Legacy Te Waonui Hotel Franz Josef

La situation, l'environnement et surtout la végétation entourant l'hôtel

Large room and nicely decorated and appointed hotel. The location is perfect and the landscape around is very green and lush. It makes things simple to have half-board so that dinner is included in the reservation.

The hotel is lovely in itself but it also offers massages you can book in the lobby. Ranzim was my masseuse and was amazing. The massage was very professional and extremely relaxing - would definitely recommend.

Pleasant one-night stay despite a large tour bus of guests utilizing same hotel.
Delicious dinner served in downstairs bar: open fire pizza oven and grilled entrees were prepared with detail and enjoyed in a relaxed setting. Buffet breakfast was abundant and appreciated before another travel day. Best part of stay was trying the bath products in guest rooms: lovely aroma!

Stayed for 3 nights - enjoyed the property- staff helpful & food was good
Highlight was having a couples massage with Flo & Ranzin - Best Ever!!!

Mooi en schoon hotel, vriendelijk personeel. Eten was heerlijk metname diner.

The most amazing place, the staff are amazing and always willing to help. To be honest, I loved my room so much I didn't want to leave and go and do anything. The view from the entrance to the deck was exactly that Te Waonui ō Tane. Tane Mahuta's domain. Clean, fun and the most comfortable beds.
He mihi nui ki a koutou katoa.

It was in beautiful forest surroundings. Close to town which is probably a 5-10 min walk. The hotel was top notch in all areas. Our room was lovely with beds that were comfy as. The bathroom was setup for luxury and pampering. I heard the hot tubs and massages were to die for! Service was outstanding and friendly. Staff couldn't do enough for you, so 10/10 for friendliness and comfort. Would stay there again!

Waiharakeke Crew.

We arrived with fairly high expectations, and unfortunately this stay fell short. Even with lower expectations, this is not a place we would return to.

What we liked
• Upper-floor rooms & greenery — if you’re on an upper floor (location-dependent), you do look out onto a good amount of greenery, which is pleasant.
• Vegan options at dinner — credit where it’s due: the kitchen made a real effort with vegan dinner options. Breakfast accommodations were offered but were just okay.
• Standout staff member — the highlight of our stay was being greeted by Julian, a lovely young French staff member. He went out of his way to show us where we could see glowworms in the evening—just a few steps away—and that was genuinely special.
• Downstairs restaurant — we appreciated the Argentinian pizza chef.
• Location — it’s an easy walk into town, which is convenient. The nearby West Coast Wildlife Centre is small but excellent. Highly recommend the behind-the-scenes tour.

What could be improved
• Check-in experience — we had emailed multiple times in advance to ensure an upper-floor room. At check-in, the interaction felt transactional rather than welcoming. When we asked to confirm our floor, we were initially told no, followed by a long pause and an “I’ll see what I can do,” without warmth or reassurance. One staff member was quite lovely; the other less so.
• Atmosphere & interiors — carpet everywhere: in the rooms and in the downstairs dining area. Combined with plastic pulled down even on dry, pleasant days, the space felt more like an average cruise ship than a forest retreat.
• Breakfast experience — the buffet area was very tight and crowded, clearly geared toward large tour groups. Nothing stood out, and there were no alternative milks available for lattes; guests are expected to use the self-serve machine.
• Tour-group focus — if you enjoy being surrounded by large tour groups, this may suit you. If not, it’s worth noting.
• Concierge guidance — it was surprisingly difficult to get good recommendations for things to do from the hotel.

Overall, while there were a few bright spots—particularly Julian and the nearby wildlife experience—the property did not live up to its positioning or price point for us.

This is probably the nicest hotel in the Franz Joseph Glacier area. The rooms were very comfortable and the staff was very friendly.

Staff were lovely. The spa was wonderful - I had one of the best massages I have ever had. The food was just alright. We had the five course degustation dinner twice. The preparation was good, but the ingredient quality did not match the preparation. Wine served at the bar was several days old based on taste, so at dinner the second night I asked the server to open a new bottle of wine, which she did without hesitation.

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.