Best Places To Stay In Queenstown New Zealand (2026 Guide)
Are you planning a trip to Queenstown and don’t know where to stay? Look no further!
Queenstown is one of my favourite places in New Zealand, and one that all visitors to New Zealand should try to get to. I’ve visited several times and stayed in different places each time, so I know it pretty well.
From small independent BnBs to chain hotels, hostels and winery lodges, Queenstown has a wide variety of accommodation types that can make it hard to choose where to stay.
If you are visiting New Zealand then a couple of days in Queenstown is a must, and these are my recommendations for places to stay in Queenstown.
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Quick Guide: Best Places To Stay In Queenstown
Where To Stay In Queenstown For First-Time Travellers
- Budget Option – Absoloot Hostel
- Mid-range Option – Hotel St Moritz
- Luxury Options – QT Queenstown
- Special Mention – Chalet Queenstown
For your first time in Queenstown, you’ll want to be close to the action. Many tour operators will either pick you up from your accommodation or have a meeting point in the town centre for you to walk to.
My recommendations for first-time visitors are all within walking distance of Shotover Street, where many major adventure companies meet their guests.
Queenstown is one of the more expensive places for accommodation in New Zealand. Tourism is big business and in the peak of summer, tourists can outnumber the locals.
There are plenty of places to stay but you do need to book in advance to avoid paying the highest prices or finding your options limited.
📍Absoloot Hostel
- Best for backpackers and visitors on a budget
- Central location
- Kitchen and laundry facilities
If you are looking for a budget-friendly option in downtown Queenstown, Absoloot is the place to book. It’s a fantastic central location, next to Lake Wakatipu and just a 2 minute walk to many shops, bars and restaurants.
You can book private rooms here, but the best value comes from their dorm rooms. The dorm room beds all have privacy curtains, under-bed storage and power sockets.
The fully equipped kitchen area has direct views of Lake Wakatipu. There is also a coin-operated laundry on-site as well as a 24hr lounge area. Given the facilities and location, the dorm rooms really are extraordinarily good value for money.
The main downside to this particular backpackers hostel is that it doesn’t have female-only dorm rooms. If you are a solo female traveller and a mixed room is a dealbreaker then try Haka House (previously YHA Queenstown).
It’s a bit further out of town and the reviews are slightly more mixed, but there are female-only dorms.
Another thing to note about Absoloot – if you are going to check in after 9pm you need to let them know in advance so they can arrange a late check in.
🛏️ Check prices and availability!
📍 Hotel St Moritz
- Mid-range price
- Best for solo travellers
- Central location
Hotel St Moritz is a short walk along the lakeside from central Queenstown, and is a perfect mid-range option. The rooms are larger than can be found in some other similar hotels, and feel very relaxing.
It benefits from the typical features of a larger chain hotel such as a bar and fitness centre.
The Lombardi Restaurant has a great menu featuring some Kiwi classic lamb and venison dishes as well as views over the lake and mountains.
Some rooms come with lake views, but those are obviously the more expensive options. If the view from your room is important to you, make sure you pick the correct option when booking.
There’s car parking on site with a discount if you sign up to their loyalty scheme, although like most parking in Queenstown it is still fairly expensive. There’s a bit of a walk up a hill to get to the hotel, which is also how it gets those amazing views.
🛏️ Check prices and availability!
📍QT Queenstown
- Best for luxury travel
- Central location
- Large rooms
QT Hotels is a chain of luxury, quirky hotels in Australia and New Zealand. The Queenstown site had one of the best hotel rooms I’ve ever stayed in.
The rooms are large and very comfortable with big bathrooms. I love Queenstown and there’s so much to do, but it’s so very tempting just to curl up in bed and spend the day relaxing in your QT room.
For breakfast, check out the hotel’s Bazaar restaurant with views over the lake and the Remarkables mountain range. It goes way beyond a normal buffet style hotel breakfast with different stations offering a much wider selection. There is even a DIY Bloody Mary station!
Unfortunately, since Covid, it is breakfast only, but I’m crossing my fingers that by the next time I turn up they’ll have returned to dinner service as well, but in the meantime they also have another small restaurant onsite – Lil Red.
If you need somewhere to relax after a day of adventure, the hotel bar has a wide range of cocktails, wines and whiskeys to go with its spectacular views.
If you are interested in local wines, the wine list has about 40 different pinot noirs, just from the local area.
The rooms at the back of the hotel don’t have great views, so choose your room type carefully if the lake views are important to you.
If you were to look up this hotel on a map, you would probably notice that the main entrance to Reception is up quite a steep hill. Don’t be put off by this. The hotel is actually connected to the Rydges Hotel which has a lakeside entrance.
You can then access QT with an elevator and hotel connections rather than having to walk up the hill! If only I had known before I dragged my suitcase up the road…
They also have a fantastic luxury hotel in Wellington with artwork dotted around and flamboyant decor.
