Knowing that Fox glacier is a small area with very few motels/hotels we knew that it would be pretty pricey. We payed $195... Kind of small room... had a newish sort of smell, but a bit too airy and open which is bad because it got reletivly cold there and this was summer!! The lady at reception was very nice! She showed us things to do on a map and to go visit Lake Matheson. Unfortunatly Fox expereinces very cloudy weather and so we were unable to do our planned helicopter flight, we chose to not bother spending another night there as there wasnt much to do. Be warned,there arent many restaurants and to try to get to the places early say 5ish 6 ish as some restuarants turn people away even though they arent even busy at all!!

There are two parts to this review: the staff, and the accommodation itself.

First, the staff was great. Simon (one of the owners) was totally helpful, and gave us lots of great recommendations that really enhanced our trip. Among them, he suggested going to Café Neve and Matheson Café (both of which we loved); driving to Queenstown through Wanaka and Cardrona versus the alternate route we had in mind—and the route he advised was absolutely breathtaking; and taking a jet boat ride in Queenstown which is something that we thought would be cheesey and overhyped, but was actually really fun and something we'd recommend. So for the service, we give 5 stars.

As for the accommodations, this property was more expensive than some of the others we were considering, but we chose Sunset almost solely because of all the Tripadvisor reviews that raved about the spectacular views from the property. And we suspect our room (#2) would have had great views but, sadly, the peaks were obscured by clouds for the whole time we were there! The motel website doesn’t misrepresent anything and obviously no one has control over the weather (just FYI, apparently it’s often quite cloudy in Fox Glacier). But it was disappointing nonetheless, and I ended up feeling a bit like I’d wished we’d stayed somewhere less expensive—especially because the moment you walk out the door from virtually anywhere in Fox Glacier, you’ll get amazing views on a clear day. Lake Matheson motel, Rainforest motel, Mt. Cook View motel, and a few others are all on the same road as Sunset so, if cost is a consideration, those might be worth looking into as well.

That said, the rooms are fine. Ours was spacious and had a great kitchenette (though the linens could use some updating.)

Clean, comfortable motel in Fox Glacier, just down the road from the Fox Glacier guides and a couple of good restaurants. Our beds were comfortable, the rooms were bright and airy, and we had no problems with the bathrooms or the shower. Good value.

This gets Golden Chain’s Gold rating so decor and fittings in the large unit were nice, but we found a serious shortage of cooking equipment (and no teapot!). Unit was large and comfortable but with a strange warning that if you ran out of hot water it would take two hours to reheat so, fearing the worst, we showered quickly although didn’t encounter problems. After a few minutes use of the hairdryer the lights started to dim. We could only assume this was due to some weird green power policy they had. Units are very new in nice, if rather barren, grounds. However our view towards the mountains was marred by a large fence screening the adjacent (rather scruffy) property. Lack of net curtains on the very large window made it necessary to draw the curtains to protect one’s modesty. Quiet location but a fair step to the village with its eateries and shop.