Fox Glacier hotels & places to stay

We were heading up Fox Glacier and wanted to get accommodation close to the Glacier store. This was the only property that was within our budget and looked like a decently clean hotel so we took a chance on this and never looked back. Room was exceptionally clean, spacious and the toilet had it's own rain bath shower head which was excellent. We stayed in the room that had it's toilet recently renovated and it looked like a 5 star hotel toilet. Do remember to close the windows fully at night though, as moths and flies tend to follow the light and find their way in. Overall, it was a good 2 nights' sleep and would definitely book again if we head back.

Had a great stay at Sunset Motel for 1 night at Fox Glacier. It was raining when i reached there and no activities could be done e.g. Snow Landing, Heli hike, Ice hike so we tried checking into the hotel which was around 11am. They were cleaning up the rooms so the reception told us we were only able to check in earliest at 1pm which was fair enough. Rooms were clean and they provide a plug in heater which is very very important when you are at Fox Glacier and when it is raining. Even the toilet had its own heater. It's a motel not an apartment but we had a toaster and microwave in the motel which was good for us to make simple meals. The view out the backyard was nice. You are able to see Fox Glacier but still cannot beat the view when you fly up over Mt Cook and Mt Tasman, and over the glacier and thick white powdered virgin snow. Fox Glacier was awesome and glad that we had Sunset Motel to accommodate us for the night.

When we arrived, the receptionist changed our room from one on the ground floor to another up two flights of stairs, despite our declared wish to keep the original booking. So we made our way up the stairs, not without difficulty. The room was smaller than we had expected, and was stuffy. The only window opened onto an easily accessible wooden walkway across the roof. We decided that it was not safe to leave the window open, so the room remained hot and stuffy, there was no airconditioning. Bathroom and amenities were generally acceptable, but towels seemed old and a bit dingy. We had been given a wifi password to use: the system did not provide a consistently acceotable level of service. Despite my comments, this is probably the best place to stay at when visiting Fox Glacier, so my advice to anyone heading in this direction would be to give Fox Glacier accommodation a miss and stay somewhere near Franz Josef.

From the time I arrived at the Bella Vista I was warmly greeted and welcomed by the lovely lady at the reception desk who offered me fresh milk for hot drinks along with hot chocolate packets which weren't in the room. Pretty much every request was attended to swiftly but also any questions no matter how silly were answered honestly and throughly. She was always happy for a quick friendly chat as well. My room faced onto the road on the ground floor so there was slight noise coming from the road but the town is so small that the noise is minimum, unless you are there when the towns fire alarm goes off. This is very loud and occurs when there is a fire, car crash or something similar and I'll ring until they have enough people to help the situation. The loudest noise you'll probably get is when the large coaches arrive into the town. Being at the end of the town there isn't much noise around from other hotels or the bars as they are at the other end of the street. Location of the hotel is convienent being at the end of the main street in Fox Glacier township so everything is just a quick walk up the hill; being the convenience store, restaurants and the checkin location for the Glacier tours. Just next door to the hotel is a little walking track leading through the rainforest that leads to the base of the Glacier itself. Lake Matheson is a good walk from the town but there are people who will drive you there return for $10 and is well worth the walk around the lake. My favorite feature of my room was the heating available; being the great wall heater along with the electric blanket on the bed but the best thing was the in bath spa. Greatly needed this after a tour on the glacier as it was relaxing and heated. The TV has the normal channels in NZ with some cable movie channels included. I was nothing but impressed with the Bella Vista in Fox Glacier from the moment I arrived until I unforturnely had to leave. I would recommend this hotel to other travel

The staff at check-in couldn't have been more friendly and helpful. We arrived after a long day's drive from Westport and took up their suggestion of a late afternoon drive and short walk to beautiful Lake Matheson, then a short drive on to a scenic spot where we had an amazing view of Fox Glacier. Well worth the drive! We picked up supplies at the well stocked General Store and cooked our dinner on the BBQ at the motel. Our kitchenette was very well stocked and thoughtfully set out. The room was spacious, spotlessly clean and attractively decorated with splashes of red. Even the coffee cups matched the furnishings! There is a laundry room on the premises with very reasonable charges for washing and drying. We were disappointed that we were only staying one night as we felt very comfortable in this motel. Highly recommended!

I would highly rate this accommodation and it is excellent value for money- however, Fox Glacier as a destination appears rather neglected by the authorities compared with the Franz Joseph Glacier- seeing the Glacier here is problematic as only one path was open during my visit and the authorities were maintaining this using tarmac from a road leading up to the glacier on the track nearest the town. The best viewpoint for Fox Glacier is actually on the road which leads to Lake Mathieson.

Staff was polite and helpful, recommended locations to visit around fox glacier. The kitchen was well equipped.

The best accommodation for entire trip, clean, big, staff is nice and location is good. Near fox glacier town, about 3 minutes walk to fox glacier center. Free and fast unlimited wifi, will recommend for friend.

There are two Heartland Hotels in Fox Glacier and we went to the wrong one first (not aware there were two). Apparently only one is kept open when the season is slow. My sister and I each had a queen size bed in our shared room. Restaurant served lovely meals. Staff were friendly and helpful. Internet access available near restaurant. Only negative was that no porter was available when we were leaving and there is no lift.

Misty Peaks Boutique Hotel is simply fabulous! So good we ended up staying for 2 nights! Allanah is a very friendly and knowledgeable host, she goes out of the way to ensure your comfort during the stay and gave us very good sightseeing tips! The hotel is very comfortable, and each room has its own unique English themed decors. I love the heated tiles which means I don’t get cold and you can really take your showers leisurely. The facilities are very well maintained, so well that I admire how Allanah does it herself. If you are ever in Fox Glacier, Misty Peaks should be your top accommodation choice! Thank you for the lovely stay!

Very good stay in Distinction hotel. Good breakfast and walking distance to any shop/activity (the town is small anyway). We went there in Spring so the hotel was not full which was very good! I guess you need to book VERY early in Summer. The manager was talking about people booking 1.5 year in advance, crazy! Definitely one of the best hotel in Fox Glacier!

I was greatly surprised to see a perfectly impeccable room in the remote corner of the world in Fox Glacier. It was really above standard, the room was very clean and everything in the room top new. Kids liked the playground. We didn't even want to leave...I gave Food/Dining a '2' rating as we didn't use this option there. Thanx

We really enjoyed our stay. It was refreshing to find a backpackers/Inn with friendly staff, very clean and peaceful. It was not overcrowded and the rooms felt more like a lodge at a ski resort. Each room had heating and ours had a tv. The kitchen was very clean, nice tables and a clean fridge. The showers were roomy enough, hot water and very clean feel.here's also a large bar with plenty of indoor/outdoor seating. We loved Fox Glacier Inn. It is very well maintained and managed.

Climber rest has been closed few months ago so we have been upgraded in the HEARTLAND HOTEL. So it was beyond our expectations