Te Waonui Forest Retreat Reviews

its a nice hotel，has the comfortable room，the reception was so friendly，special the chinese stuff ，thank u so much，would introduce the hotel to friends

Good food

A very good hotel. The concierge will provide free valet parking. The front desk staff are also friendly and enthusiastic. They will answer and satisfy all questions. The dinner is 5 courses and the service is also very good. I am very satisfied. I will stay here next time when I go to the west coast. Will choose.

Very good, service and hardware

One of the few five-star hotels in New Zealand, the front desk is Chinese. The room is also relatively clean, the restaurant in the hotel is delicious, there will be someone to help carry the luggage when you arrive at the store, the overall feeling is good

The environment is very beautiful.

dinner tastes good

Located in the small town of Franz Josef this hotel is surrounded by the rain forest which the rooms look out on. The rooms were quiet and comfortable. The restaurant offered an excellent breakfast buffet. Easy walking distance to the shops and restaurants in Franz Josef.

Such a beautiful place to stay! Gorgeous comfy bed, birdsong, native plants - great food! Great selection of beer, wine and spirits. A 3 minute walk into the township. Can't complain about anything. Highly recommend. A must visit! A++++++

Our stay was an upgrade from their sister hotel in Franz Josef. Beautiful setting and welcoming staff, we were taken to our room which was about as far away from the main building as you could get ( but close to our car) We did not have dinner there as the only option was a tasting menu of 5 courses and that was it. Our room was stylish with a balcony overlooking the forest but it was so dark. The breakfast the following morning was a bit disappointing whilst there was some very tasty local cheeses the bacon and sausages were the standard for New Zealand (which I don't really like) and only scrambled eggs. My husband asked a waiter if he could have fried eggs but was told that they only do scrambled, in a 5 star hotel! The dining room was very busy and the staff didn't seem to keep up with restocking the buffet. Perhaps they shouldn't take so many tour busses and they it would be a more relaxed experience.

This hotel was absolutely beautiful and our room was fantastic. Our 2 dinner meals were the best we ever had, could not fault it at all. Staff were very courteous and friendly. Situated in a beautiful bush setting. A short walk from the town center. Would highly recommend

The resort was located in a good position with easy walking distance to the village area. The resort itself was very clean and the staff friendly and helpful. Our room was clean, bed comfortable and the shower was great. Dinner and breakfast were both very good. Spa facilities available but not used by us this time.

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.

We had a supper experience at this hotel. Lovely rooms overlooking a garden full of local flora so it looked like the forest. We were greeted with hot towels and a welcome drink before being shown our room, which was spacious, nicely decorated and with lovely toiletries (and a bath and shower!). We were on the bed, breakfast and dinner 🥘 a cake so enjoyed a five course degustation menu in the hotel restaurant which was very pleasant. Drinks were reasonably priced and service was prompt and friendly, Lots of free parking on the hotel grounds. Breakfast buffet was diverse answer cooked. A great stay!