Best Wellness Hotels in New Zealand

Less than a 10-minute drive from Queenstown, but surrounded by forest, breathtaking mountains and Lake Wakatipu, the Matakauri Lodge is an exclusive boutique retreat. 11 style-forward rooms have memorable views, an iPod dock, minibar, fireplaces, terraces and Evolu toiletries. It’s homely, but up-market, with high-quality gastronomy utilising produce grown onsite as well as native meats and fish, to create a daily changing menu. And you don’t have to eat in the dining room; the lodge will accommodate romantic meals in your suite or other suitable nooks across the grounds. There’s also a bar, and a spa which incorporates indigenous ingredients into treatments.

Look out onto working farmland, rugged cliffs, rare plants, endangered wildlife and the Pacific Ocean from The Farm at Cape Kidnappers. At the Relais and Chateaux property, you can play golf at the award-winning Tom Doak-designed course, swim in its infinity pool, take a countryside picnic personally prepared by the hotel’s chef and dine in James Honore’s dining room. Each of the suites has a sitting area and a private balcony and is situated in either the Lodge Building, on the hillside, or atop the skyline ridge – there’s also a four-bedroom cottage available. The Lodge Building has a guest lounge, a library, a wine cellar and a snug.

On Auckland’s Waiheke Island, Delamore Lodge is just over half an hour by ferry (transfers are included in rates) or a quick heli-hop from the capital. The lodge’s architecture takes the form of a Maori fish hook, shaped into the hillside and overlooking Owhanake Bay. It has a Mediterranean feel but contains lots of indigenous crafts and artworks. Guests are accommodated in two-bedroom apartments, villas or four suites with views of the Hauraki Gulf. Partake in a winemaker’s dinner, dine at the chef’s table and feast on dishes created from produce grown in the lodge’s garden and served in the main restaurant. Treatments in the spa use organic products from Nellie Tier (100% New Zealand owned).

Golfers love the ocean-side 18-hole PGA course at this Bay of Islands resort. Surfers love the waves at nearby Matauri Bay and families enjoy its three pools – one of which has an infinity edge. Couples seeking a romantic getaway can find a secluded spot for a picnic (prepared by the lodge kitchen) within its three beaches. Residences, suites and an owners cottage cater for every type of traveller, plus there’s a spa, two tennis courts, and a restaurant cooking up Pacific Rim cuisine, which is served with views of Cape Brett.

This country estate may be set on a working sheep and cattle farm, but it’s one of the most exclusive and fancy around. The Relais & Chateaux property sits above Palliser Bay. It comprises 16 cottages (one with four bedrooms and its own pool), the main lodge, a gym, Hauora Spa, a tennis court, a games room, a 24-metre indoor heated swimming pool, a library and pretty gardens. Guests drink water from a natural spring and feast on produce grown and reared on site, sumptuously prepared by the able kitchen team. Meals are akin to a high-end dinner party, with a personal feel.

At the centre of town, surrounded by amenities, the Sofitel offers a taste of European elegance. Step inside and you may think you’d arrived on a rue in France; there’s a public area including shops, a cafe, a grand piano and the velvet-curtained access to the in-house speakeasy. The Parisian-style Left Bank Cafe and Restaurant continues this French theme, as does its 1789 Wine & Jazz bar, with frequent live sets. The spa, with a hammam and unique Maori massage treatments, has won awards. The hotel’s six-storeys accommodate bedrooms, suites and penthouses; the latter providing lake views, patios and jacuzzis.

The result of a collaboration with the fashion house WORLD, SO/ offers pops of the bright, bold, sassy and sexy. Its design is subtly reflective of the city’s relationship with the local volcanoes, notably in the accents of black and gold. Bedrooms come with Bose speakers, Hermès toiletries and Nespresso machines and the lobby features a full-height chandelier. This is not the place for the understated. Take the lift up to the 16th floor and you’ll find the HI-SO bar, aka party central, with panoramic harbour views. Above this is the extravagant Harbour Society restaurant. Plus there’s a MIXO bar at ground level.