Punatapu Lodge — Hotel in South Island

We spent 3 nights in Punatapu's 3-bed family wing, which has a large comfortable living room with a snooker table, a master bed downstairs and two more bedrooms for kids upstairs. It also (sort of) has a kitchen down the end of the corridor closer to the main house: we were slightly put out to find one of the owners son's using this at 11pm on our first night as we had thought it was part of the unit, but perhaps it isn't.||||The property itself is a slightly eccentric delight: it looks more like something out of Spain or Mexico, with pretty yellow paint, a belfry and a dovecote that you can climb up to using an outside staircase. The buildings are set around a central courtyard, and there's a pool behind the main house and a terrace where you can take pre-dinner drinks. The grounds are extensive and very beautiful: there are deer in a pen to one side and great views from the property itself. Also, just down the road is Bob's Cove - there's an interesting nature walk here with superb views from a lookout on top of a promontory and some industrial archeology in the shape of old lime kilns and a jetty used to serve them.||||Sue Farry and her family have lived in Punatapu forever, and are friendly and well-intentioned. Read the other reviews here and you can see most people love them but the odd one has had a really bad experience. My guess is that there is the occasional person Sue takes a dislike to, probably not without reason: this is just something that can happen with B&B/homestays, no matter how upmarket. When you're staying in someone's home, remember that they're human and it's probably not a good idea to wind them up. Sue was very helpful to us and even allowed a helicopter to land on her lawn for our trip to Milford Sound, as well as making restaurant recommendations and reservations for us, plus she allowed our daugher to fall in love with her dog.||||The only reason I'm not giving Punatapu the full 5 stars is the admin and the price. It took a lot of back and forth to confirm the booking, as Sue was away some of the time and not particularly responsive to e-mails. We were also surprised to be quoted $1953 for a rate including dinner and $1035 for a rate without. This equates to $918 for a dinner for 4, or for 4 people, including 2 kids, $230 per head. Although we sampled it one night (New Year's Eve), and although it WAS very good (Sue's dining room is gorgeously intimate too), it wasn't $230 a head good, even including champagne and canapes on the terrace.||||Finally, be aware this place is about 12k out of Queenstown, which is not clear from Google Maps: keep driving and you have only overshot if you reach Bob's Cove (about 1-2k beyond...

Punatapu was our first stay in NZ on a month long hiking, biking, fly-fishing kayaking, bungee-jumping trip through both beautiful islands. The experience of Punatapu is to be taken into a family. We were profoundly touched by our time with Sue Farry, her son, Ben, and all the incredible staff. The home and grounds are astoundingly beautiful; nothing is overdone, and tranquility prevails. The meals were incredible, super fresh, superbly prepared, and served in various perfect settings on the property. Rooms are just lovely, all different, and immensely comfortable with nice NZ toiletries. With all the physical beauty of the setting let it still be said that the people make the place. Sue and her brood respected our privacy, but had all the bases covered if we needed assistance in planning our daily trips. We are plannig our next visit to NZ and Punatapu will again be...

I have traveled throughout the world and there a few places as magical as the area around Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu. Amidst the stunning natural environment is Punatapu. My family stayed there a few years ago and as stated in the other reviews, the hospitality was exceptional. We felt like we were staying with family, the food was sensational and the experience unforgettable. From the small things like arranging a picnic lunch for a spectacular hike that was well chosen by Sue to arranging tours to the glaciers, wineries and boating on the Dart river, everything was done perfectly. This is what I would call relaxed luxury. Great ambiance, not stuffy in any way but five star hospitality, service and food. I can't wait to go back to New Zealand and Punatapu and recommend it highly to anyone going to that part...