Azur Luxury Lodge

If you’re looking for one of the best luxury accommodations with truly exceptional service, look no further than Azur Lodge. We stayed for four nights during our elopement in New Zealand, and the experience was unforgettable. The staff was incredibly kind, attentive, and genuinely caring. Every request we had was met with thoughtful effort and a smile.nnThe attention to detail was remarkable, and the view from our villa was breathtaking—so stunning that we actually held our vow ceremony right there after a last-minute weather change. It ended up being perfect.nnWe would 100 percent recommend Azur Lodge to anyone seeking a beautiful, memorable, and seamless stay.

Amazing views all over the lodge!!! Breakfast and canapés on the afternoon were excellent!nBut, the staff made a GREAT difference! Every one of them were friendly, professional and really made our visit better! Loved our experience at Azur! Keep up the excellent work!

Azur Lodge was an enormous letdown—easily the most disappointing place we stayed on our entire honeymoon. It is absolutely not what it advertises itself to be.nnThe service feels amateur and unprofessional, more like a poorly run guesthouse than anything resembling a so-called “5-star lodge.”nnOne of the most shocking parts: they don’t even serve dinner. For a property charging over $1000 a night, you’d expect, at minimum, a functioning kitchen. Instead, their “candlelight dinner” is nothing more than takeout delivered to your room with a few candles thrown around. It’s presented like a luxury experience, but it’s basically glorified delivery—completely misleading and frankly absurd for the price.nnTo make the contrast worse, we had just come from staying at Solitaire Lodge and Fiordland Lodge, both of which were truly exceptional in every way. Azur Lodge didn’t even come close—they shouldn’t be mentioned in the same category.nnAnd as if the stay wasn’t disappointing enough, checkout was a mess too. They charged the wrong card, then argued with us about their mistake instead of simply apologizing and fixing it. The whole interaction felt petty, defensive, and far from the “high-end hospitality” they claim to offer.nnOverall, Azur Lodge was a major regret on our honeymoon. I wouldn’t stay here again, nor would I recommend it to anyone looking for a genuine luxury experience.

Azur has a truly incredible view and the service was excellent. The private villas are large and private. Breakfast and pre-dinner drinks and canapés were included. But I think Azur fell slightly short for the price point.nnLike I said, service was excellent and all the managers-on-duty were great, especially the girl that liked to tuck half her shirt I wish I remembered her name. Everyone else was eager to please, but seemed like they were still being trained. There is a private shuttle service to the CBD, but it's in a Hyundai a hotel across town uses a Bentley and is a bit awkward to request. There is also a GIANT HILL down to the villas that really gets the heart pumping on the way up and tests your knee and footwear integrity on the way down. There was a golf cart that was not offered to us on the way down or up but they did shuttle our bags.nnBreakfast, drinks, and canapés were complimentary. There is not a restaurant on site for dinner. The canapés were fantastic, drinks were standard, and breakfast ranged from okay to disappointing. Between two breakfasts, we ordered the waffle, braised pork mince, eggs Benedict, and avocado toast dishes, and added bacon, hashbrowns, and eggs. Things seemed to be made to order, and espresso coffees were as well. The waffle was incredibly thin and looked like it came from my cheap waffle iron at home. It was also dominated by fruit, fruit butter ?, and a fruit spread. The braised pork mince comes on a slice of sourdough that becomes a total soggy mess. The hashbrowns were some kind of premade, probably frozen pucks. The canapés on the other hand, looked and tasted the part. They should have the canapé chef work breakfast. The folks making coffee were clearly new to doing so. Petty, but they couldn't produce even the basic heart shape on a flat white or latte. They also ran out of oat milk, and their cow milk tasted weird.nnThe views really were stunning from both the villas and the main lodge. I'd say they are the best in Queenstown, but I obviously haven't stayed everywhere. The villas are also remarkably private. They are totally isolated from each other with sufficient separation via landscaping. The interiors of the villas are plenty spacious but largely uninteresting and trending towards outdated.nnThis review probably seems petty but was written through the lense of someone who does not book luxury accommodations regularly and was splurging for a honeymoon. We also stayed in another hotel in Queenstown that was a third of the price per night. It was a conventional hotel, not as private or as large with not as good of a view, but still 90% as good. Their service was good, their rooms were modern, and their on-site restaurant provided a much better included breakfast. Given the price, we would probably opt for the other hotel if we were to do it again. I'm glad we got to see the view, but this will be a one-and-done for us.

What can I say about this place? Pictures simply don’t do it justice. The staff were incredibly attentive yet laid-back, and truly made our stay special. The hotel itself was beautifully maintained, and the views were absolutely breathtaking. I loved how quiet and secluded the area was – it made for such a peaceful retreat. The daily canapé hour was a wonderful touch, as was the full breakfast each morning. I would definitely recommend this lodge to anyone looking for a relaxing getaway. Truly a spectacular place!

Directions to Azur Luxury Lodge with public transportation

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