Azur Lodge — Attraction in South Island

I had a feeling Azur was going to be something extra special, from the communication with the Azur team long before we finally got there. This was 3rd time lucky - after moving our reservation a couple of times because of border restrictions. Vanessa, Cynthia, Daniela - were all super responsive and efficient, as well as very warm and friendly. By the time we finally arrived, I was quite excited to meet them! We were picked up from town, and greeted with a welcome glass of bubbles while they showed us around the main lodge and our villa. The views are spectacular! The villa really makes the most of the view - you can see it as you wake and the sun-rises, you can breathe it in from the spa bath (which stays heated as long as you're in it!) and you can watch it while you eat or drink from your outside or inside table, or laze on the couch in front of the fireplace. The food is really fantastic. There is so much included, and it's of such a high quality, that you really could just skip dining anywhere else and be completely satisfied! Breakfast can be served in the main lodge or in your room, and there is an extensive menu with everything you could want, and everything is cooked to perfection and presented beautifully. You don't have to panic about having it at by a specific time either - timing is super flexible. We normally go for a really early morning walk and then have breakfast, but because in Queenstown winter the sunrise isn't until about 8:15am, we were having breakfast first (around 9ish) and then going for a big walk. We'd come back to afternoon tea, which on the first day was a custard filled croissant, second day scones with jam & cream, and third day a nutty chocolate brownie with berries and mango. YUM!!! Then in the evening (or late afternoon if you want) there are canapés - also in the main lodge or in your room. There are 3 different canapés served and they are often quite substantial. If we weren't on our 'holiday diet' it really could have been enough to eat as a light dinner, especially after a late/big breakfast and the afternoon tea. But of course we still managed a couple of dinners out too - we were on holiday after all :) The location is excellent too, the Sunshine Bay track is about 10 mins walk down the road, and takes you all the way to town. We had Lara from the Azur team drop us off, and the walk took us about 35 mins. It wasn't a difficult walk, so if you're wearing the right shoes and like to walk - you could easily walk to town for lunch (if you have space after breakfast!). The Azur team will drop you off or pick you up from town (or anywhere nearby) any time you need, you just have to call them. They dropped us off and picked us up from dinner 2 nights, and one day they drove us to the start of the Queenstown Hill walk. It was super convenient, and actually a little better than being in town as it was lovely and quiet - and that view! So, the location, the villa, the food, everything... was amazing, and the service really was beyond outstanding. Every single person was so helpful and lovely, they really spoiled us. Thank you Cynthia, Daniela, Vanessa (hope to meet you in person next visit), Lara, Ali, Mel, Thiago, Mark, the lovely lady serving canapés on our last 2 nights, and anyone else in the team I missed - it's all of you that really take the Azur experience to another level. Thank you for...

I’d love to write a positive review about this establishment but tbh I was really taken back by what was on offer relative to the price . |There are very favorable reviews , but looking more closely many are from honeymooners .|It’s possibly their first time in ‘luxury’ so opinions might differ but all feedback is valuable . ||Starting on a positive , the view is spectacular . The staff are very friendly and happy to help out where they can . ||Sadly , the rest didn’t meet my expectations. |I paid nearly $2000 per night - having stayed at many hotels in this price range , I’m familiar with what other hotels offer . ||However ….|The rooms are very dated decor , not changed for 10 years I’d guess so |the room looks quite tired . ||The carpet was quite stained in areas .|Bits missing off the headboard of the bed , random screws in tiling - overall want what one would call well maintained .||The mattress was so uncomfortable it made my back ache after a few nights .||The rooms face westerly and in January the sun can be searingly hot - it’s so fiercely hot that you can’t sit on the deck without some kind of shade , a shade umbrella or some protection would’ve been very useful .||Guests are offered complimentary canapés at 5 pm which is a nice touch . However , what this actually amounts to is a singular oyster and a|tiny croquette - this type of penny pinching seems really at odds with a supposedly luxury brand .||Another unwelcome aspect is the hefty fees for credit card payments . There’s a small sign at the reception desk of course informing guests but given that I felt a bit ripped off anyway , to find that there was a $400 credit card fee was just too much . |I ended up paying by transfer to avoid paying this fee but the process to organise this took nearly half an hour .||The morning I was leaving for the airport , I confirmed with two staff that I needed transport into town - they forgot .||Overall I was really underwhelmed . I think if you’re charging serious money per night , a better standard...

A tale of two halves.

Positives - beautiful villas with stunning views and the bubble bath with full folding windows was gorgeous.

Negatives - Unfortunately we were met with variety of service issues that dampened our stay...

Should have seen the signs - a few hours before our check in I received a missed call and when I returned the call I was asked 'if I was apply for a job'. Puzzled I responded 'no, I'm a guest later today and that they'd called me?'. It went downhill from there.

The first morning of our stay we messaged the hotel WhatsApp at 10.30am asking the process for breakfast and if 11am worked for them - but didn't get a response. We turned up, only to be met with a stony faced receptionist who then proceeded to tell us breakfast closed at 10.30am. We were confused but hugely apologetic as we were sure we read in the guestbook it was flexible (Attached is a photo of the guestbook which says you can take breakfast until the early afternoon).

Rather than just apologising and not making the experience stressful the staff were then scrambling. This made us feel incredible awkward and that we'd been difficult guests.

It turned out during check in we hadn't been told this information, but also hadn't been told about afternoon tea or canapes that were both included in our bill. Not a great service for the price you're paying.

Unfortunately, I would not stay here again and would challenge the good reviews based on the service we received and the cost per night. The management has either changed or they are going through a staffing crisis.

Azure lodge - would reconsider who you put...