Panorama Court

The view and location are fantastic, and in Wānaka you’ll want to spend most of your time outdoors anyway. Still, the place felt more worn than the online photos suggest: an older concrete building, threadbare carpets, crooked closet doors, a haphazard kitchen and poor lighting. There were also more bugs than expected and a few clearly dirty spots. It wasn’t awful, just not especially nice, and at 360+ a night we’d probably stay somewhere else.

The location makes it easy to reach shops and restaurants, and the views are lovely. Inside, though, the furnishings feel very old and tired. It was reasonably clean, and the kitchen and bathroom seemed new, but the duvet had a stain. The outside light and TV weren’t working when we arrived; the manager fixed them quickly. The listing mentioned an iron, but we couldn’t find one.

The apartment was tidy and clean, and being so close to the lake was wonderful. It was very cold inside, though, because the heating unit seemed too small for the rooms.

We stayed in unit 1 for three nights in August, and the lake views from the bedroom and living room, plus the mountain view from the kitchen, were stunning. These are older units, but they’re roomy, practical and warm. Check-in was easy, and although the rooms aren’t serviced, the place felt fresh. The shower was hot, if a bit weak, and the kitchen had everything we needed to cook proper dinners, even if the crockery didn’t match. We’ve also stayed at Edgewater and the Moorings in Wanaka. This is a three-star option, but we thought it gave us more for the money. Keep an eye out for the lemons and kiwi fruit when they’re in season.