🛏️ Check prices and availability!
📍Chalet Queenstown
- Boutique BnB
- Short walk from town centre
Chalet Queenstown is another great mid-range option, but I didn’t include it as my main pick for first-timers as the location isn’t as central as Hotel St Moritz and it doesn’t benefit from the amenities of a larger hotel.
Having said that, I didn’t want to skip it totally due to my personal experience there. Also, for many travellers, the independent nature of a B&B might be more appealing than a bigger hotel anyway.
Chalet is a small, independent Bed & Breakfast with lovely rooms and made-to-order breakfast. I’ve stayed there once before and it deserves a special mention because of how wonderful the owners are.
At the time I was staying there my phone wasn’t working and I was having trouble keeping in touch with friends and family in the UK. My parents couldn’t contact me and called the staff at Chalet to try and speak to me.
The Chalet owners came up to my room to make sure I got the call so my parents could tell me that my grandfather had died. I’ll always remember how kind they were to me and the effort they made to make sure I had what I needed without me having to go out and deal with other people before I was ready.
So, if you want somewhere to stay that has a more personal atmosphere, I highly recommend Chalet. They really do deserve their good reviews.
🛏️ Check prices and availability!
Best Places to Stay for Skiing
- Budget option – Queenstown Top 10 Holiday Park
- Mid-range option – Holiday Inn Remarkables
- Luxury option – HawkRidge Alpine Suite
Queenstown has 4 ski fields nearby – Remarkables, Coronet Peak, Cardrona and Treble Cone. Not all of them have particular types of accommodation nearby, so if you are planning on visiting a particular ski field you may need to look around a bit more.
As the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are opposite the Northern hemisphere, ski season in Queenstown is roughly mid-June – early October, dependent on the individual ski fields.
📍Queenstown Top 10 Holiday Park
- Best for families
- Free parking
- Close to Coronet Peak
The ski fields generally don’t have budget accommodation options very close by, but Queenstown Top 10 Holiday Park is one of the best choices if you want to stay close to the slopes for a reasonable price.
It’s a 15 minute drive from Coronet Peak and 45 minutes from the Remarkables ski field. It’s good value for money and has options for family rooms as well as rooms for two. To save even more money you can pick cabins which have shared bathroom and kitchen facilities.
As it is further out of town, the accommodation provides free parking. Parking in the centre of town can be very expensive and hard to find so picking somewhere further out will save you money. There is also a shuttle service into the town centre that you can book.
The shared facilities cabins are very good value for accommodation near a ski field. Just make sure you pick the correct option depending on whether you would rather save money and share, or pay a bit more for an ensuite bathroom.
🛏️ Check prices and availability!
📍Holiday Inn Remarkables
- Best for value for money
- Close to Remarkables ski field
In a straight line, the Holiday Inn Remarkables is just a few miles from the ski field car park, however, in practice it still takes about 30 minutes to get there. There aren’t many closer options for the ski field as the winding mountain road just takes a while to get to the top.
On the plus side, you can enjoy some stunning mountain views as you make your way up the mountain road.
The rooms are fairly standard, but if your priority is spending time on the slopes then you won’t mind too much, and it’s a good value choice. The hotel covers all the necessities such as a restaurant, fitness centre and bar.
It’s just a 15 minute drive or 30 minute bus ride to Queenstown’s centre, so you can still enjoy everything else Queenstown has to offer while being (relatively) close to the ski field.
This hotel is also very close to the airport so has its advantages even though it is away from the town centre. Unfortunately the parking isn’t free, but it is cheaper than many of the hotels in the town centre.
🛏️ Check prices and availability!
📍HawkRidge Chalet
- Best for couples
- Hot tub
- Mountain views
HawkRidge is a luxury lodge just a 20 minute drive from Coronet Peak, and is a perfect choice for a couple’s getaway. If you are looking for privacy and a romantic escape (and access to skiing) then this is the ideal place.
It has a kitchen and dining area as well as a patio, and lots of windows with stunning mountain views.
There is an outdoor hot tub on site. It’s shared with guests staying at the more rustic Alpine Suite, but you are given time slots so that when you want to use it, it will be private.
As the chalet is further out of town away from Queenstown’s lights, you’ll get far better views of the stars, especially from that hot tub!
HawkRidge Chalet is a one-off, so if it’s already booked, then perhaps check out Stoneridge Estate which is part of a winery and a similar distance from Coronet Peak.
🛏️ Check prices and availability!
Unique Places to Stay In Queenstown
- Mid-range option – The Dairy
- Luxury option – Gibbston Valley Winery
📍The Dairy
- Central location
- Eclectic decor
For international visitors the name is perhaps slightly misleading. What New Zealand refers to as a Dairy is what might be more commonly called a corner shop. Not a building where dairy products are produced!
