The biggest problem with this hotel is its location! It is a 20-25 minute walk into town (assuming you walk very briskly!). There are two ways to walk into town: A path along the water, and the road. As you walk along the road, you think to yourself: "Why didn't I stay there? It's a lot more convenient." I suppose if you rent a car, then you could drive into town each day. Keep in mind that there is no reasonable public transportation from the hotel either.
Also, there are few amenities at the hotel. For example, the lobby closes at 8 PM, and there is no on-site restaurant or convenience store. So if you want any food, etc., you wind up walking back into town.
I found myself dreading walking back to the hotel during the day. After all, who wants to waste an hour of his/her vacation just going back to the room? So I'd try to anticipate all my needs and pack my backpack for the day. I'd leave the hotel at about 7:30 AM and return at about 9:30 PM.
Other thoughts:
Views: Quite good. But the views are good from almost any other hotel in Queenstown, too.
Rooms: Some of the apartments are rather nice. The hotel rooms are below average.
Service: Fair. The lobby closes at 8 PM.
Also...
The first room we had smelled like raw sewage. I think they had a drainage issue or something. Anyway, we asked for a new room, and they complied fairly quickly. After that, we didn't have any odor-related issues.
The hallways and rooms are poorly ventilated (and do not have A/C). The lack of A/C is fine, because the lake breeze is a delight. Alas, the windows/doors do not have screens. So, in the summer, you have two options: endure the heat, or open the windows/doors and allow every bug in New Zealand to enter your room.
Bottom line: Everything I mentioned would have been tolerable if the hotel had been located within 5 minutes of town. But the walk was a royal pain. I strongly recommend staying closer into town!
- Oaks Hotel Queenstown
