Kinloch Wilderness Retreat

4.0 star property
your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for Kinloch Wilderness Retreat

Outdoor spa tub
Breakfast and dinner served, local cuisine
Exterior
Double Room, Shared Bathroom
Triple Room, Shared Bathroom | View from room

Reviews

8.2 out of 10

Very good

Popular amenities

  • Bar
    Bar
  • Hot tub
    Hot tub
  • Breakfast available
    Breakfast available
  • Pet-friendly
    Pet-friendly
  • Laundry
    Laundry
  • Parking included
    Parking included

Explore the area

Map
862 Kinloch Road, Kinloch, Otago, 9372
  • Lake Wakatipu
    1 min walk
  • Glenorchy Golf Club
    33 min drive
  • Glenorchy Wharf
    34 min drive
  • Queenstown (ZQN-Queenstown Intl.)
    113 min drive

Room options

Basic Double Room, Shared Bathroom

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

Cottage

  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 12
  • 2 Queen Beds, 2 Double Beds and 4 Large Twin Beds

Superior King Room, Shared Bathroom

  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed and 1 Twin Bed

Double Room

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

Basic Twin Room, 2 Single Beds

  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

Romantic Room

  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Twin Room

  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

Standard Room, Mixed Dorm, Shared Bathroom

  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bed

Family Room, 1 Bedroom, Shared Bathroom, Mountain View

  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 5
  • 1 Double Bed and 2 Twin Bunk Beds

Triple Room, Shared Bathroom

  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 3
  • 3 Twin Beds

Standard Room, 2 Single Beds, Shared Bathroom

  • Sleeps 3
  • 2 Twin Beds

Double Room, Shared Bathroom

  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

Double Room, Ensuite

  • Mountain view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

Similar properties

About the area

Kinloch

With a stay at Kinloch Wilderness Retreat in Kinloch, you'll be 0.1 mi (0.1 km) from Lake Wakatipu and 10.5 mi (16.9 km) from Routeburn Track. .This eco-certified hostel is 10.8 mi (17.3 km) from Routeburn Shelter.

What's nearby

  • Lake Wakatipu - 1 min walk - 0.1 km
  • Glenorchy Golf Club - 33 min drive - 25.1 km
  • Routeburn Track - 34 min drive - 17.0 km
  • Glenorchy Waterfront Reserve - 34 min drive - 25.7 km
  • Glenorchy Wharf - 34 min drive - 25.7 km

Getting around

  • Queenstown Intl. Airport (ZQN) - 113 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Glenorchy Trading Post - ‬34 min drive
  • ‪Glenorchy Hotel - ‬34 min drive
  • ‪Queenies Dumplings Gy - ‬34 min drive
  • ‪Gallery Cafe - ‬34 min drive
  • ‪Glenorchy Fur Products - ‬34 min drive

About this property

Kinloch Wilderness Retreat

Eco-certified hostel with a coffee shop and a restaurant
Kinloch Wilderness Retreat offers 19 accommodations with shared/communal kitchens and hair dryers. Rooms open to balconies or patios. These individually decorated and furnished accommodations have separate dining areas. Full-sized refrigerators/freezers, microwaves, and rice cookers are provided. Additionally, rooms include complimentary toiletries and blackout drapes/curtains. Housekeeping is provided on request.
Recreational amenities at the hostel include a spa tub.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.

Make yourself at home in one of the 19 guestrooms featuring microwaves. Rooms have private balconies or patios. Prepare your meals in the shared/communal kitchen. Bathrooms have complimentary toiletries and hair dryers.
Enjoy recreational amenities such as a spa tub and bicycles to rent. This hostel also features complimentary wireless internet access, concierge services, and an arcade/game room. Getting to nearby attractions is a breeze with the area shuttle (surcharge).
Satisfy your appetite with local cuisine at The Fernery, a restaurant which features a bar/lounge. Dining is also available at the coffee shop/cafe. Cooked-to-order breakfasts are available daily from 8 AM to 10:00 AM for a fee.
Featured amenities include luggage storage, laundry facilities, and a library. Planning an event in Kinloch? This hostel has 215 square feet (20 square meters) of space consisting of conference space and a meeting room. Free self parking is available onsite.
A hosted evening meal is available for a surcharge daily (reservations required).
The Fernery - This restaurant specializes in local cuisine and serves breakfast, dinner, and light fare. Guests can enjoy drinks at the bar. A children's menu is available. Happy hour is offered. Reservations are required.

