Beautiful location, nice people, very clean rooms, well stocked amenities, warm as well. The spa was very good for the body, soul and mind after a hectic Hooker Valley track trek. Mountain views from the bedroom were awesome. Very quiet rooms as well.

Aoraki Court Aoraki Mt Cook Village provides outstanding and luxurious accommodation in an alpine wonderland setting. Our apartment had mesmerising views of Mt Sefton and its associated range, and was only a short walk from the Hermitage and all of its cafes and restaurant. The Chamois Bar and Cafe was just a short walk away and we had dinner most nights.

We had a two bedroom apartment style room (it was actually three rooms - a large open plan lounge, dinning room and kitchen and two spacious bedrooms). The spa bath was fabulous, especially after a long day's tramping, hiking and walking. I did find the single bed I slept a bit too small and it tilted to a slight angle, so that I would feel as if I was gradually falling off the bed at night. Bear this in mind when allocating beds for travelling parties. The single bed would be fine for smaller people or children, but not large adults like myself. Still it was perfectly adequate.

Another commendable feature of this motel is the hydronic radiator British and European style central heating system. Even though we were there in summer, sometimes it would turn cold at night and I would want the heating for an hour or so in the early morning. It was completely operational and provided deep cosy warmth in the chill of the early morning. This would be an excellent place to stay in the winter due to the clear and evident warmth and insulation of this accomodation. This kind of heating is unfortunately extremely rare in New Zealand and I was delighted to discover it here.

Aoraki Court also had an excellent coin operated laundry ideal for travellers who have been on the road for a while.

The only problem I had with this motel were the rather large and obvious signs in the kitchen advising guests that they could not cook fish (particularly salmon) or spicy food in the kitchens. This is not clearly indicated when booking or searching the motel's website. I had seriously considered buying salmon for cooking on the way, but for some reason held back. Just as well that I did, as I wouldn't have been able to cook it anyway without risking a potential financial penalty. I would like to return to Aoraki Mt Cook as the area is just stunning. The hiking, walking and tramping are just superb, from the Hooker Valley through to Mueller Hut, an extraordinary alpine environment where the glaciers tumble, fall and roar. I would like to return here for 7 and 10 days for my next holiday. And indeed I would stay without hesitation at Aoraki Court, if it were not for these rules regarding the cooking of fish and spicy food in the kitchen. I live on fish. I eat it every night. I have blue cod cooked fried in olive oil almost every night. It is my staple protein. I also enjoy spicy food. I cook it in my own kitchen and it doesn't have any unfortunate odours as far as I am aware. It would not be viable to stay in a place for 7 to 10 days and not be able to cook. However, because of the rules prohibiting the cooking of fish and spicy food it would not be practicable for me to stay here again, certainly not for any longer than 3 nights. Therefore next time I'm in Aoraki Mt Cook I'll be booking the motel wing of the Hermitage.