Historically these small shops often sold dairy products, and other perishables, which is where the name came from.
So, when I recommend The Dairy it’s not a rustic farm or barn building! It’s actually a beautifully converted and eclectically decorated former shop, just a few minutes walk from the town centre.
Guests can enjoy a happy hour complimentary glass of wine each night in the lounge. Breakfast is available and as a cute extra touch, there is even a lolly station at breakfast (aka candy or sweets depending on where you are from)!
It’s also across the road from one of my favourite Queenstown cafes – a very important bonus from my perspective.
🛏️ Check prices and availability!
📍Gibbston Valley Lodge
- Best for couples
- Winery location
Gibbston Valley is well known as a winery and restaurant, in one of New Zealand’s best wine regions. If you take a wine tour in Queenstown, chances are it will include Gibbston Valley. What isn’t so well known, is that it also has a boutique hotel attached.
There are 24 beautiful villas next to the vineyards, a spa and best off all guests can take part in a free wine tasting.
The Lodge restaurant uses local, seasonal ingredients and for something extra special you can even enjoy private dining in the wine cellar.
It’s a 25-minute drive outside of Queenstown, but if you are looking for some luxury and are a fan of wine, then this is a great choice. It’s one of the most expensive recommendations on this list, but also one of the most luxurious.
🛏️ Check prices and availability!
Best Places To Stay Near The Airport
- Mid-range option – Quest Apartments
- Luxury option – Hilton Queenstown Resort
📍Quest Apartments
- Best for airport access
- Kitchenettes in rooms
Quest Apartments are just a few minutes from Queenstown Airport. It’s also a great choice if you are attending an event at the Queenstown Events Centre. Airport hotels can sometimes be pretty expensive so this one is a good deal.
The comfortable rooms are Studios and Apartments with kitchenettes. The hotel is also next to the Remarkables Park shopping centre, so there are several shops and restaurants just a few minutes away.
You can easily drive or take a bus to the town centre, so it’s still well-connected, but if you want to be close to the airport and events centre this is a great choice.
🛏️ Check prices and availability!
📍Hilton Queenstown Resort
- Best for late arrivals
- Spa services on site
The Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa is on the shores of Lake Wakatipu and just a 6 minute drive from Queenstown Airport. The rooms are spacious and many of them have views over the lake.
There are two restaurants on site, a casual option and a more formal option with lakeside views.
If you are feeling stressed before your flight, or jet-lagged when you arrive, there is a spa onsite with a range of massages, wraps and facials.
It’s a 15 minute drive from central Queenstown, but if you don’t have a car or just feel like a more scenic route, there is a ferry terminal just outside the hotel!
🛏️ Check prices and availability!
FAQs: Visiting Queenstown
How many days in Queenstown is enough?
To get the most out of Queenstown you really need at least 2 full days, but you could easily fill up a week or more without running out of things to do.
Some of the best activities in Queenstown are weather-dependent, such as skydiving, bungy jumping and jet boating so it’s best to make sure you have a chance to re-book if your adventure is cancelled.
Is it easy to get around Queenstown without a car?
Queenstown is a town rather than a city, and it’s very walkable. You don’t need a car in Queenstown itself, and if you do have one you may find yourself paying a premium for parking. Not all accommodation options have parking so it’s worth checking before you book.
Many of the activities in the area such as skydiving, wine tours and tours to Milford Sound will either pick you up at your accommodation or have a meeting point in the town centre.
If you want to explore the area outside of Queenstown such as Glenorchy or Wanaka, it is best to hire a car.
Is Queenstown expensive to visit?
It definitely can be expensive. In the peak of summer tourists outnumber locals and accommodation increases in price.
The best things about Queenstown are also what makes it more expensive. No visit is complete without some kind of adventure activity, and those don’t come cheap.
A jetboat ride around the lake is on the cheaper end of the scale. A skydive will be a few hundred New Zealand dollars for a basic jump.
You can offset some of the costs by staying in cheaper accommodation with kitchen facilities so you can save on your food costs.
What is the best month to go to Queenstown?
This depends on what kind of trip you want. For most people February or March are ideal. The weather is sunny and ideal for outdoor activities, but you miss the crowds of December.
If you are after a ski holiday, then you’ll be aiming for July or August.
Final Thoughts
No matter what you are looking for, Queenstown is full of choices.
Now that you know where to stay, you need to know what to do! There are lots of things to do in Queenstown – wine tasting, skydiving, boat cruises, Skyline gondola, Kiwi park and more.
For options in the wider area, there are some amazing places to visit on a day trip from Queenstown – Milford Sound, Wanaka, Arrowtown, Glenorchy and more. And if you want to relax while someone else does all the driving, have a look at the best Queenstown tours!
💡 Planning a trip to New Zealand? Check out all my itineraries, tips, and travel guides here.
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