Legacy Te Waonui Hotel Franz Josef

The hotel is precious, green view and very relaxing. Breakfast and dinner were good with many options. The staff was friendly and helpful.

Weirdly when we arrived around 3pm we were advised to go to the supermarket in town for drinks and snacks as they could provide neither! The place does seem to be staffed by gap year students and those on temporary working visas. They were generally lovely but inexperienced, and the placed seem short of staff. One poor guy had to run up and down form the restaurant to the lounge in the evening if anyone ordered a cocktail. Our room and bathroom were nice. Choice was limited at dinner, although okay if you choose well and breakfast was poor.

We chose this hotel partly because of the advertised 5-course chef’s dinner — what a disappointment. The food was poorly executed: cold appetizers, burnt gnocchi, and raw steak that had to be sent back. The “chef” seemed inexperienced, and much of the hotel appears run by interns. The rooms themselves are just alright, but definitely dated. Due to the high humidity, there was a noticeable musky smell, which made the room feel less comfortable. The decor is very dark and heavy, which felt out of place — especially in a rainforest setting where you’d expect something light, white, and airy. If I were planning my NZ trip again, I would choose going to Mount Cook instead. Beautiful location, but not enough good places to stay — not worth the money.

great location. food and staff amazing! but they had not cleaned the soot out their chimney and there was a fire. we had to evacuate in the rain and walk across the street in pajamas to another hotel lobby for 3 hours. they did not refund any of us, but if we would have not shown up for our reservation, we would have been charged. we basically didn't sleep that night and had to get up early. other than that, it wasn't the staffs fault, but the owner for not keeping it updated and safe. staff was so very kind in cafe and food was amazing.

Overall, we were very disappointed with the stay. Despite the hotel’s branding and pre-arrival messaging, the experience felt much more like a motel than an upmarket hotel, with noticeable gaps in service, maintenance and overall quality. What stood out: • Service: many staff struggled with English, which made even basic interactions difficult at times and gave the impression that requests weren’t always fully understood • Overall feel: very few thoughtful touches and no real sense of quality or refinement anywhere in the hotel • Breakfast: very basic and poor quality, well below expectations for the price point • Dinner: the strongest part of the stay and better than expected given the rest of the hotel, though still underwhelming versus the hotel write-up and pre-check-in expectations. The restaurant felt more like a dining hall and lacked atmosphere, with only the small outdoor terrace offering pleasant seating • Location: the main positive — proximity to Franz Josef Glacier and limited nearby alternatives are likely what drive demand Overall, the hotel relies heavily on its location rather than the quality of the experience. Without significant improvements to service, food quality and overall presentation, it doesn’t justify its positioning or pricing.

The restaurant is exceptional. We had 2 excellent dinners after many many losy meals elsewhere. The staff are great too.

It's not a great value, but we find that everyplace here is overpriced at this time.

Location and staff

Rooms were dark and dated

Staff eccellente, cibo ottimo, vasca da bagno. Ho avuto un infortunio durante il soggiorno e lo staff è stato molto gentile aiutandomi e portandomi a una infermieristica locale.

Accesso alla camera lontano e all'esterno (tipo motel), stanza piccola e senza vista tranne che su piante a breve distanza, necessità di prenotare ora cena.