Unexpected and historical stay. Definitely worst a stop even for diner !

it was was a amazing experience

Quirky place ... brilliant owner ... I will never forget the artifacts and parrot lol

Wonderful quirky place to stay. Its like staying in a museum with lots to look at! Rooms have to be seen to be believed. We enjoyed the visit with an enthusiastic and capable host

The location is ok but outside of the Otira (best described as a ghost town), you need to drive to other activities. Worth a nights stay for sure though.

What an interesting hotel! Its jam packed with history. Lots of old furnishings, photographs, and old newspaper articles adorn the place which is guarded by Gandalf and Gollum. Stay here if you're a LOTR fan. Castle Hill is less than an hours drive away. Lester, the owner, is a very friendly fellow and a wealth of knowledge about the area. Even though you can't get a room with your own en suite, its well worth staying here.

The place needs to be tidied up, especially the common room. The whole world seems to be short staffed, and Lester must be run off his feet. A good cook and barista would be a welcome addition.

A very special and very unique little hotel. Set in the most stunning valley with mountains surrounding. The place itself and the area is steeped in history and there are plenty of fascinating and quirky things to look at throughout the hotel. The collection of old furnishings and artifacts is also impressive. Despite the busyness of the rooms, the hotel room itself was immaculately clean! The staff were all very kind and we felt very welcomed. The town of Otira was also a great place to explore with all of the old buildings and history. Very much worth a stay if you want a totally different experience to remember :)

Nothing!

We had a great stay at this lovely hotel and the owners character came out in all the unique furniture and decorations in every room. The owner was lovely and taught my son how to make rope, we were traveling up the coast for a memorial of our recently deceased children so we were super thankful of how welcoming and accommodating the owner was for us. If you are looking for a typical sterile modern accomodation that all looks the same this place is not for you, this unique experience is a must for anyone wanting something different. Every room is a treasure hunt of Nik naks and the hotel is beautifully maintained. The food was also great so a bonus 😊

Breakfast was tasty and filling, as was the evening meal. Lester was a great helpful and informative host. Would certainly stay again in the near future. Great location to stay before the West Coast. Glenda

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This is a beautiful old hotel, fairly well run and full of lots of hidden treasures. Unfortunately most of those treasures are hidden by a clutter of absolute junk such as stuffed birds and animals, old machinery and useless household items. All of the important items such as display boards with information about the history of the hotel and the district are relegated to obscure areas high up on the walls and behind more junk where they are unreadable.

On first approach you see what appears to be a mainly restored 19th century hotel. However as you get closer you see a large replica of Gollum from Lord Of The Rings mounted on the roof. In addition there is a large model car part way up the wall. Neither of these bear any relationship to the hotel or the region and detract in a major way from the beauty of the original building. In addition the bar is unlicensed and visitors cannot even buy a drink to go with their meal. This could be a beautiful stopover for travelers but it is totally ruined by tasteless and asinine stupidity in choosing the decor. I would like to appeal to the owner to completely de-clutter the building. remove all of the irrelevant rubbish, get a bar license and restore this building to what it should be, a wayside tavern for travelers.

Historical importance. Owner knew lots about the hotel and the local area.

A bit cluttered maybe

Very friendly host and staff. Interesting old building and collections.

The owner is very nice and accommodating. He even played his piano 🎹 and feed his parrots with my child. Massage machine/ chair to relax the whole family. Very nice hotel from a converted very nice antique ancestral house, full of fun, learning and experience as if going into a museum/ gallery.

A bit feeling/ looking creepy as it's some form of old ancestral house 🏠.

Host Lester was just awesome, wonderful hospitality.

Accomm8dation very clean and comfortable. Staff very friendly and helpful. Loved the massage chair.

First impressions down stairs abit chaos. Dont let it put ypu3 off. Upstairs very nice and comfy.

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Arrived...all doors locked up...no one around to check in. Went a further 15 klm to Arthur’s Pass township & arranged other accommodation there.

The Owner was helpful, friendly, knowledgeable and just an absolute pleasure. The bed was the most comfortable we've ever slept in and the most beautiful The history and antique furniture was stunning. The food was great and the service friendly. Was great being outside with the animals But, the bonus old style bathtub, sauna and massage chair were exceptional.

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it was quirky, interesting, comfortable and welcoming. the building was grand and charmingly decorated with museum like pieces and lots of character fixtures. the best part though, the staff… Vicki and the staff could not do enough for us - so helpful and hospitable- cooking dinners for all the guests and even whipping up a bday cake for one. next morning there were beautiful breakfasts made to order. this is a truly unique property, with a lot of love abs car behind it. I highly recommend

maybe only that it’s hard to find the entrance when you pull up, maybe a big sign needed over the entry door!

I was warmly welcomed by the owner and given a kings tour of the hotel and left to select my own room. Who wouldn't chose the room slept in by Prime Minister Richard Seddon back in the day? The function of several historical items were explained and demonstrated to me and I was given a history lesson of the hotel and the surrounding area, including the incredible engineering construction works of the Otira rail tunnel and road viaduct. The whitebait fritter dinner ensured I would not wake up hungry and breakfast with freshly ground coffee the following morning helped me take in the amazing scenery. It is truly worthy of being called the most interesting hotel in NZ.

Nothing not to like.

Friendly and kind owner

Curtain did not reach down past window in room, a little draughty

It was great! absolutely full of character and history, and Lester and his grandson were so friendly and welcoming.

A blast from the past, historical. Great room, had a view. Near walking tracks. Good tucker. Helpful host

Lord of the ring characters seemed out of place for historical building