Awards and affiliations

Eco-Certified Property
This property participates in Qualmark Sustainable Tourism Business Award, a program that measures the property's impact on one or more of the following: environment, community, cultural-heritage, the local economy.

Languages

English

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and public transport

  • Free uncovered self-parking on site
  • Electric car charging station on site
  • Local area shuttle (surcharge)

Food and drink

  • Cooked-to-order breakfast available for a fee daily 8 AM–10:00 AM: NZD 18-32 for adults and NZD 9-15 for children
  • 1 restaurant and 1 coffee shop/cafe
  • 1 bar
  • Coffee/tea in a common area
  • Hosted evening meal available daily for a fee of NZD 90

Restaurants on site

  • The Fernery

Things to do

  • Arcade/games room
  • Bike rentals
  • Bike parking
  • Fishing
  • Kayaking
  • A hot tub

Family friendly

  • Arcade/games room
  • Full-sized fridge
  • Laundry facilities
  • Microwave
  • Separate dining area
  • Separate living room

Conveniences

  • Gift shop/newsstand
  • Library

Guest services

  • Concierge services
  • Front desk (limited hours)
  • Housekeeping (on request)
  • Laundry facilities
  • Luggage storage
  • Tour/ticket assistance
  • Wedding services

Business services

  • Conference space (215 square feet)
  • A meeting room

Outdoors

  • BBQ grill(s)
  • Garden
  • Outdoor furniture
  • Picnic area
  • Terrace
  • Vegetable garden

Accessibility

  • If you have any requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • This property does not have any lifts
  • Smooth flooring in public areas
  • Thin carpet in public areas

More

  • At least 80% of lighting from LEDs
  • At least 80% of food locally sourced
  • Communal living room
  • Comprehensive food waste policy
  • Comprehensive recycling policy
  • No plastic coffee stirrers
  • No plastic drinking straws
  • No plastic soft drinks bottles
  • No plastic water bottles
  • Renovated entire property – September 2023
  • Reusable cups only
  • Reusable tableware only
  • Shared microwave
  • Shared fridge
  • Smoke-free property
  • TV in lobby
  • Vegan dining options
  • Vegetarian dining options

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bed sheets
  • Blackout drapes/curtains
  • Heating

Bathroom

  • Eco-friendly toiletries
  • Hairdryer
  • Shampoo
  • Soap
  • Toilet paper
  • Towels

Food and drink

  • Cookware/dishes/utensils
  • Dining room
  • Freezer
  • Microwave
  • Oven
  • Fridge
  • Rice cooker
  • Shared kitchen access
  • Spices
  • Stovetop
  • Toaster

More

  • Bulk dispenser for toiletries
  • Eco-friendly cleaning products used
  • Free local calls
  • Individually decorated
  • Individually furnished
  • Laundry detergent
  • Recycling
  • Window screens

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: anytime
Contactless check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

The property charges 2.7 percent for credit card payments
The front desk is open daily from 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Guests will receive an email 24 hours before arrival with check-in instructions and an access code; front desk staffed during limited hours

Access methods

Access code, front desk (limited hours)

Pets

Pets stay free
Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees
Welcoming dogs only
2 total pets
Specific rooms only; pet-friendly rooms can be requested by contacting the property at the number on the booking confirmation

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are available for NZD 50 per night

Payment types

Important information

Optional extras

  • Fee for cooked-to-order breakfast: approximately NZD 18 to 32 for adults, and NZD 9 to 15 for children
  • Rollaway bed fee: NZD 50 per night
  • Hosted evening meal: NZD 90
  • Credit card charges are subject to a surcharge of 2.7 percent

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts major credit cards, debit cards, and cash
Cashless transactions are available
This property uses solar energy, plus eco-friendly cleaning products
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
This property welcomes guests of all sexual orientations and gender identities (LGBTQ+ friendly)

National rating

Rating provided by Qualmark®, source of official star ratings for accommodation in New Zealand.

