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Southland, which encompasses the southermost region of New Zealand, is a natural playground: Fiordland Park teems with wildlife and walking routes, Lake Te Anau boasts sublime views of mountains and Stewart Island is home to a fantastic array of sea birds. In our collection of the best hotels in Southland, we've selected the best with breathtaking views, and wildlife and walking trails on their doorstep. Use our guide and start to plan your trip to this remote part of the world.
For a Back to nature experience
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- No, you haven’t landed in Middle Earth, but it sure feels like it! Cabot Lodge looks out over a wide lake framed by majestic snow-capped mountains. Luxurious yet homely, the plush, rustic-meets-contemporary rooms have wooden vaulted ceilings, and they’re bathed in an auburn glow at sundown. A truly unique stay with unbeatable views, it promises tranquility for the world-weary modern soul.
For a Seaside escape pad
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- Embodying the sort of wholesome, clean-living that best encapsulates Kiwi life, Church Hill Lodge and Restaurant is an intimate, eco-friendly and contemporary affair: the restaurant serves homegrown produce and local seafood and the rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the ocean. A particular highlight is the wood-fired hot tub, not to mention the penguins only a stone’s throw away.
- Perched like a white bird on a windswept, rugged, arm of land coiling into the sea on Bluff Island, Lands End Boutique Hotel hugs you with comfort upon arrival. Spacious yet cosy rooms offer splendid views of the hills or sea, plus there's an excellent seafood restaurant next door. A delightful escape-pad for couples or solo travellers, and a great base camp for exploring the southernmost point of New Zealand.
For romance
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- High Leys Lodge is a prime stay for couples on a romantic break. Surrounded by colourful gardens, it’s an intimate and modern affair: the rooms are spare and contemporary, furnished with splashes of modern art, and open out to a patio facing a deep blue lake beneath tree-clad mountains. There’s no finer way of enjoying your morning cup of coffee.
For a cosy and intimate B&B
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- Prospect Lodge in Te Anau offers comfy, contemporary light-filled rooms with views of the lake and mountains rising in the distance. A great base to explore the world-famous walking trails nearby, it’s a cosy and intimate guesthouse run by a husband-and-wife team.
- Dunluce B&B offers cosy, minimalist rooms with astounding views. A modern, eco-friendly B&B set on a valley plain beneath the mountains, each room is defined by understated charm and cosiness, boasting underfloor heating, goose-feather bedding and a private patio.
For a luxury apartment
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- The Cinema Suites looks like the luxurious home of a woodsman who's won the lottery but refuses to forget his roots. Situated in the centre of Te Anau and looking out over Dock Bay, it’s a two-bedroom townhouse above a cinema, next-door to a trendy bar. The rooms feature superking beds with fur throws, forest wallpaper, pinegreen carpets and wood-panelled walls. Luxurious-yet-homely, it’s ideal for families.
Rustic chic boutique
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- A truly outstanding property: from the outside, Fiordland Lodge looks like a viking longhouse; on the inside, it offers luxurious, light-filled, spacious, wood panelled rooms that are the embodiment of rustic-chic, with patios a few steps from the too-blue waters of Lake Te Anau. It combines breathtaking scenery and beautiful rooms with an environmentally-conscious attitude, showcased by the exemplary restaurant serving local produce. A romantic nest of comfort, beauty and serenity.