West Coast Region hotels & places to stay

Franz Josef Glacier is perhaps 1 of the most isolated town along the west coast region. Like what a lot of their servers were saying 'we are in the middle of nowhere'. So don't expect to see any big chains hotel names and facilities in the area. The room size was alright and room was clean. The bed was too soft and bouncy and unfortunately, the WIFI wasn't working that day. However like what I have mentioned in the beginning, Franz Josef Glacier is in the middle of nowhere, so I would consider Alpine Glacier Motel as a good place to stay.

We booked our stay at Franz Josef having had a fantastic stay at the Aspen Court accommodation at Mt. Cook. The staff were very friendly and our room was spotless. Having travelled to the town to trek to the glaciers we were surprised to discover that this wouldn't be possible. The footpaths had been washed away months earlier during the spring floods. Roads were still closed. Although this was clearly nobodys fault I do feel that it should be mentioned at the booking stage. This is the only reason for marking down on location, but the glaciers were our only reason for visiting the town.

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.

Even I read a lot reviews mentioning it's cleaniness before arrival. We were still amazed on the spot. The staff must work very hard to maintain this level....And also very quite, again out of expectation...Although we lived in the double room facing the bath room, there was almost no noise! Except for oNe girl next to our door came back to her room in the middle of night, I hardly believe the rooms were fully booked, because no people making noise as we usually worry about youth hotels.

As the last stop before heading back to the big smoke, we decided on Greymouth on the west coast. Great decision :) Location:- Although located along the main through road, it was relatively quiet inside the complex, though we wouldn't have known any different due to the double-glazed windows on this unit. It is located right next door to a major supermarket, and a nice pub is just down the road about 400m. Check In:- We were greeted warmly by Bronwyn upon our arrival, and informed we were upgraded to their newly renovated unit (number 10). And wow....i mean WOW!! The Room:- Very nicely done this 1 bed unit. Brand new everything. Great living area with full kitchen and facilities. Lovely couches, 50+ channel Sky TV, lovely new beds - 1 king single and a full king size bed (not 2 singles pushed together). The bathroom large and spacious with a nice shower. Complimentary WiFi (time/download limited) and milk. Verdict:- Would highly recommend this place to anyone. Fantastic hosts and well maintained and appointed rooms are what we travellers like. Thank you!!!

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

We were arrived late at around 8 pm and the owner/staff still welcomed us with smile and our rooms were ready and warm. But the most impressed moment was when our car was stuck in the mud in the middle of nowhere, where we did not know who can help us, motel owner was there to help us with one gentlemen surround the area. They came quick and help to pull our car out of the mud. They even allowed us to have late checkout since we need to wash ourself. Thank you for the hospitality and friendliness. Never found this kind of hospitality and friendliness in other motel or even 5 stars hotel chain in the world. Two tumbs up....can not asked for more. We were happy and all of our family and friends send big gratitudes to the hotel owner/staff. THANK YOU !

Stayed here at the end of January 2012 and found this accommodation to be very clean, modern and enjoyed our stay. Check-in for the cottages is nearby at another motel, but only a short distance away. Staff were very friendly and helpful and eager to please. All facilities within the Franz Josef township are within easy walking distance from 10 Cottages, such as restaurants, shops, booking office for helicopter rides and the helicopter pad itself, booking office for glacier guided tours and walking tracks. Glacier Hot Pools are also nearby, a wonderful place to relax after hiking and climbing. The road to the Franz Josef Glacier itself is only a short drive from the township.

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.

The tree house deluxe was a very good room. Lovely view from the room. Very comfortable beds and cleanliness was very good. It would have a 5 stars if they had better bfast facilities. They just put a basket of supplies at night for next day bfast... This was the only negative point. The rooms were very spacious. Everythinge else was very good. A must stay in this property.

Rooms were nice. We had the family room. Only complaint I had was that the family rooms only had a heater in the living room and not the bedrooms though the bedrooms did have heated mattresses. If you, like us, are not fond of the cold then you may need to keep the bedroom doors open during the night to let the heat in from the living room. Doesnt have a restaurant which is why I gave food/dining a 4 star rating, Otherwise no issues. Nice clean rooms, spacious, no regrets. Check in was fast and easy, as was checkout. Location close to supermarket and Dominos and short drive to what few restaurants the city has. Recommended, but look at it as a motel rather than a hotel.

I’m sure it’s about the same quality as others in the area, but I enjoyed my stay. It’s very easy to find, and the InterCity bus stops right in front of it. Check in is open until 9pm and they’re really nice. The place is surprisingly big, so don’t get lost. There’s a huge kitchen and shared area with everything you could need to prepare and eat dinner. A TV room with DVDs. Shower rooms and bathrooms. Laundry ($4) and a sauna that was unfortunately out of order during my stay. It’s not a resort but it’s cheap, well managed, and well located. I’d recommend it!

I stayed with my family at this place during Nov 2017. We were upgraded to a bigger 2 bedroom cottage that also had a spacious living, dining and kitchen area. It is 5-minutes drive from town center and virtually next to nothing which means that you are totally at peace while still short drive to amenities. We had a wonderful two nights there with the host providing excellent recommendations on places to visit. He even lent us cricket bat/ball, DVD and books to pass our evening time. Kitchen was well equipped and we had home cooked dinner with wine enjoying in midst of nature. Wifi could have been faster but with so many things to do, this was hardly an issue. Excellent place and hosts.

We enjoyed our stay here. Nice quiet little place, with lovely views outside on your front porch. Staff were helpful. The location is little bit from town, and taxis aren't easily available in Franz-Josef, so maybe best if you have your own car. But the hotel staff let us know of several restaurants in town that will come pick you up (and drop you back off after) if you make a reservation in their restaurant! And you can arrange a driver to come pick you up to take you into town or to the glacier for a fee. We took advantage off both options (as we took a bus to Franz Josef and had no car) and worked for us!

We stayed at Ashley hotel for a night and checked in pretty late. If you enter Greymouth from West port, there is a HongKong restaurant right in the begining of Greymouth town. They are open till late and food is very nice! The I-Site visitor center gives discounts on touristy activities. Do visit Hokitika as they have beautiful natural attractions and trails. Ashley Hotel sits in a great spot to go to Hokitika. All rooms are ground floor so its great for accessibility.

The view of the greenery was a welcome sight. The room was clean and had all the amenities for a home cooked meal. Lots of channels for entertainment. Staff were lovely and helpful. The laundrette was a welcome addition after trekking in the rain to see the glacier. Walking distance to the town too with shops, bars and restaurants. Forget about the other places and book this one - you won’t regret it!

The Pioneer Hotel is a combination hotel/bar and check-in is at the bar in the front of the hotel. The gentleman operating the hotel wasn't immediately present, and it wasn't immediately clear where to go, but one of the customers went to get him and everything else about the stay was smooth. Bathrooms and showers are shared, but there are two each which was enough for the guests present (I did not need to wait at all when I needed a shower or toilet), and there is a refrigerator for public use. The beds were comfortable and small TVs were present in every room. The hotel is in a quiet area of the quiet town and the bar shut down around 8pm, but even when it was open, there was no noise at all in the hotel side. There is plenty of street parking on the side of the hotel. I would recommend this place to anyone seeking a comfortable budget stay in Hokitika.