Huka Lodge

Stunning priority, excellent accommodation on the river, beautiful food, lovely staff and great walks Have travelled the world and stayed at some of the best resorts. This is up there with the best. Had 2 nights, which was just perfect. Very tranquil & relaxing. Beautiful location. The accommodation is beautiful done. Captures that elegant cabin feel but it is very luxurious.

This is one of the most beautiful lodges in the world. The grounds are manicured to perfection, the entire property sits on the banks of the Waikato River and adjacent to Huka Falls. The most exquisite aspect of this lodge is the setting, it defies description and pictures do not do it justice. There are blooming trees, bushes, brilliantly manicured hedges around a truly old world gaming lawn (croquet, bocce, etc) quiet spaces to sit on the banks of the river and magical areas hidden away for yoga, meditation or just to sit in awe of the grounds. The only thing that rivals the aesthetics is the cooking. My gosh, the food is absolutely amazing!! Nearly every single meal we had there ranked among the best we’ve had anywhere in the world! The chef even surprised us with an off script dinner that was lamb 3 ways because we kept raving about the lamb. Another beautiful touch is the transportation to the park where my husband and I hiked Huka Falls. When we returned the manager shared an absolutely hysterical exchange. He was fantastic the entire stay!! The villas, sitting on the banks of the river are exceptional. We had resident ducks on our patio politely asking for our minibar snacks regularly which was absolutely adorable. The rooms were spacious, lovely and perfectly cleaned. It was so perfect that we will be returning next year, in spite of the fact that it is half way around the world!

Where do I begin? It was the most incredible place I have ever stayed...and I have had lot of awesome lodging. This lodge has it all- ambiance, style, luxury, amazing food, staff that are exceptional, views that can not be compared, comfortable but on a level I didn't know existed. The food was over the top and we had the most enjoyable host- Giacamo (sorry, I am sure I have misspelled your name, please forgive me). He made the entire stay fabulous, from the moment he greeted us, until he graciously helped us leave. I wish this place was closer- I would go there every year.

We recently completed a two-week luxury tour of North and South New Zealand. It was wondrous in every aspect. We stayed at the best lodges including Huka, Cape Kidnappers, Otahuna, Matakauri, and Eichardt’s private hotel and reviewed them all. For the ultimate experience, book your trip through Marchay. Now for the review! Huka was our overall favorite lodge. Located in Taupo, it is the North islands recreation zone and features NZ’s biggest lake, Lake Taupo. The lodge is located minutes away and resides in a prime location off the Waikato River that leads to Huka Falls, only a ten-minute walk. Awesome white-water falls (Huka means the foam of the white water). The lodge is sweet and compact with 20 junior suites, all steps from the river. Amenities include swimming pool and 100f spa. No gym but will take you to the local gym 10 minutes away which is very nice. Dining experience is what sets Huka above all others. We were there three nights and each night they give you a designated dining spot, all outdoors in season. Each was more amazing than the other. And the food! Like all fine lodges in NZ, they start happy hour with canopies (apps to Americans). Each night featured three different canopies, yum! Alcohol is included during happy hour. The menu is changed daily, four course offerings. But hey, no need for menus here because they will make most anything you want. All food preparation was five star and not pretentious like a Michelin restaurant. I have to also say that throughout our stay in NZ, the staff at every lodge and hotel was incredibly nice, efficient and spot on. We only had two minor incidents and everyone goes out of their way to make you feel welcome. The only downside: Four-hour drive from Auckland. However, it’s well worth it and we stopped at the Glowworm caves on the way up. I highly recommend a boat tour on Lake Taupo and hiking to Taranaki Falls. Overall: Best lodge in NZ for location, food, activities and service.

Fabulous lodge! The four of us stayed in the Alan Pye cottage for 3 nights. Everything was perfect. Excellent breakfast and dinner. While the dinner menu is usually set each night, they can make changes to accommodate requests, such as vegetarian or pescatarian. The lodge can also make arrangements for local activities, such as the Huka Falls jet boat and a bungy swing. The lodge drove us and picked us up for these activities that are in Taupo. It is a short walk from the lodge to see Huka falls. We did a helicopter tour and the helicopter lands at the lodge. Definitely worth staying here if you are going to the Taupo/Rotorua area.

One of the best country lodges you will find. Pros—Accommodations, bathrooms large and well stocked, mini bar that is included in your room rate. Superb dining, terrific staff. Con or areas for improvement —no fitness center, boat cruise on Lake Taupo was not up to the standards of the lodge. Laundry service required sending in laundry the night before for next day service. But these are all small ….a hotel not to miss on a visit to NZ!

This lodge is world class and one of best places I have stayed in my life. It is picture perfect in its beauty; totally immersed in nature and architecturally beautiful. The staff are all fantastic and after a few days, knew all of our names. The chefs in the kitchen were magnificent, serving up incredible dinners and breakfasts for us each day. The highlight was our final meal, which featured the wild venison we had caught a few days earlier on a hunting trip. The rooms were comfortable and had every luxury you would want after a day in the wilderness, hiking hunting or fishing.

This is a really class act. The staff make you feel very special, and the rooms and facilities are wonderful. They like to put thought into where everyone sits for dinner, and where possible dot people around so every table feels like they're the only one. Food was excellent. In hindsight, we would probably have had lunch elsewhere simply because we had a car and there were other places to explore. In fairness, they might even expect people to do that because, although lunch was great, it's not really their flagship meal. Not saying it was deficient, just that their dinners are awesome.

A fantastic place to celebrate a birthday - or any occasion. The food is fabulous, the suites very comfortable and the grounds are gorgeous. But it’s the staff who really make it. They are friendly and very good at what they do. A special shout-out to Andrew who looked after us during my birthday dinner. What’s not mentioned on the Lodge’s website is the fully stocked mini-bar included in the price and free shuttles into town. I highly recommend dining in the wine cellar.