Nice modern motel right on the main street. Our room was clean cosy and very comfortable. Our hosts were very helpful with information about the area and kept us informed when a storm caused a problem with the drinking water. They even gave us some bottled water. We have now booked Bella Vista motels in other towns as we felt the standard was so high.More
I stayed here while exploring Fox glacier during a vacation in New Zealand. This hotel appears very new, the rooms are small but very nice. Comfortable bed and very clean. They offer free Wi-Fi, the signal from my room was very weak but I'm not going to knock the hotel for this because I can't imagine internet being very important to someone who is vacationing in an area where you can explore a glacier. The lady in the front office was very friendly, gave plenty of great information on things to see in the best time to see them. Tell me about Lake Matheson which was nearby and I got a lot of amazing photos. I would definitely stay here again if I was ever in the area.
Hi 869Kelly, thanks for taking the time to write a review for us and it's great to hear you enjoyed your stay here so much.
Our motel is not quite 10 years old, so we take it as a compliment when people think it is new. We take great pride in keeping everything well maintained and clean.
Sometimes the wifi signal is a bit slow - we have the fastest connection in Fox Glacier, but because the internet comes in to the area by satellite it can get overloaded when there are lots of people in town (loading all their amazing photos up to show their friends!).
I hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip.
There isn't many options in this area but this hotel provided us with a comfortable stay for two nights. Staff and internet were good and there is a great parking. Room is spacious as well as bathroom. The walls are a bit thin though so outside noise is noticed easily as well as noise from other rooms.
Thanks for taking the time to let us know how you felt about your stay in Fox Glacier YasmineSchultenkamp. The triple studio you stayed in is one our most popular rooms types, as it provides plenty of room for 3 people travelling together, but still at an affordable price. All our rooms do have spacious bathrooms, which makes them very comfortable to use.
Sorry you found things a bit noisy, hopefully you still managed a couple of good nights sleep in our warm and comfortable beds.
We stayed here for one night in a compact queen studio. The room lives up to its name as there is not a lot of room around the bed in the room - this did make it easy to warm up though. The bathroom was quite a reasonable size. Our room was up a flight of stairs which is obviously not suitable for anyone with mobility issues or heavy suitcases (like we had). The motel is easy to find being the last accommodation on the main road just before you continue heading south and is close to the turn off to either Lake Matheson (for the reflections of the mountains if you're lucky) and the walk to see the Fox Glacier (up the mountain and about 450 metres away from the end of the glacier). There are a number of eateries in the town and helicopter tour companies to take you onto the glacier - we missed out as the weather turned very wet and windy.
We were rudely woken at 10pm by what sounded like an air raid siren. No one seemed to know what the siren was for and once it stopped everyone went back to bed. We found out that this is the alarm to call the volunteer fire brigade, being a small town it's hard not for everyone to hear it! Subsequent places we stayed in detailed the sirens and what they mean. We were grateful to know it wasn't something we needed to be concerned about.
Overall a comfortable stay and perfect for one night.
Hello Christine J and thank you for the review and the comments which emphasise the positive points about this motel. The room you choose is a popular choice for many of our guests, yes it’s compact but so is the price. Likewise, other rooms are bigger, and so is the price! Bathrooms are all the same reasonable size though and they do have lots of bench space. Some rooms do require going upstairs but we have just as many rooms that don’t so if anyone has any issues, advance notice may help us to help you! Yes we are the last accommodation before heading out of town (village) south but we are also the most central motel, only 2 minutes walk to everything on the main street.
As for that siren, yes your explanation is correct. The Volunteer Fire Brigade is an indispensable part of life in small town New Zealand and everyone accepts the occasional siren because one day it may be themselves who requires help. Great to see that the siren increased your subsequent awareness as you traveled around rural New Zealand, something you would have known earlier if you had read the information provided in the compendium in your room.
We had two nights in a Queen Standard room on the upper level.
The room was not big but we still had plenty of space.
It was clean and well thought out.
The free wifi was fairly quick.
The little wall heater did the job. However it cycled on and off all night; a bit disturbing for an already light sleeper. We left it off for night two.
We would stay here again. Fox Glacier town is a bit quieter and funkier than Franz Josef.
Hello robe397 and thank you for taking the time to review us. Thank you for your overall review which ended in the comment that you would stay with us again - that is what we like to hear! Yes, the rooms are well thought out, if you don't mind me saying, especially the bathroom with lots of bench space, Thank you for the comment about the heater, I'm sure it will help other guests as the rooms are double glazed and do hold their own heat. Thanks for the "funky" vote for our lil' town of Fox too! Appreciated!
The motel is clean, rooms are compact and have everything you need including heaters (winter/spring). The motel has tea, coffee, milk and a small kitchenette with sink, microwave and plates, kettles and toaster but no cooker.
Parking is also available and the location of the motel is convinient for the numerous helicopter tours.
Omar
Hello Omar I and thank you for taking the time to review us after staying with us this past week. I shall pass on to the housekeeping staff your comments on the cleanliness, it will make them smile! Thanks for pointing out the main aspects of our compact studio, we do have a limited number of larger rooms that do have cooktops for those who require them, it just depends if they are available. Being a motel, yes there is car parking for everyone and being closest to the village centre we are just a very short walk to not only the helicopter tour options but also the restaurants and bars. Thanks for the review Omar, enjoy the rest of your NZ travels.
