Good but how did it make gold?

This resort clings to its Conde Nast Gold rating. Its a resort hotel of a high standard, on a superb site in the countryside above the Shotover River. In earlier times it gained rave reviews from travellers - it remains on the Conde Nast reserve list. Its expensive by New Zealand standards and while it has been renovated and is well maintained, its one level back from the premium lodges of today in fittings, decor etc. Dining was excellent when we stayed, and indeed was the high spot of our visit. The web-site gives a fair impression of what it offers, and the staff were efficient and courteous. I'd want a discounted rate next time before I chose Nugget over its immediate competitors however. As it is some distance outside Queenstown you would really need to car (or book some tours) if you plan to look around.

Have never had such a bad experience

I too had read excellent reviews on nugget point resort, so had no problems paying approx $1500 NZ for 2 nights accomodation in March 2005. Never before have I seen a hotel so blatantly misrepresent themselves. The only accurate thing about their website is the location. The rooms were dirty, tired and completely outdated, there was some form of construction going on right outside my room of which I was not informed prior to check in, the "in-house movies" were a selection of videos from the early 1990's, the room service menu consisted of about 3 items. The staff were the most indifferent I have ever come across, and the dogs and cats so obviously living in the hotel and running through the hallways and dining room were enough to turn my stomach. I stayed for a total of 2 hours, during which time I did not sight another guest, was told under no circumstances would I receive any of my money back, and was left to cart my own luggage from my room back to my car, once I had expressed my complete dissatisfaction at the "resort". There is no way on this earth I would ever set foot in this "resort" again.

I would like to convey our version of this "story" to enable an unbiased opinion on our beautiful boutique property.

Upon checking in at Reception this guest did get a little agitated as she explained that she was checking in two rooms under her name. I politely informed her that we only had one booking for her however would create another booking. I noticed that when beginning to create this new booking that we did have another Wotif booking for that day and mentioned that name to her. She insisted that both rooms were booked under her name, however upon checking the booking form received from WOTIF I explained to her that one room was indeed for a different name. She then agreed and we proceeded to check them both in. At this stage I was slightly concerned (however did not show this). Why did she book a and not know who it was booked for?

I personally checked this guest in with her colleague and escorted them to their rooms. We delivered their bags and also valet parked their car.

For the next five minutes both ladies were running backwards and forwards to each others rooms and commenting on the facilities each had in their rooms - looking in the cupboards, leaving nothing unturned. Both rooms were the same and had the same facilities, so we were a little surprised why they were doing this.

The ladies stayed in their rooms for about 1/2-hour and then left, heading towards town.

Upon returning approximately 1-hour later, I saw the ladies walking through our main doors and proceeded to greet them and open the door of the corridor towards their room. They seemed happy and had a couple of Duty Free bags in their hands. At this point they seemed happy.

Approximately 1/2-hour later this guest along with her colleague approached reception and as asked if there would be a problem getting a refund if they were to check-out that day. I informed them that we have a cancellation policy and that - it would be fine, however we would not be in a position to offer a refund. I then received a phone call from one of the Wotif employees in Australia - who was very friendly. She was touching base having heard from this guest's secretary - she was also inquiring as to a refund. I informed the Wotif.com employee that we were not in a position to offer a refund as per our cancellation policy and at the time the guest had commented on the fact that we were not very close to town and had not raised any other concerns. We are 7-minutes away by car.

With regards to construction - Yes: We were putting a new roof on our conservatory, however this was in no way a distraction for this guest or her colleague as this work is at the other end of the building.

Re: Cleanliness: Our rooms are cleaned as standard practice on departure of each guest and touched up and re-checked prior to an arrival. Upon her checking out, I did not notice that the rooms were not dirty at all. The only piece of dirt in the rooms was KFC scraps and packaging of which they had left.

Re: In-house Movies: We have an extensive list of in-house DVD's of the most recent movies available at Reception.

