Eichardt’s Private Hotel is part of the independent Small Luxury Hotels collection. These hotels used to be bookable through World of Hyatt, but a couple of years ago they became bookable through Hilton Honors instead. Eichardt’s was available for three nights at the end of our trip so I booked it for 200,000 Hilton points per night. That’s a lot of points, but the hotel goes for US$2000+ per night or more so it’s still a good value for Hilton points. Of course, the best value is to use a Hilton Free Night Certificate that can be earned using one or more of the Hilton Amex cards. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any of those to use when booking this hotel.

We drove the grueling 100 yards from the Sofitel to Eichardt’s around 3pm. The actual entrance to the hotel is between the bar and restaurant just to the right of the above picture. The employee at the front desk had someone grab our bags and told me they would take care of valet parking the car.

At check-in, we were provided some information about breakfast hours and that the spa and gym were offsite. The hotel has an agreement with the nearby Well Spa to book spa services and charge it to your room. They also provide complimentary passes to the Queenstown Gym as there is not a gym on site.

The reason for the limited services on site is that the hotel only has a total of eight suites. There’s also a larger penthouse suite and a couple of nearby apartments that are considered part of the hotel. The restaurant and bar are open to the public as well so they account for the increased foot traffic around the hotel entrance.

The hotel is located right on the lake in the center of Queenstown. The suites are all on the floor above the ground level where the restaurant (The Grille) and bar (Eichardt’s Bar) are located. The hotel also owns a nearby Italian restaurant, No. 5 Church Lane.

Near the lobby, I noticed complimentary water and whiskey available for guests.

We were taken up to our room by an employee who pointed out the complimentary candy jars near the elevator/stairs that were replenished every day. She also walked us through the lounge, which is available for guests 24/7 with snacks, water, coffee and tea. From 5pm-6pm each day, a charcuterie plate and complimentary cocktails/wine/champagne are available in the lounge.

We were in Suite 5, which wasn’t facing the waterfront, but was beautifully laid out. The living area had a fireplace, sitting area, desk and dining area with a bottle of champagne and some treats waiting for us. Unfortunately, we never got around to drinking the champagne which was a shame because it was Veuve Cliquot.

The view from the balcony was of the street across from the hotel with the hill behind it, but you could also look to the side and see the lake.

The bedroom had a king-sized bed with a blanket made of possum fur. We actually went to the nearby shop where they sell the blanket (BoNZ – Best of New Zealand) and it sells for over NZ$3000. There was also a bedside tablet where we could check menus, contact the front desk, order food, control the lighting, etc. My only minor criticism was that the plug outlets were near the floor and hard to reach for charging our devices, but there were also plugs at the desk area.

Going behind the bedroom to the closet area, there was a huge bar area with complimentary snacks and drinks. Everything, including alcohol, was complimentary with the one caveat that if we ordered more of an item in the same day, there would be a charge for it. Needless to say some of this locally made whiskey made its way home with me. There was also a Nespresso coffee maker.

The bathroom was huge, with a full sized tub, double sinks and large shower.

We relaxed in the room for a little while, then at 5pm, we went into the lounge for the happy hour. There was a staff member there who was pouring whiskey, champagne or wine and would also go to the bar to get you anything else you wanted. Those chocolate cookie things on the left of the picture below were available every morning and throughout the day and were delicious.

There was also a balcony off the lounge with a direct lake view.

Breakfast the following morning was in The Grille. We could order anything from the menu.

There was also a small buffet set up with juices, fruit and pastries. Here is what we ordered over the two days we ate breakfast there (we left too early on the last morning).

On the second night, we ate at Eichardt’s Bar. My wife had the seafood chowder and I had the burger. Both were excellent. In fact, I think the burger was actually better than Fergburger because I got the sauce on the side instead.

We enjoyed the soup so much, that we both had it for dinner again the following night in our room while we were packing for our trip home. We had reservations at a local restaurant, but we weren’t up for a long drawn-out dinner on our last night so we canceled that. We then planned to just eat at the bar again, but it was too busy being a Friday night. There was no extra charge for room service.

My wife also booked two different appointments at the spa, a facial and a manicure. She said the prices were quite reasonable. I expect that is because it is not part of the hotel and the prices are public prices for anyone using the spa. Remember these are NZ$ prices.

As for the gym, I did use it on the second afternoon as it was raining. It was fine, but nothing special. It was quite busy when I was there so I didn’t take any pictures inside.

One funny anecdote: When I was waiting for someone at the front desk to answer a question about check-out procedures, I noticed there was a spreadsheet by the computer with a list of guests and a brief description. I saw that ours was “nice couple in their 50s. She has long curly hair and he is smiley and bald.” I guess it could have been worse!

All in all, Eichardt’s was one of the most special hotel stays we’ve ever had. The historic nature of the hotel, the decor, the service and the food and drinks were all fantastic.

If you are headed to New Zealand and you get a chance to use Hilton points or free night certificates to stay at Eichardt’s, you won’t regret it. The hotel is truly special and was a great way to end our trip.

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