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Luxury hotels in New Zealand don't get any better than this! Nestled amongst native West Coast rainforest at Franz Josef is a very special five-star Qualmark rated retreat. Designed with utmost care of its precious environment, guests at Te Waonui Forest Retreat will find themselves encircled by rainforest and accommodated in natural and sustainable luxury. Te Waonui Forest Retreat promises all its guests a truly unique and memorable experience. At one with nature, the five-star Qualmark rated Te Waonui Forest Retreat is the ultimate coming together of luxury escape and environmental awareness. Great care has been taken to ensure this exceptional forest retreat steps lightly upon the earth, from the organic cotton bedspreads to its recycled local building materials. Discerning travellers will appreciate the hotel’s attention to detail, which starts with attentive personal service upon arrival, and continues throughout all the hotel facilities and every aspect of your stay. As our guest you will enjoy exceptional quality and service, including: Luxuriously appointed guest rooms, generously proportioned and featuring the highest standard of room amenities, such as your personal pillow menu, natural wool mattress underlay, and high speed Internet access. Dining among the tres in ‘The Canopy’ restaurant, and savouring quality local cuisine, including an indulgent five-course degustation dinner. Innovative, environmentally sustainable architecture and building materials that create a healthy, warm and quiet haven for you to enjoy. Easy access to many excellent local attractions, including the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, just minutes away.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Trendy
Business
Languages Spoken
English
Location
3 Wallace Street, Franz Josef, Westland Tai Poutini National Park 7886 New Zealand
Te Waonui Forest Retreat
4.6 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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Nestled in a serene rainforest, Te Waonui Forest Retreat is a hotel that earns high marks for its attentive service, with staff providing a warm welcome and dining suggestions. The location's peaceful ambiance, combined with easy access to nearby attractions, is a highlight for many guests. Cleanliness is another strong suit, with well-maintained and tastefully decorated rooms amidst natural beauty.
While the amenities and spacious rooms with forest views are generally well-received, opinions on breakfast and spa quality vary. Although the atmosphere is often likened to a picturesque Alpine chalet, some visitors point out dampness and noise issues in rooms, and views on the hotel's value for money are mixed, with some finding the costs high for the level of luxury offered.
Location
Secluded
Atmosphere
Idyllic
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Meticulous
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Satisfactory
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Located near the stunning Franz Josef Glacier, the Te Waonui Forest Retreat is a well-presented and maintained hotel surrounded by nature. Our twin-bed family room had comfy beds with a balcony opening up onto a beautiful rainforest backdrop. Breakfast was included for our family of four, making the stay great value for money. The hotel was very clean and well-kept. The staff were very friendly, helpful and accommodating. Overall, it was a memorable stay!
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Date of stay: June 2024
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Rohan Thakur, Owner at Te Waonui Forest Retreat
Responded 10 Oct 2024
Dear weluv2travelSydney, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review of your stay with us. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us. We wish you the best for your travels around New Zealand! Kind regards, Te Waonui Forest Retreat Team
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Good location in Franz Josef. It was just a block or 2 off of the main street. We had a room with 2 beds, AC, good light blocking curtains & a lanai facing the tropical vegetation. The bathroom had a shower with very hot water & good water pressure. Plus the bathroom floor was heated. When we entered the actual room, we heard birds chirping - the recording was a nice touch that you could keep on or turn off. The hotel has a very nice breakfast buffet with lots of choice. I didn't use it but the hotel had a guest laundry. Not too far away & very walkable was the Alice May restaurant where we went for lunch and the Wildlife Centre where you can see kiwi birds. Everything in Franz Josef really is walkable from the hotel.
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Date of stay: January 2025
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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This beautiful hotel felt like an Alpine ski chalet in a forest complete with roaring log fires and earthy colour palette in the decor and furnishings. It is made very special by the staff particularly Rohan , the Manager who could not have been more charming and helpful and Jean , a very obliging Frenchman who looked after our luggage and served us drinks later in the bar. The breakfast buffet was very good but at this level I think egg based dishes should be cooked to order. It is very situated close to the small town and the Canopy Restaurant served excellent food ( see separate review ) Our room was a Deluxe King with a balcony virtually in the forest and was large and well appointed with both shower and bath. Highly recommended for a short stay. Hikers might however be looking for better spa facilities such as sauna or steam room for aching muscles. This would be a very welcome addition.
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Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Rohan Thakur, Owner at Te Waonui Forest Retreat
Responded 10 Oct 2024
Dear Graham W, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review of your stay with us. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us. We wish you the best for your travels around New Zealand! Kind regards, Te Waonui Forest Retreat Team
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Not a 5 star hotel. The staff is very friendly and helpful and sometimes really above average attentive. The rooms are large, attractively furnished, the furniture slightly worn. A Nepresso machine, capsules and mineral water are replenished daily. The location in the jungle-like garden is very nice. No swimming pool, no sauna, no gym. Breakfast buffet style, equivalent to a 3 star hotel. Cappuccino or milk coffee on request at an additional cost. I didn't ask for freshly prepared egg dishes and that Enjoyed powder scrambled eggs without the missing salmon. Overall a wild mess, soiling at the buffet e.g. on the floor were not cleared up during my breakfast time. I had to put together a set myself from neighbouring tables. In the evening a 5-course menu, in the goodness of a 3.5 star hotel. The same card on both evenings (available on the internet). A "course" of the 5 course menu is a ball of fruit ice cream, supposed to be sorbet, lovingly arranged, I have attached a picture. And all for NZ$1,000 a night. After my stay, I received an email from the hotel asking me to leave a good review directly, discuss a possible bad review with the manager first. Dear Manager, it is all already in the reviews that have been given recently. You'd just have to read them. I didn't do it until after my stay. Conclusion: Lots of money for little performance, I certainly won't be back.
