Legacy Te Waonui Hotel Franz Josef

We loved this hotel. It was in a great location. Very peaceful. The rings were well-equipped. The staff was amazing. The food was very good and service was great.

The staff are keen but not well managed /trained. Our room was not cleaned properly after our first night. The bathroom had been given a quick wipe but not finished. Our first night dinner had to be sent back. There is no means of getting a soft drink during the day as the bar isn’t open until 5pm and there is no mini bar available so you can boil a kettle to make yourself tea. This is barely 3 star.

Location

It was very peaceful

Beautiful and natural surroundings. Comfy beds and normal room amenities.

Comfortable

Spent 3 nights at Legacy Te Waonui Hotel Franz Josef 23rd to 26th December., our 2nd stay within the year. Dinners were really good, particularly the Christmas day buffet dinner. Good selection for breakfast. The room was well positioned with very nice outlook. once our room was changed to one on the ground floor within the hotel.. The chocolates left in the room each evening were delicious.

Good location, great restaurant & friendly staff

2 day stay at this wonderful hotel. The five-course meal was absolutely fantastic, and the hotel’s location was truly beautiful, but what really made our stay special was the staff. They were exceptional. In particular, Brenda from Mexico, and a lovely young lady from India (whose name we unfortunately can’t remember), and the wonderful Kiwi couple. I Everyone was so attentive and genuinely caring. They even checked on us when we’d been out cycling for a while and kindly helped my sister-in-law with remedies for her bites. Every member of the team was delightful. Well done for assembling such an outstanding group of people.

The best customer service. The greeting at the door the help with navigating the internet for my husbands phone the 5 course dinner and the attention to detail made this the best experience ever along with the beautiful grounds

O conforto do quarto e o canto dos passarinhos.
Chegamos antes do horário, os funcionários foram gentis e autorizaram o early check in.

Lage

The hotel is precious, green view and very relaxing. Breakfast and dinner were good with many options. The staff was friendly and helpful.

Weirdly when we arrived around 3pm we were advised to go to the supermarket in town for drinks and snacks as they could provide neither! The place does seem to be staffed by gap year students and those on temporary working visas. They were generally lovely but inexperienced, and the placed seem short of staff. One poor guy had to run up and down form the restaurant to the lounge in the evening if anyone ordered a cocktail. Our room and bathroom were nice. Choice was limited at dinner, although okay if you choose well and breakfast was poor.

We chose this hotel partly because of the advertised 5-course chef’s dinner — what a disappointment. The food was poorly executed: cold appetizers, burnt gnocchi, and raw steak that had to be sent back. The “chef” seemed inexperienced, and much of the hotel appears run by interns.

The rooms themselves are just alright, but definitely dated. Due to the high humidity, there was a noticeable musky smell, which made the room feel less comfortable. The decor is very dark and heavy, which felt out of place — especially in a rainforest setting where you’d expect something light, white, and airy.

If I were planning my NZ trip again, I would choose going to Mount Cook instead. Beautiful location, but not enough good places to stay — not worth the money.