in gridlock. It would have been great if the check in assistant had given us that information (or a note could have been put into our room) to save us lots of stress the next day. Our room was clean but very small. Bed only in the room- no space for anything else, no table or chairs. There are shops and eateries within a short walk and it is close to the airport.

We were on the ground floor with a beautiful view of the mountains. Once the patio door was shut, couldn’t hear the helicopters nor planes. Given the airport is minutes away the lack of noise was great. Kitchen has a bar fridge, dishwasher, plates etc (however some was 2 of, 3 of or 4 of. Would have been better if all was 4 of so you didn’t have to wash every day), pots/pans, toaster, kettle and some tea/ coffee. Also a clothes washer with the right setting, is a dryer. Dining table room for 2 and 1 single lounge chair. Huge bed and good room for clothes. Bed was huge and comfortable. Floor width glass door/ window to balcony overlooking the mountains. Across the road the land is currently vacant so private and no car traffic. Bathroom is comfortable and great shower but no heated towel rail. It’s about a 5 minute walk to shops including a large supermarket and some food venues. There is a public bus service to Arrowtown or Queenstown but it’s very sporadic sadly and services are cancelled. But it took 18 minutes to get to Queenstown and cost $2/adult instead of a taxi at about $40! Room cleaning was sometimes very late in the day but it didn’t bother us as we actually didn’t need it. Parking is available out front but first in gets it. So during peak season I’d imagine it’s a problem. Overall: pros are comfortable with everything you would want, close to airport, quiet location, near supermarket. Cons: it’s a 15+ minute drive to Queenstown, no heated towel rack in bathroom and parking could be a problem.

The hotel stay was great. Not the best of locations as it was away from most things, it was a 25 minutes walk to the bus interchange to catch a bus for our Tour to Milford Sounds. Considering it's location, the hotel didn't offer any shuttle bus services to take you to the airport. Good if you have a car, although this was our last leg of the trip and had to return our car rental. It was a 25 minutes walk to the airport which wasn't too bad. Room itself was clean and have no complaints. There was an issue with cold water though, not much pressure on cold water, so the shower were very hot.

We wanted to stay close to the airport, a short drive to town, with easy access to the highway towards Te Anau/Milford Sound. This hotel ticked all the boxes. At first arrival, we entered the parking lot and noticed how tight and small the parking spots were. After an elevator ride up to the lobby, we met with staff who were very professional and kind. We went to our room which was nice and updated, had a great view, and a spacious floor plan. We did have an issue with the sink, where it was clogged when we got to the room. While we went to visit Queenstown, a staff member unclogged the sink but didn’t clean it so when we arrived back, the residue from the clogging was still in the sink. A disappointment, and ironically a perk, was the small balcony. Most of the small balcony was used up by an air conditioner. The positive is you had a nice view of the mountains and Queenstown. The bed was large and comfortable. The couch, living area, and kitchen were really nice. We really enjoyed the shower and took advantage of the hot water while we had it. Overall we enjoyed our stay. The DoubleTree cookies are always a plus too.

The front desk staff is outstanding .Very helpful and friendly . The rooms are lovely .. the in room fireplace is a great touch ! The spa is great - very professional! The food and beverage needs to be improved .Stacks is ok.. but when I went , 1 hour before closing they were more interested in closing than they were in getting my order correct . The bar snacks at the Pinot pit need more variety and healthy less expensive options.