Kinloch Wilderness Retreat

Hostel

Great food and presentation/drinks
great time.

Kinloch Wilderness Retreat is a step back in time. My wife and I, our two children (aged 11 and 9) and our 12 week old puppy, all had the most amazing time. A weekend break feels like a week. The service and food in the restaurant is second to none, the rooms are beautiful, clean and charming.
The location is handy to Queenstown (where we live) and yet feels like a time capsule. We indulged in one of the world’s top 10 walks in the world (Routeburn) nearby on the Saturday. Kinloch captured our heart and the Retreat is now on our list of places to go!

Had a delicious supper on the deck outside overlooking a stunning view. Friendly informal service.
What’s not to like?!

Beautiful location and friendly hosts!

Fabulous location with beautiful views, and a wonderful history.

Great place to stay to self cater and explore local tracks.
Love it here and highly recommend.

Superb Views while you Dine on Great Food!

. Had my 50th there. A great getaway place with nice views.

Friendly owners and great views! Walking outside to see the lake and mountains all around was wonderful. Food was great, not a thing wrong with the place. Will be back.

So quiet and peaceful in the month of June, snow-capped mountains were magnificent. Lovely historic lodge everything provided including hot water bottles to keep you warm.

Everything was just perfect — a warm welcome at the reception, a great and perfectly designed cosy room with spa pool and Netflix and amazing views (we stayed at the EcoScapes room) and last but not least delicious food (dinner and breakfast). We also booked a sunrise kayaking trip which was absolutely worth to get up earlier in the morning. Definitely want to come back.

Amazing place to relax and go on hikes. Lovable owners and staff. If you are looking for a good place to gaze at the stars and milky way at night, and to feel this grandor around you, this is your place :)

Great place. Amazing landscape. Definately worth a visit!

The owners were John and Toni were more than happy to help us out when we arrived 2 days earlier than we booked. They picked us up from the middle of nowhere at a moments notice. Our 3 course dinner, hot tub and massive bed were worth every cent. The lodge has beautiful views across the lake from their restaurant.

Very peaceful. Lovely staff. Good food. Beautiful views.

Stayed here after completing the Caples and Routeburn Tracks. The food was excellent as was the accommodation. The vista out over the lake were stunning. There is a hot tub up on the bank behind the accommodation block which sits high above to give you a magnificent view. Would definitely come back to stay here. Definitely book ahead.

Beautiful location in the middle if nowhere. A little bit over priced. The rooms are very small. The shared living room is very nice. It is a good advice to bring your own food and drinks. If you walk tracks you are at the right place.

I stayed in one of the shared rooms for the evening. The accommodation was very nice, in the hot tub was fantastic. Their menu is quite expensive however, if you are planning to eat at their restaurant then plan to spend a bit more.

About the lodge I can only say that the location is great (I was on the campsite next to it) … Directly on the lake.

Awesome view, staff and owners. Excellent Wi-Fi and kitchen. Great beer and wine selection. Good knowledge of the area. Great will be back for sure!

Love the views; towel provided. Big kitchen. Tricky getting in the locked kitchen and showers but maybe there s a reason for security. Love the restaurant. Good coffee and meals.

Good view outside. Too many mosquitos and facilities were a minor downside. Rooms were moderately clean.

It had stunning views every where you looked. Welcomed environment with friendly holiday people around. The road to get there is a gravel road all the way to the lodge plus around the lodge so it can get dusty sometimes when vehicles mover around. Other than that for the price paid it was a good experience.

Reservation not taken by the chef Oops!, but very warm welcome by the server Alex who has extremely well cared for us. THANKS ALEX! otherwise very good food.

What an amazing place to visit! So nice to get far away from everything and just be alone by the lake. Lovely couple that own and run the place. Amazing food at the restaurant! There’s a movie room with SO many options as well as a popcorn maker and a hot tub. Kayaks for rent. Dorm options for cheaper accom or single rooms.

One of a kind place to stay there are no words to describe this beautiful hide away. Family owned and operated and so peaceful.

Good space for a backpackers lodge. Excellent views, and great facilities. Very friendly staff.

Basic dwellings with fantastic views. Plenty of Sand Flies as Bonus.

Lovely place and lovely staff. Had a great stay.

