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The Rees Hotel Queenstown 5-star perfection

snow action team 31.03.2019

The Rees Hotel is a multi-award winning 5-star Queenstown star reports Snow Action Features Editor Bronwen Gora.

Rees Hotel Queenstown room view
Need a snow report? Look out the window at The Rees Hotel Queenstown

Where on earth can you step off a plane and have your skis and luggage whisked to a 5-star hotel so you can jump on a mountain bike for a guided scenic tour to a luxurious lakefront room?

In Queenstown of course! The Rees Hotel nuzzles Lake Wakatipu in a warm embrace of 60 stunning rooms, 90 apartments and five recently built 3-bedroom 3-bathroom ‘Lakeside Residences’.

Winter view of the private jetty at The Rees Hotel Queenstown
Catch the ferry into Queenstown from The Rees’ private jetty

The Rees Hotel’s list of inspired, upscale features and offerings – including the airport-to-room cycle tour on either a Merida mountain bike or an Avanti electric bike followed by a celebratory beer or champagne on arrival – has seen it win the hospitality industry equivalent of major Academy Awards several years running, including Best Hotel in New Zealand and Best New Zealand Ski Hotel at the annual World Ski Awards.

For its True South Dining Room, The Rees Hotel has won Best Hotel Chef and (six years in a row) the Wine Spectator Awards for its wine program. Already this year The Rees’ True South Dining Room has won ‘TheBeef and Lamb Excellence Award for 2019’.

Dining at Rees Hotel
Award winning dining is in house at Rees Hotel

Now before you start thinking that to stay in such a lauded establishment is out of your price range, know that The Rees is refreshingly affordable compared to others of its ilk.

The Rees Hotel’s Snopro package for instance covers riding at Cardrona ski resort, three night’s accommodation in an Executive Lakeview Hotel Room with spa bath and full waterfront panorama taking in The Remarkables mountain range, all equipment rental – skis, boots, boards and the rest delivered to and fitted in your hotel room – plus daily sumptuous first-class breakfasts (also overlooking Lake Wakatipu), and starts at $NZD 350 per person per night twin share (which is a similar price to one night’s accommodation with no extras at many standard major city hotels).

cat skiing in Soho Basin is one of Queenstown's leading ski experiences
Sample spectacular cat skiing in Soho Basin with The Rees Hotel ‘Soho Experience’ package © Soho Basin

Or step things up with The Rees’ ‘Soho Experience’ includes return transfers to the mountains from The Rees for a day of cat skiing on over 260 hectares of private backcountry in Soho Basin. After a morning of adventure and exploration, enjoy a delicious, gourmet three-course lunch paired with Amisfield wines on the deck of the Alpine Hut.
End the day with a glass of champagne or beer, relaxing in the comfort of your own room while viewing the snow-covered mountains surrounding The Rees Hotel – all this from $NZD 490 per person, per night 2 share.

Step it up even further with heliski packages.

Spa suites boast superb views at The Rees Hotel Queenstown
A 3 hour hop away and you could be soaking in your in suite spa at The Rees Hotel checking out the snow on The Remarkables

Having experienced The Rees Hotel Queenstown first hand last season I can vouch for the generosity and genuinely warm, welcoming atmosphere embodied from reception right down to your shower cubicle: the cosy and comfortable lakeview rooms make the most of the spectacular setting with floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding doors opening onto balconies while inside there is an easy-to-use tv (perfect for technophobes like myself), delicious tea selections, an upscale coffee maker,  and large luxury bathrooms with similarly generous-sized toiletries which are well worth keeping as the lavender-scented shampoos and conditioners in particular will last long after you leave. 

Should you want to take a day off the mountains and cocoon, The Rees Hotel has a library of rare books and art for the mind and a full gymnasium for the rest. The Rees’ foyer area doubles as an inviting café-come-lounge and also takes advantage of the lake views.  A courtesy shuttle runs to and from Queenstown where it’s possible to do everything from drink New Zealand’s best wine and enjoy cuisine from Indian to Italian, to join a yoga class, go indoor sky diving or catch the latest Hollywood movies. 

Want to get out on the lake? Jump on a ferry – The Rees Hotel’s ferry wharf has been added to the regular Lake Wakatipu ferry schedule with a stop virtually right outside those five-star doors every 30 minutes. 

Now that’s service.

For all package details and bookings get onto The Rees Hotel soon.

Rees Hotel Queenstown lounge view
Relaxation is the name of the game at The Rees Hotel