Mt Cook Village is very small und pretty busy with tourist wanting to enjoy the beauty of NZ…read moremountains. The more important it gets when you look for an acco at the end of the valley. There are a couple of but I anyhow choose Aoraki Court Motel. It was the best stay so far on my holidays here. The spacious room makes you feel like coming home, the panorama is awe-inspiring from dawn till dusk and the spa in the bathroom gives you a nice relax. On top of that, the owners rocking this Motel are very friendly and are super helpful with information about groceries, hikes, food and anything else to make your stay comfortable. I cannot say anything about other acco's here, but I bet this is one of the top-choices and surely a killer value for money. Bet you'd say the same!

The best hotel we stayed at in NZ! Because of hotel capacity, we had to get a two bedroom. I loved…read morethat the hotel room had two tvs! Although we didn't cook, the kitchen was extremely nice and had every possible appliance; even a rice cooker. And the best part: lovely bathroom amenities and a jetted jacuzzi in unit. A great place to stay in Mt. Cook Village, to enjoy both the natural beauty alongside modern comforts.

We stayed here for 3 nights…read more Pros. The Views. That's why you stay here. That's why it gets 5 stars. (Closer to high 3 low 4 without view). Bathroom. Tub and Shower Combined with View. Cons. Dinner Menu being preset. Price. It runs 1,000 NZD a night on shoulder season. Room (bathroom and view aside) is nothing special. No fridge, no dressers, etc. Room is more in line with a 3 star. The property felt more like a BandB than a lodge/hotel. No real area to lounge at. Location. Nothing other than the hotel around. Which can also be a pro.

We were planning our trip to the area about three weeks in advance, and all we could find was one…read moreof the basic cabins with five bunkbeds! Even though there were two of us. It was a very basic room with a toilet and sink. The showers and bathrooms were kept clean and Checked frequently. There is a nice big kitchen. You can use to cook food and lots of camping spaces. It can get pretty windy in this location so I was glad we were not in a tent. They have a very nice café with delicious baked goods and drinks and friendly stuff. This was the last room in the whole area for rent for the Saturday night. We were there in February. I would have liked to have stayed closer to Mount Cook and would if there had been a room available.

I didn't think much of it upon arrival, but it quickly became clear that this was the best choice…read more I came here with a large school group which were spread across four cabins all suited with 5 bunk beds and it was perfect. The rooms were spacious enough to house all our items and for us to move around easily. Although the beds were all quite squeaky, it didn't bother us too much. The sinks are not in the same room as the toilet which was odd but they both worked well and were fully equipped. The beds also had fitted sheets and excellent pillows. The shower block was a bit small but worked well even between a school group, there was also hot water which is nice. The lake is less than a five minute walk and has absolutely stunning views - especially at sunset. The communal kitchens were not that busy and could fit many people, it was also fully equipped with cutlery, rice cookers etc. There was also lots of room for tents and campers. The dining hall was quite spacious and had plenty of seats for campers.

Pros: -nice views of Aoraki from the property…read more-hiking/walking trails of a variety of difficulty levels (15 min and flat up to 4-5 hours with 1000m of gain) -staff are nice and very patient -road to get there from eastern side is well maintained Cons: -Expensive for middling quality accomodations. It's cheaper than the other hotel (Hermitage) on the property but at ~$270/night it's not cheap. Examples of quality issues include.... -"King" bed is actually two twin beds pushed together. They put a pad (more like a cloth? About the thickness of a kitchen mitt) to cover the gap but you could definitely still feel it -Forgot to take a picture, sadly, but the top sheet of the bed had what appeared to be a dirty blackish grey bird footprint(?!) on it upon arrival -Toilet leaked water extensively from the base when you flushed or used the shower (see photo). Presumably this was clean water due to a faulty O ring but it was gross nonetheless -Breakfast is not included. Cheapest breakfast option on the property is $40 for the breakfast buffet. At a cheap motel I could see not having breakfast included, but for $270 a night this was a bit much. The kicker is that breakfast is not actually in the Lodge itself either - you have to walk 400m or so outside over to the Hermitage. They have a captive audience so they can charge whatever they want I suppose

The Mt. Cook Lodge is a 1-2 star motel in a five star location! Beautiful views surround the lodge,…read morewhich provides all the basics required after a day spent exploring the area - fresh simple towels, functional hard beds, wifi ($5.00 per day), beer, and simple food menu in a cafeteria type atmosphere. Free parking is also offered with plenty of spaces. The private room itself is simple (see photos), and fine for the $100.00 price. They also have several different dorm rooms, cannot imagine them being much more basic than the private room. The private room was very dated, felt dirty, and in much need of some TLC. However, it served is purpose for our one night in Mt. Cook. Staff was friendly upon check in and throughout our interaction. Decent pub menu with pricey options such as pizza ($22.00), steaks ($30.00+), salad ($18.00), fish n chips ($22.50), burgers ($22.50). We arrived around nine and they refused to serve us, claiming the kitchen was closed while others were able to sneak in orders. Luckily we were able to grab a couple pints before heading offer to bed, though the draft offerings are limited to some of new Zealand's lower quality beers (Macs & Speights). While I would much prefer staying somewhere a little more updates and clean, I would have no problem staying here for a couple of nights whilst exploring the area. Just understand what you are getting.

One of the best places I've stayed in my three trips to New Zealand…read more Decent room with en-suite shower and toilet. Enormous lounge with a beautiful view of Mt. Cook Deck with two barbecues Large kitchen with lots of pots, pans, and utensils and three different fridges Quiet at night Good value for money, if you book ahead.