Property is also known as

Kinloch Backpacker
Kinloch Lodge Hostel
Kinloch Lodge Hostel
Hostel/Backpacker accommodation Kinloch Lodge - Hostel Kinloch
Kinloch Kinloch Lodge - Hostel Hostel/Backpacker accommodation
Hostel/Backpacker accommodation Kinloch Lodge - Hostel
Kinloch Lodge - Hostel Kinloch
Kinloch Lodge Backpacker
Kinloch Lodge
Kinloch Lodge Hostel
Kinloch Wilderness Retreat Hostel
Kinloch Wilderness Retreat Kinloch
Kinloch Wilderness Retreat Hostel/Backpacker accommodation

Kinloch Wilderness Retreat Reviews

Reviews

8.2

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 49 out of 104 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 31 out of 104 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 12 out of 104 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 5 out of 104 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 7 out of 104 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

9.0/10

Amenities

7.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Katrina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Historic property in excellent condition for the age. We especially liked the communal kitchen/lounge area. The rooms are compact but clean, the heating was insufficient whilst the hotties were a nice touch, an electric blanket and heat pump would have been better for the money. Need a few hooks on the walls for jackets etc. The spa was very relaxing and great views. Despite the remote location and expense of getting food we still felt $90 per adult was a bit steep for the 3 course meal that was dished up to us and we felt the courses were rushed through, no time to digest. Overall we can appreciate the challenges of running a remote lodge and can see the benefit in staying here if you love the outdoors.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2024

8/10 Good

Maria

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Amazing views - though shared toilets/showers/kitchen everything was very well organised - bedding was really comfortable - staff extremely friendly and accommodating
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

4/10 Poor

kenneth

Liked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Was nice place —-but no bed awful though
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Maggie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service

10/10 Excellent

Richard

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stunning views, peaceful, excellent food, helpful and cheerful staff and interesting history
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful Location! Great place to access the Routeburn Track. Thank you.
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

2/10 Terrible

Awng San

Bad Data, bad phone line, bad internet
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Wasif

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
If you want to be close to nature very weak network and wifi but will get some if you are desperate then this is the place. Your shared bathrooms are pretty big cozy and nice & clesn with all amenities you can imagine. Their breakfast is really good with a killer view and outdoor hot tub has a very nice view. Amazing experience!
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Katrina

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Such a beautiful properly in an amazing part of the world.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

Samuel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Francis

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

Ian

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was the closest accommodation to the start of the walking track we walked. The room was not exactly like the photo on the website. (The photo showed a King bed plus two single bunks but the actual room had one King bed plus a single bed.) However it suited us OK.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

Rob

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The isolation and scenery are stunning. Very picturesque . Unfortunately we didn’t sleep much as the bed was too small for the 2 of us. Glad we had a ensuite though as the walk to the loo would have been fresh. Dinner and drinks were enjoyable but very expensive . May have been better off with not booking dinner and having the bar snacks. Staff were extremely friendly and helpful.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Richard

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
There is only one option for dinner each night. More variety would be nice. Expedia needs to update it's website as it says the retreat is only 2.3 miles from Glenorky but that is only as the crow flies. It is 27 km by car some of it on gravel roads
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Adrian

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Secluded, peaceful and beautiful views.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Barry

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Everything was excellent right done to the 2 hot water bottles
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Catherine

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Hazel

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kira

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The bathrooms in the buildings were amazing, food was 5 star plus
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023

2/10 Terrible

edward

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2023

4/10 Poor

Melissa

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
Misleading/overpriced listing
Our stay was well below what we expected. We were checked in by Toni, who was absolutely lovely, unfortunately the remainder of our stay was below average. For the price paid basic comforts were not provided. The room was extremely hot and no fan was provided, the wifi does not work well in the rooms, the bathrooms were at average cleanliness, and the walls are paper thin. To be fair the room was very clean and the bed very comfortable. We normally do not expect these things to be top notch, but for the price paid we do expect a bit more than average. To make matters worse, the entire property is extremely loud at all times of day and resembles more of a holiday park than a “wilderness retreat”. We called management to complain about kids running and screaming directly in front of our room while we were attempting to relax, and we were told by John to handle the situation ourselves. The property is improperly advertised and overpriced as a “retreat”, and management is not willing to help make your stay more comfortable. Disappointing.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Gary

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

G

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Linda

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I loved its views and remoteness