Amazing place a real getaway awesome staff and service.

Great place. Food is excellent and the service is out of this world.

Lovely hostel and stunning view. Bathrooms were clean as well as the kitchen. Because they are awesome and they know how cold the weather is, they provide a thick duvet, a fleece blanket and a hot water bottle that can be easily filled with the hot water tank in the kitchen. Kitchen has everything you need, dining room/lounge has a fire place and after a long hike you can chill in the outdoor hot tub! Staff was really friendly and helpful. Amazing stay!

You won't find a more magical spot in the whole of New Zealand. Incredible scenery, delicious food, top quality coffee, awesome staff and wonderful history. My favourite place in New Zealand, if not the world. Can't wait to come back!

Absolutely lovely place. Would recommend it to the whole world. Mind blowing view, sweet and caring owners/staff, fantastic food. Just a hidden heaven.

Beautiful setting, friendly staff, hot tub with a view, candles on the veranda in the evening, relaxed communal kitchen, great little restaurant. Recommended for a quiet getaway or a soak in the hot tub after several days in the mountains.

Very charming place. Our room was clean and the bed very comfortable. The views on the lake and mountains are amazing. The cafe restaurant is also very atmospheric and cozy. The menu offers a nice gave of dishes including vegetarien options.

Great location! One of the prettiest places I have been too! Great for walking trails and relaxing but not a whole lot else to do, which was good for us. The rooms are small & The bed was so very comfortable! Had a great nights sleep! Shared bathrooms are clean and tidy. The staff are very friendly and helpful!
On the down side the hot tub we were looking forwards too was dirty and mosquitos every where. Also note some of the roads in the area (not the ones to the lodge, they were okay) Are forbidden by car hire companies. All in all great place to visit & would recommend :).

Beautiful place and nice menu.

This place is overall great, beautiful views, jacuzzi, hot showers and a restaurant. Some of the small details are missing but overall I enjoyed my stay.

Ideally situated for the Routeburn shelter, start of the Routeburn great walk. Stayed in a double room in the Wilderness lodge which felt a little damp (it had been raining heavily). The Heritage lodge looked much nicer. Staff not that friendly. Reception was closed on our arrival at 5pm and we were brashly directed to the restaurant by a member of staff. We were owed a refund on a transfer to the Routeburn track that we had been double charged for, but we were told to talk to reception the following morning. Reception closed the following morning and the dealt with the same member of staff in the restaurant as the previous night who was still none the wiser. Also note the no refund policy on bus transfers or other activities purchased on the website even with 2 weeks notice.

Awesome place to start/end your hikes. The wooden jacuzzi is really relaxing — you just need to care care of those darn flies…

Awesome view, love the hot tub and what an amazing tree house they have! Make sure to bring a hammock ;)

Great coffee after kayak across the lake. Great size of carrot cake!

Drove here for lunch and ended up staying a few nights. Food is glorious — fresh, local and free-range which is important to me. Homemade bread as well! Loved the Heritage Room which is beautifully decorated and had a fab communal lounge with coffee, cookies, herbal teas, books and games to help yourself to. Had every intention of exploring the surrounding valleys and kayaking on the lake but ended up spending a lot of the time gazing at them instead from the terrace — and the hot tub! Beautiful! Opened my door one morning to the most amazing sunrise over the lake. Very friendly place. Fell in love with their cat Poodle. It’s not that far from Queenstown so will definitely visit again when in the area.

What an absolutely awesome find. Such an amazing stay. Hot tubs, happy hours + amazing hospitality. Couldn't ask for more. Oh and there's "that view".

Best place to stay in the area. Calm, clean rooms and bathrooms. Friendly staff and nice hot tub.

Best hotel in the area, atmosphere, history, great service and great food. Backpackers section is great value and the hot tub is one of the best in the land.

Our best in NZ place to stay. By all means get to this beautiful place run by kind and generous people. Thank you very much.

Stayed here in 2005 in the off-season and had a BLAST. Great deal for the money, although the beer tab got significant. (Well, when the closest beer is in Queenstown, you shudder a bit about the cost, then order more. ) Food was fantastic, had coin operated laundry, everything you needed at the start and end of a week long backpacking trip. (Tramping I think its called there).