The Lodge offers no-frills, rustic (i.e. outdated) accommodations. Our room on the 2nd floor was…read morefairly small and most of the extra space was taken up by bunk beds. We did have a great view of Mt Cook. Staff was friendly. Tip: There are not a lot of options for food in the area. If you bring your own, you can take advantage of the large common kitchen with multiple fridges, cooktops and plenty of plates/utensils.

WOW. That's all I can say is, "WOW."…read more Grand Suites Lake Tekapo left me speechless with it's amazing views, amazing room, and top notch customer service. I only spent one night here, and I am 100% coming back here--for way more than one day. You'll see the hotel from the main highway, and the entrance is right at the corner turn from Greig Street to Allan Street. It's hard to see the sign, but it's there! Free parking everywhere. The staff was very welcoming, friendly, and polite. Welcomed us with cartons of milk! It might be a touch pricey for some, but it's well worth it for the experience. There are studios, 1-, and 2-bedroom suites. We only need a studio, and it was quite spacious in size. The largest room we stayed in during our New Zealand trip. This was a fully equipped room with a full kitchen: stove, dishwasher, microwave, coffee maker, small refrigerator, French press, Neospresso machine, chinaware, utensils, and etc! Huge radiator heater (I know why it's huge. Cause it can get COLD!). Modern and spacious bathroom with heated floors. Loved the modern European style kitchen cabinets. Had a desk, dining table, couch with ottoman, big screen TV, etc., etc. Also, high ceilings! Even though, the room was amazing. Nothing could beat the pristine and gorgeous view of Lake Tekapo from the balcony. Overall, everything was so clean, organized, and well maintained. From check in to check out, the experience was amazing. The receptionists were so friendly, and gave us excellent recommendations and important information. On the evening we went out to grab dinner, she told us there was a heavy snow storm coming, and the estimated snow fall would be 60 cm. SIXTY! That's almost 2 feet of snow, and start at 7AM, which did! The snow definitely was not expected, but very welcomed! I enjoyed it! After a night of high winds, rain, and low temperature, plus several hours of snow, our rental car was caked with ice and snow. Luckily, the receptionist was kind enough to give us a scraper, which was very helpful! We will definitely stay here again! Repeat customers get discounted rates too!

Dave is fantastic, staff friendly and helpful…read more 1 and 2 room suites amazing. Full kitchen setup for extended stay. Large 1 BR suite. Bathroom is amazing. Views fantastic. Easy parking and elevators. Laundry facilities. 2.00 each. Highly recommended.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this lodge. Staff is friendly also it's a great experience for…read moresomeone like me, who had never been to backpackers lodge before. It's located at a beautiful location.

( + ) -Great location. 2 minute walk to Lake Tekapo. 5-10…read moreminute walk to restaurants/bars. -Nice size cottage for 2-4 people. The one we had included a small living space, full kitchen, dining space, and two "bedrooms." They are in quotes because the rooms don't have doors. Just curtains or partitions to separate it from the other rooms in the house. -Kind of goes along with the great location - the surround views are just stunning. The lake is gorgeous, and the snow capped mountains are just breathtaking. The Church of the Good Shepherd is also super picturesque - especially on a clear night. It's a perfect spot to catch the milky way and a photographer's dream come true. ( -- ) -The cottage we had was pretty dated. The couch was slouched. The chairs and counters need an update. The bed was kind of springy. So we pretty much only stayed at the cottage to sleep. Didn't hang out here too much. -Again, the rooms don't have doors. You have to walk by one of the rooms to get to the bathroom, which made it a little inconvenient when one person was changing or something. -Heating wasn't the greatest. They only had a little space heater for the main bedroom, which was totally not enough. In sum, I'm not crazy about the cottage, but the proximity to the lake made it totally worthwhile.

It was okay. The…read moregood: Stephen the owner at the office was friendly and helpful, had several suggestions on good places to go and see. The property is off a side street with easy access to town by walking over the bridge. Lake is beautiful. The not so good: The place itself seemed makeshift. If you are willing to "make do" and take things "as is" it could work for you. We stayed in the East Wing cottage. The decor and items in rooms did not go together. It seemed to be a random assortment of things. The beds and pillows were somewhat comfortable but the sheets were stiff and had a cardboard feel. Soft mattresses, older comforters. It seemed to have been awhile since anyone did upkeep of the unit. Things were broken and impractical. The fridge temperature dial was broken so no way to adjust temperature and the yogurt we had froze. With windows open doors do not stay open or closed properly. The doors would slam shut by wind. The lights were so BRIGHT, and there was only one light per room and it lit up the place like a movie set. No other choices except two small nightstand lights. There is a note about moths and to turn off lights with windows open. Less bright lights may help to not attract the moths. Neighbors are right next door and walk by the path at your window, so less privacy. There are flood lights outside windows that are motion sensitive and light comes into the bedrooms even with curtains closed. The deck had a broken floor board which seems dangerous. The bedroom door hinge was broken so opening and closing the door leads to a loud clunk every time. The water pressure is super forceful in the shower and sink, leading to spraying all over the sink and floor area. Just 2 plastic hangers for clothes, and one was cracked and broken. No hooks in bathroom.. There was a pile of tools and items outside back door. Lack of outlets so there are extension cords you can move around for the lights. Would not mind if a place is basic, and yes this place is. However, it seemed run down and funky, as if no one had been through to keep things fresh, organized or working properly. If it is your own house and you do not upkeep the place then it is your own choice and you who are living there. When it is a place you are renting to guests, I would expect more. We made do but would not stay here again.