Otira Stagecoach Hotel — Hotel in South Island

Otira Stagecoach Hotel is an absolute treat to stay at and I recommend spending a night here if you plan to drive between the West Coast and Christchurch via Otira/Arthur's Pass.

They claim that staying here will take you back in time. It absolutely does. When you walk in, you are treated to an overwhelming amount of old antiques ranging from several decades and potentially centuries. The property is a cafe, restaurant and bar. They have everything you can think of for NZ cuisine - coffee, other drinks, pies, pastries, actual food, fish and chips, etc. There is a LOT. Every room here is in theme. You can spend hours exploring every single piece. There are pictures with the history of Otira Hotel (previously Terminus Hotel).

The outdoor area is also filled with interesting architectural pieces and models. Gandalf and Gollum are just some of them. There is a farmyard which houses goats and chickens. There is a talking parrot but he refused to talk to us.

The rooms are all themed Victorian. Large 4-poster beds, with dark interiors and lots of intricate designs on everything - wall papers, the washing basin, the toilet, etc. There is a common room which has a fridge, coffee and hot chocolate making supplies, dry breakfast, a TV, lots of CDs to watch movies with, books and a freaking massage chair!! We got there late and I used the massage chair and pretty much fell asleep in it...that's how good the chair was. Some bedrooms have attached bathrooms, but there is also a common area with at least 3 toilets, 2 showers and 1 clawfoot tub. You might hear trains passing by, but I slept very well.

Last but not the least - a word about the owner. He is a very sweet man. We called him to let him know that we would be late to check in. He had said that everything would be kept ready for us, but he actually stayed up and waited for us! He even offered to cook us something that late at night! In the morning, he was up and about earlier than expected and very kindly offered to give us breakfast before the opening time. He gave us several recommendations about things to see. You, sir, are very kind and adorable! Thank you so much for looking after this property and us.

If you plan to drive by Otira, please stop by Otira Stagecoach Hotel for a meal if you can't...

We stopped at this cafe (it seems to be called a hotel) we did not stay in any rooms but used the cafe.

This place is unlike any other I have seen in my travels around the world this is almost a museum that has a collection of artifact's related to the history of immigrants coming to this area and also a railway track that is across the hotel and a railway station that was operational almost 100 years ago.

It is hard to describe all the things that are in this museum because there are so many therefore I will attach some photographs. Parking is ample outside and if the kids are accompanying you then there is a little farm with goats piggies ducks and chickens outside which I found that even adults enjoyed.

We had unfortunately a car breakdown and had to replace our tire which we did not manage to do very well because of some mechanical problems therefore Mr jandals who lives across the road game out and helped and some of the locals having their lunch add the cafe also helped.

I must say that this is a must stop for everyone travelling between Christchurch and West coast. I will strongly recommend that you should at least allocate two hours to explore this cafe because it is a lot more than cafe but a historical time capsule.

We had coffee and food there which was excellent as well.

It must see place...

Stayed there for a night; Yes at 1st glance it looks 'different' and once you go inside it looks a 'mess' but with all the fantastic pieces they have in there is what makes it interesting, loved to check out the unusual things they have and not so unusual, its a collectors' dream. Once you are shown to the rooms they are very well kept and CLEAN .(photos posted ) Sam is a terrific host and a wonderful person, made us feel very welcome and like part of a family, the food there was great and not a problem and the portion was large that it was more than enough for 2 (l also shared some chips with a couple at the next table , who also shared one meal between 2 ) It started to rain when we got there; a bikie turned up and asked to buy some smokes as his got wet but Sam offered some of her own to the guy FREE shows you the kind of person and hospitality you get from there , Back to the hotel... bathrooms are clean, one was a little rundown but as we only stayed a night it wasn't a problem, there is also a tea room upstairs for guests . The wi-fi was fast and good... Also if you just want a meal, and stay the night in a campervan , for a fee that can also be done I seriously don't know what the other bad reviews were about but l would happily stay...