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Date of stay: December 2024
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed here for two nights and unfortunately had two full days of rain. Therefore the room felt dark but it was overlooking a central courtyard full of ferns so felt very private. The bathroom was quite dated with a shower over the bath, but all very clean. The welcome we received when checking in was very friendly, including a welcome kiwi drink. There was lots of free parking available on site. Food in the restaurant in the evening was fabulous. We were disappointed when we arrived that our travel agent had booked us in to include dinner as we usually prefer to venture out to local restaurants. However, in this case we were delighted - sitting outside on the covered terrace both evenings was wonderful and the food was excellent. The crayfish ravioli was particularly memorable! The service both evenings was also extremely good. Breakfast was a standard buffet - nothing special. We would happily stay here again and definitely include the evening meal as it was of an exceptionally high standard.
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Date of stay: January 2025
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is difficult to write completely. Te Waonui bills itself as a five star luxury hotel with a five course degustation dinner. Nothing could be further from the truth. While the waiters do wear white gloves, that’s all you’re getting. The food is frozen and then thawed and cooked. It’s just terrible. It’s basically a place for huge tour buses to stop for the night and have a ton of tourists spend the night at a “5-star” luxury hotel and they probably entice customers with that offering. And while it might be the better option in Franz Josef, the hotel is just not how it’s described. It’s dank. No one meets you outside (not that we needed that but it’s also on the website). The dining room is truly depressing and the staff just do their job. For our three night stay, we decided it was just a place to sleep after long hiking days and deal with the really bad mattress and pillows. It was so humid that anything we washed for laundry took the full three days to dry. We skipped dinner on nights 2&3 and ate out instead (Alice May & Monsoon). So much better to eat out with the Franz Josef visitors. Such a great eclectic group. For breakfasts, after viewing Te Waonui’s offering, we went to Full of Beans every morning. Amazing breakfasts there with quick and attentive service. In the end, while Te Waonui wasn’t a particularly awful experience, it’s just a place to sleep. Don’t eat there and don’t expect anything close to luxury. If you go in with that in mind, it’ll be fine for your Franz Josef stay.
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Date of stay: March 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:The better hotel in the small town, but it’s not what the website portrays. It’s certainly not a...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Rohan Thakur, Owner at Te Waonui Forest Retreat
Responded 10 Oct 2024
Dear craigadam2017, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review of your stay with us. We wish you the best for your travels around New Zealand! Kind regards, Te Waonui Forest Retreat Team
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Anyone who has experienced a really good 5 star hotel will be disappointed. The hotel feels like a (good quality) motel. The dining room is loud and unappealing and, most importantly there is the same, very limited menu every night. The white glove service is pretentious and the food is very hit and miss. The help yourself coffee at breakfast was eye-wateringly bad!
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Date of stay: February 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Rohan Thakur, Owner at Te Waonui Forest Retreat
Responded 10 Oct 2024
Dear AliceCristal, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review of your stay with us. We wish you the best for your travels around New Zealand! Kind regards, Te Waonui Forest Retreat Team
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Te Waonui Forest Retreat is a 5-star hotel in the main part of town. But you would not know that the town (population 300) is down the driveway. All you can see from the rooms and the restaurant is the temperate rain forest. The huge amount of rainfall feeds the nearby glaciers.
My room was spacious and comfortable. Each day I received a nice chocolate in my room. Breakfast was nice, though I wish they would make fried eggs since I do not like scrambled eggs. There was a nice selection of fruit, though.
My hotel rate included breakfast and dinner. They serve a five course degustation menu. My first course was a potato and leek soup. Next I chose the buckwheat salad. My main course was the rack of lamb. The fourth course was cheese and crackers, but since I do not each cheese with meat, they offered me fruit instead. I chose the chocolate mousse for dessert. Both the food and the service were excellent.
Upon checking out of the hotel, they offered to drive me the 1.5 blocks to the InterCity Coach stop.
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Date of stay: November 2024
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Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Very relaxing place to stay. Tranquil retreat. The staff were all extremely welcoming and friendly. The kiwi juice and warm towels on arrival were so appreciated after the long drive from Wanaka. Chocolates and water were also a nice touch.
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Date of stay: December 2024
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Location
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Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:This hotel has washing machines and dryers for guests to use.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had a great one-night stay at Te Waonui! We (spouse and 2 kiddos, ages 11 & 9) were welcomed with a refreshing kiwi juice and warm towel. The staff was very accommodating and checked us in quickly and gave us a tour of our room. We enjoyed the 5 course meal for adults and the kids enjoyed their meals as well. Breakfast was wonderful and full of many choices, all very good. Coffee was great! We ordered latte's. Property is in very good shape and it's a quick 5 minute stroll into town. We loved the location and wished we'd had more nights to stay.
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Date of stay: March 2023
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Rohan Thakur, Owner at Te Waonui Forest Retreat
Responded 5 Apr 2023
Dear Brandi, We are delighted to hear that our team and hotel could make your and your family's stay memorable with us. It is a great testament to our team that even under these testing post Covid times we were able to make your stay special with us. We all wish you and your family all the best for the rest of your travel's around New Zealand! Kind regards, Te Waonui Forest Retreat Team
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Dear Out-of-SF
Apologies for my belated response. Yes, we will be offering a traditional Christmas dinner on 25 December 2015. Please discuss with me your preferred activities during your time with us and I would be more than happy to assist with a personalised itinerary over this period,
Yours sincerely
Richard
There are more places to choose from in the Franz Josef area.
PRICE RANGE
$350 - $928 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
te waonui forest retreat hotel franz josef
LOCATION
New ZealandSouth IslandWest Coast RegionWestland Tai Poutini National ParkFranz Josef
NUMBER OF ROOMS
100
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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