I am writing this review from the hotel. SO impressed by the beautifully styled rooms. The decor is top class. But my biggest surprise was a note under my door informing me that I had free use of the Internet connection during my stay! This was unexpected & most welcome. I've never stayed somewhere in Australia & had this kind gesture. Queenstown is just spectacular & I will be telling everyone of my friends that they must visit & stay at the lovely Kawarau Hotel. The bed is so comfortable, amazing.

Booked through agoda and got a great price for new guest room. Was thrilled to find it was a mini apartment. Had separate bedroom, bathroom, lounge & kitchenette. Kitchenette had oven and everything you need if you wanted to cook. Had a beautiful pizza at the bistro. Well fitted out room very quiet except for the fan in the bathroom, they don't turn off (air extraction fan). I didn't notice when I slept thankfully. We had an end room looking at remarkables, could see the lake out our bedroom window. $22 for taxi to airport. Would stay there again if we had an early flight out. A bit far from town if you want to be in thick of it, but we didnt, nice and peaceful with plenty of food choices on site. They have a courtesy bus to q/town and water taxi for $15 too.

We loved Queenstown. It was one of our favorite places that we visited in New Zealand. Most of New Zealand is pretty sleepy but Queenstown has more nightlife and action than other towns. It is quite scenic in Queenstown with more adrenaline rush activity's to try than any other city in NZ. We booked the Kawarau Hotel because it looked nice online and they were offering a great deal for the area. Yes, this hotel is outside of Queenstown on the other side of the lake near the airport. If you have a car it is not a big deal because it is only about a 10-15 minute drive to the hub of Queenstown. We loved staying here. There is a nice running or walking trail along the lake right outside your door. The room was one of the nicest rooms we staying in all of New Zealand. The price booked on Orbitz was a deal for the quality of the room. Beautiful views out your window on the 3rd floor. A great kitchen to cook in. We made dinner in once on our 3 night stay. You have a small fridge, small oven, and microwave, not to mention everything you need- wine glasses, silverware, wine opener, can openers and dishes. Oh and we had air condition! The bathroom was nice and a good size. I liked the floor plan the living room can separate from the bedroom by closing a sliding door. The bed was comfortable and I had one of my best nights sleep at this hotel. My only complaint is that the balcony was small and too small to sip wine and eat dinner on. A air condition box is on it so it really makes it so you can stand on but it is basically useless because it is so small. I would have preferred a larger balcony to enjoy the views and sit on sipping wine after a busy day of jet boating and sightseeing. Our last night we were tired and stayed at the hotel and went to Stack's Pub. We enjoyed beer by the fireplace while watching the Australian Open. It looks like they have good food here and it was pretty busy. I liked it here. We ended the evening at the Hilton Wakitipu Grill for an appetizer and a glass of wine. We sat in the bar by the fireplace and the bartender provided excellent service. He was from Argentina and he made us feel very welcome. If the weather had been warmer I would have liked to enjoy sipping my wine by the fire pit outside. However inside at the bar, we still have beautiful views of the lake. Kawarau Hotel made us feel more relaxed because it was quiet and a great place to stay. I would definitely stay here again.
If you don't have a car- I would stay in Queenstown- the buses and water taxis seemed pretty irregular. If you have a car the drive to and from Queenstown isn't a big deal at all. Parking in Queenstown was pretty easy. We parked about 3 blocks from town and walked in. Don't let the distance from Queenstown stop you from staying here.

This was excellent value for money. We stayed in a guest room which had every thing we needed and was very nicely designed and very new. The kitchen is very well equipped and can be used for cooking a meal. Catching a water taxi into Queenstown is very convenient and fun - running every hour. Guest rooms face the opposing building so don't have views but we were happy luxuriating in our room.