Edgewater

The room and bed were fine, and so were the drinks and food, though the linguine listed on the menu came out as spaghetti. We stayed just one night and didn't try the other amenities, so I can't comment on those. The Alcove had a lovely lake view, and we appreciated being fitted in after arriving at 7pm following a long drive. The restaurant had been fully booked, and the resort was some way from town, so my wife asked the staff if there was any way we could eat there without driving farther. They offered us a table in the Alcove if we came quickly. We rushed back from our room, ate our meal, and then never saw our server again. We were forgotten. If a large, corporate, rather bland and impersonal hotel suits you, Edgewater will be fine.

The hotel is right on the water, which is its best feature. The room itself was old and badly in need of renovation. I was in an upstairs loft, and it was incredibly hot when I got there around 4pm. There was no aircon, and the tiny desk fan barely did anything, though reception brought me a bigger one when I called. The bathroom tap was fiddly to turn off, and I had to jiggle the toilet cistern to get it to refill. Not what I expected for a $275 room.

The noise after midnight was the worst part. Guests came back upstairs, and the wooden floors creaked constantly while their conversations carried straight through. I didn't want to bother other travelers, but the soundproofing was practically nonexistent and there was no privacy. My partner also developed a full-body allergic reaction the evening we checked in. We hadn't eaten or showered, only sat on the sofa, used the toilet, and lain on the bed. I had even wiped those spots with alcohol wipes and didn't complain at the time. The entrance walkway was dirty, the facilities outdated, there was no Lake Wanaka view from our room, and we saw webs and insects on the walls. I could have put up with those issues. We sent all our concerns through the booking platform, which passed them on to the hotel. They offered free breakfast and late checkout, but why weren't we told when we checked out at 9 a.m.? I found that response absurd and completely insincere. Don't be fooled by the filters and influencer photos online. You can get the lakeside scenery for free on public walking tracks. This place is no different from an ordinary motel, and the shampoo and body wash were the only things that matched the price.

Edge, the very cute cat, wanders around and you can even bring her into your room :-) We also made good use of the free tennis courts and putting greens, with equipment included, and rented bikes for a low fee. The hot tub and sauna area near reception is free. There are three or four huge tubs, so there's a good chance of having one to yourself, and you can choose different temperatures and jacuzzi pressure levels, with music too. Our room was spacious and had a great view even though it was on the first floor, and parking was right beside it. The restaurant will bring room service for a $7 fee, and the soup and gravlax were amazing. I thought the price was high at first, but it was absolutely worth it. I only wish we could use the facilities after checkout, since checkout is pretty early.