Alps Motel Apartment Twizel — Hotel in South Island

I’m writing this review to express my heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Alps Motel, who helped us in every possible way during one of the worst moments of our trip.

While passing through Twizel, we found ourselves behind three cars driving slowly in a line. With the famous salmon shop at Lake Pukaki about to close, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity as tourists, so we overtook all three cars on a straight, open road. At that moment, the frontmost car turned on its siren — it was an unmarked police car. The officer stopped us and said, “What a dumb move,” before confiscating my license. Stuck in the middle of nowhere, far from both Queenstown and Christchurch, I was filled with regret and despair over my reckless mistake. (Since then, I’ve truly reflected on my speeding and have been driving carefully ever since returning home.)

Stranded in Twizel, we booked a night at Alps Motel and tried to arrange a tow truck. However, the rental car company kept passing us between the pickup and drop-off branches, and the towing companies either had no available staff or could only come in two days. Feeling hopeless through the night, we explained our situation to the front desk staff during checkout the next morning. The two staff members calmed us down and discussed possible solutions together. They reached out to the local community for help, called multiple towing companies, compared prices and times for us, and finally recommended the most reasonable option.

As non-native English speakers, it was difficult for us to communicate and compare towing options over the phone, but thanks to the two staff members, we were able to arrange one successfully. The tow truck finally arrived around 5 p.m. We initially planned to wait in the car, but the kind staff allowed us to stay in our room until the truck arrived. I had promised to leave a review once we got back safely — so even though it’s late, I want to fulfill that promise and express our gratitude.

We were in one of the most desperate situations a traveler could face, and the team at Alps Motel gave us incredible help and luck. Thanks to them, we were able to return the car safely and fly home, all while feeling the warmth and kindness of the people of New Zealand.

As a funny postscript — although we wanted to keep our embarrassing speeding incident and license confiscation a secret, the tow truck driver apparently told the rental car staff, who then told the hotel shuttle driver, who in turn told the hotel front desk. So we were (good-naturedly) teased about it by everyone!

Once again, we sincerely thank all the staff members...

At face value, Alps Motel Apartment looks like any other highway drive-up motel. But it is seriously well thought out in every detail and should become the template for all motels. It’s everything you want, and nothing you don’t.

Three power points next to each side of the bed background and directional bedside light on both sides of the bed 12 coat hangers 2 tub chairs & 2 dining chairs Perfectly appointed studio kitchen, including mini dishwasher with every utensil you could want Washing machine/dryer combo Heaps of room for toiletries in the bathroom Multiple bag racks for suitcases (so bags do not need to be stored on the floor - this is so rare) Compendium with simple clear instructions on how to use appliances Easy-to-use (only 1 remote) TV with Sky channels including sport Level access to all floors, including massive lift

The room is open and airy, the staff are lovely, but most importantly, everything just worked. You’d think this should be the industry norm, but the well considered placement, design and provisioning is all too uncommon.

Highly recommend - particularly if you run other motels and need inspiration for simple, elegant and...

This place hasn't been open long. The staff are very helpful and friendly, there is plenty of parking and the area is quiet. The town centre of Twizel is only a short walk away, and in the other direction is a small display of earthmoving machines used on the power schemes used in the region. The town of Twizel started out as place to house the workers on these power schemes. The motel units are fully kitted out with air conditioning, washer/dryer, a good size refrigerator and cooktop with rangehood. The bathroom showers are also easily accessible and have plenty of space in them. My only quibble is with the new smell in the unit I occupied, hard to say what this was exactly, it wasn't paint or adhesives, but I got used to it. Hopefully, over time this smell will dissipate. Twizel is a good place from which to break your journey as it is adjacent to many scenic locations, such as Mt Cook, Lake Pukaki and Lake Tekapo. Twizel also has a small airport from which you can buy scenic flights over the...