Millbrook Resort
This hotel preserves its rich history and natural surroundings, whilst remaining one of the worlds leading five star golf and spa resorts.
Set in 500 acres of land, The Millbrook Resort can cater for your every need. With over 175 rooms, the choice of accommodation is extensive. To detail but a few; the self-contained cottages are designed to evoke a sense of homely comfort, while studio rooms in the Village Inn, located down quiet cul-de-sacs, are designed in the French provincial style, each with a private terrace.
There is also a selection of restaurants. For breakfast the alpine Clubhouse overlooks the golf course, and for a light lunch or afternoon tea the brasserie-style Hole in One Café is ideal. The Millhouse has won culinary awards for its locally sourced cuisine and offers al fresco dining in the summer months. Alternatively, the Kobe Cuisine serves Japanese delicacies from their Teppanyaki grill.
As well as the award winning 27 hole golf course, The Millbrook is equipped for tennis, volleyball, petanque and has outdoor hot pools. Indoors, guests can enjoy the health and fitness centre, which includes the spa and hair salon, and offers a variety of classes and personal training.
Why We Love It
The historic gold-mining village of Arrowtown is only a 5 minute walk from the resort, with quaint streets revealing restaurants, shops and bars in restored buildings.
Matakauri Lodge
Matakauri Alpine Lodge just outside Queenstown offers a rustic yet luxurious stay, with spectacular scenery and a huge variety of outdoor activities.
Located on the banks of Lake Wakatipu, this luxury lodge includes four suites and six villas all with a view of the lake and the Cecil and Walter Peak mountain ranges. Each villa has its own private terrace and living area with an open fireplace.
The lodge also offers accommodation for families or large groups of friends travelling together, in the 'Owner's Cottage' - a luxurious four bedroom private retreat, complete with BBQ terrace, hot tub and spectacular mountain and lake views from the private balconies.
The restaurant serves New Zealand cuisine, using local seasonal produce, and guests can choose from a selection of dining spaces around the lodge for a private meal.
The spa offers a range of holistic treatments and therapies and includes a gym, heated pool, sauna and jacuzzi. The centre of Queenstown is only seven miles away, offering a huge variety of outdoor activities for guests. For the more adventurous; white-water rafting, heli-skiing, paragliding and bungee jumping are but a few. Or hiking, fishing and winery visits if you prefer to take things slow.
Why We Love It
There is an extensive list of outdoor activities, and after, retreat to the Matakauri for luxury, lodge-style comfort with magnificent views of the lake and mountains.
Minaret Station
A spectacular helicopter flight over the jagged peaks and glaciers above Lake Wanaka delivers guests to this exclusive lodge, the first of its kind in New Zealand.
Minaret Station Lodge consists of four luxurious chalets with thick sheepskin carpets and private decks with hot tubs. As you can imagine, the views from this awe-inspiringly isolated location across classic Lord of the Rings territory are a real highlight.
Minaret Station's chef expertly combines the finest local ingredients with the station's own lamb and venison to produce delicious meals, complemented by premium Central Otago wines. The 'Mountain Kitchen' also boasts a well-stocked library and cosy communal living room with an open fire.
The surrounding wilderness can be explored on foot; the flexible private guides offer wild game viewing and fly fishing, and there are several trekking and mountain biking trails spanning out across the landscape in summer. Also in summer, helicopter tours offer spectacular private aerial viewing of the dramatic Southern Alps and West Coast Fiordland.
Come winter, the main event is seriously high quality heli-skiing across hundreds of miles of perfect terrain, from open bowls to challenging couloirs, which guests explore with expert ski guides.
Why We Love It
Help muster the station's sheep during the summer months with the Wallis brothers, who own and run the 65,000 acre high country farm and lodge.
Whare Kea
Whare Kea is a luxurious private hire lodge surrounded by 60 acres of farmland on the shore of Lake Wanaka, and the perfect place for a family gathering or group of friends.
The lodge has two master suites and four deluxe bedrooms, and all the rooms have large en-suite bathrooms with large baths and access to a sundeck. The central living area is supremely cosy with an open fire, bar and dining area. Other creature comforts after a hard day's heli-skiing, heli-hiking or biking include a billiards room, massage room and wine cellar. The cuisine on offer is modern Mediterranean with the emphasis on fresh New Zealand produce complemented by the best New Zealand and Australian wines.
The Whare Kea Chalet is another property exclusive to guests, and reached via a scenic helicopter flight from the front lawn at Whare Kea. The Chalet is located high in the Buchanan mountain range next to the Mt Aspiring National Park. In the winter/spring months the Chalet is the perfect base for either heli-skiing or ski-touring. Each party of guests has a personal host to look after all their needs at the Chalet, and is accompanied by a qualified guide to ensure maximum enjoyment and safety in the mountains.
Why We Love It
Whare Kea is pronounced 'faree kea' and means 'house of the kea' in Maori, named after the kea - the world's only alpine parrot - which lives high above the snowline in the surrounding mountains.