Re: Photographs on the Wotif website: These are exactly what the guest was given, however the shot on the Wotif website focuses on the bed.

Re: Dogs in the dining room: The Resort does have two small dogs, however due to heath reasons they do not go in the dining areas. With regards to the Lounge area, this guest never even went in the Lounge as it is most definitely not the way to her room. I cannot understand how this guest was confronted by dogs in the lounge when she never went in there.

Re: The Persian Cat: Yes there is a Persian Cat and this was in the owners office.

Very disappointed

Like the previous reviewer, I was shocked by Nugget Point after having read many positive reviews here and in various guidebooks.

The positives are two: location over Shotover River (great view and close to Queenstown); and the friendly, helpful staff.

The negatives are many: spookily empty (only 4 people total in the hotel during my mid-November stay); terrible decor (think your great grandmother's Victoriana mixed with voluminous Asian nick nacks from Pier 1); run like a small B&B rather than a professional hotel; lousy maintenance (pool was closed and gym was dingy, dusty and in poor repair); price too high for this quality --NZ$400 per night.

This property, despite it's great location, is in trouble.

Worst place we stayed during our visit to New Zealand

Based on reviews we read before arriving, we were really looking forward to our stay at Nuggest Point. We wish we had turned around the moment we walked in the door. The hotel smelled, the pool was out of service, we had to carry our own bags up the stairs to our room, the wine selection was meager, the food awful, the dining room dirty and smokey, and the staff very unprofessional. Checking out of Nugget Point was the highlight of our stay at this hotel.

Lovely!!!

I stayed here on a bicycle tour I was on. The hotel was fabulous and luxiourious. Wonderful views of the river from my hotel room, the hot tub and the restaurant. Definitely a 5 star experience!

Very Special

We stayed at Nugget Point in October this year. We found it to be beautifully maintained (even if they appeared to be short staffed), the food was wonderful and interesting and the general feeling of the resort was relaxed. The views are spectacular and a special effort was made to provide a place to dine where we could take best advantage of them. Celina saw to it that every request was fulfilled. Everyone was very friendly, treating even a small tour group with deference. I would have loved to have had more time there.

Bad Management at Nugget

Stayed at Nugget in July 2002 on recommendation of guide books and was very sorry we did. The new owners do not know how to run a luxury hotel. Food was awful, service was non-existant. A giant waste of money.

Good views, but that's about all

Spent 5 night at Nugget Point in April, 2003. Was expecting a very nice resort given its status (Conde Nast Gold List, etc.), but were very disappointed. The breakfast was included in the price (we booked online) and was nice and large. The hotel was undergoing a much-needed renovation, and when we were there the fitness center was useless (and was full of broken glass).

If you're in Queenstown to ski, it has good location to one of the ski fields, but the flip side to that is that it's out of the main town and requires either a shuttle ride or a taxi back and forth. Although they do have a schedule free shuttle, expect to take a taxi about half of the time.

Overall, next time I'd stay closer to the town. The Nugget Point's amenities didn't make up for the hassle of the back and forth as I expected it to. It was disappointing. Do, however, make sure to eat at The Bunker in town, as well as Gantley's just right up the road (5 min.

walk) from Nugget Point.

Great Room, but

My wife and I stayed at Nugget Point one night late in March (2003). We were impressed with the room - an Executive Suite.Service at the restaurant was not very good (though the food was good). At our group dinner, they were short-staffed and served a dessert selection without the ice cream that it should have come with. Breakfast orders the next morning were very slow in coming.My experience was mixed. I expected much more in the dining department. But, when you consider all the great dining options in Queenstown and the surrounding area, it's at least a great place to lay down your head. Maybe try the restaurant on the theory that we caught them at the wrong time.And (you don't need me to say this) enjoy New Zealand!

Quality at its best

stayed there at the same time as Thai Royal family. Spectacular scenery, phenomenal service laid back ambience & the best food food on the Island with facilties & activities to match. What more could one want!!! Laurence Mitchell