The villa was much nicer than I anticipated, with its own private hot tub (maybe I missed it on the booking page, but I was pleasantly surprised). The grounds are very beautiful and you can take a walk through the woods to get to a view point for the lake.

The drive into the reception area is on a dirt road. We struggled to get through to staff via phone upon check in, check out and also once to try to order wine, although eventually we got through to someone each time. However, we understood that since the property is so large and the rooms are spread out so far, the staff are always running around (and driving around) to get to various points in the property, so it was not a problem in the end.

The shower was very good, the bed and pillows comfortable and the view towards the mountains was excellent. We ate in the main Lodge on two occasions with Luke, his wife Kaye and other guests which was very enjoyable. We attended a cooking demonstration with hufa which was excellent and was followed by a lovely lunch. Luke the owner was very prompt in coming to discuss all our concerns but couldn’t change anything, he offered the cooking demonstration and the opportunity to eat in the main lodge with him, which we accepted.

1) The gravel 1.25km road to the lodge was very uneven and full of pot holes. 2) There is no TV in any guest lodge (it’s not advertised as having a TV) but we would have liked the opportunity to choose ourselves but Luke decided ‘ no one would want to watch TV ! ‘ 3) No air conditioning in the lodge which makes it difficult to sleep when the weather is very warm, Luke said we should open the doors, but of course a lot of flies would come in and we were also worried about our security. We were given a fan. 3) The bathroom has a floor to ceiling window which is ‘mirrored’ on the outside and clear see through from inside, unfortunately, at night when the lights are on, it is totally see through from the OUTSIDE and there is no blind, which leaves you feeling very exposed. 4)Breakfast is continental and left in the fridge the day before. Eggs are available on request and brought to your lodge but by the time they arrive they are overcooked. 5) Dinner is also brought to your lodge and there is no choice, you have what the chef decides, in our four day stay we had beef twice and lamb twice and although it was excellently cooked we would have liked a choice. You also have up to a forty five minute wait between the starter and main course. 6) The photos on the website lead you to believe that all the guest lodges have a lake view, when in fact, only two have.

Villa was super well appointed, food was amazing and aplenty. Very warm welcome by owners and staff.

The property and the staff there gave us such unique and luxurious experience at the Mount Cook. The scenery, the meals we enjoyed in our villa was top notch.

nothing

Villa itself, parking outside, view from our room, open fireplace and included dinner.

Location. The name and advertising showed a lake view and implied proximity to Mt Cook. Neither was true. We had a nice view of distant mountains (not Mt Cook) and nearer pastures with grazing deers. It was not the view we drove 4 hours to see. The retreat should be renamed Twizel Retreat.

absolutely beautiful lodge with the most amazing scenery. dinner provided to our room was nothing short of amazing. the hot tub overlooking the mountain ranges was a bonus. the entire experience was 10/10

Great breakfast, especially the salami.

The location would have to be up there with one of the best anywhere on the globe. The foresight of the owners to build this for travellers to enjoy is truly inspirational. The construction and interior design of each villa is testament to the respect the owners have invested in honouring the beauty of Mother Nature and this world class location. The warmth of the villas in such a crisp clean cool environment was so comforting like being wrapped in a warm blanket sitting on a cloud of pure majestic natural wonders. Without a doubt our best holiday due to location and the accommodation not to mention the hospitality and care extended by the owners of the property. It simply is a bucket list experience for rest or play.

We could not find any fault with the property at all. Perfect!