Kamana Lakehouse

We had dinner at Nest kitchen and bar and this review doesn’t reflect the dinner or services there. The food was divine and service was impeccable. I’m writing this review so that the receptionist at the entrance of the hotel is more careful henceforth with what she says. We finished the dinner and came out. My partner wanted to buy some spa products and we were paying for it at the counter. The receptionist Andrea remarked to me ‘are you expecting? ’. Mind you, I’m in no way obese but I was wearing a tight knit dress and had just had a three course meal. I laughed it off then but was fuming inside. How rude, thoughtless and inconsiderate. In today’s day and age, don’t you know not to ask that question unless someone is so pregnant and they are ready to pop? This ruined by whole evening and made me feel body shamed. And it reflects on the hotel because it’s their staff, someone they’ve employed and trained (or not). To the hotel management- tell your receptionists to make small conversation about the weather or something else. Certain topics are off limits and are sensitive. Luckily I have a two year old daughter so the only feeling I felt was body shaming. But what if I was struggling with infertility or something similar? People have strong triggers and honestly it’s none of your bloody business. Shame on the hotel as well for not making sure your staff are trained right. Despite my lovely experience at Nest, what I’ll remember about the night is the girls inconsiderate remark and therfore I’m never coming back.

And it’s not just a careless remark. It might have been in 1990 but it’s 2024. Move head with the times and treat your customers with more compassion. Andrea should be fired- she’s not suitable or ready for a customer facing job. People have to stop talking without filters in their head and acting irresponsibly

We had a Remarkables King room for 3 nights in January. Love the location — it’s definitely a huff and puff walk from Queenstown but enjoyable. Rooms were modern, lovely finishings, A/C and nice showers. Lobby was modern and had a great vibe. We weren’t able to eat in the restaurant as it was booked out but really enjoyed the food next door at the Lokal restaurant, don’t give it a miss! We did a soak which felt pricey but it was honestly so nice and we had a perfect evening with the sunset. Would absolutely recommend.

The most incredibly friendly and helpful staff were the highlight of our honeymoon! Our lake view room was stunning, we found it easy to park, we consistently ate delicious food and drinks, would highly recommend. Can't wait to go back!

Beautiful hotel with beautiful views! Convenient bus to downtown or a nice 30 minute hike, nice restaurant, and fun hot tubs

We held our wedding at the Kamana Lakehouse last weekend and it was an absolute dream. From the beautiful venue room at the Ledge, the food, the wine and the incredible service during our stay, it was the perfect day.
When the weather started to change, the Kamana staff were able to quickly move our ceremony inside to the Nest restaurant with flawless views of the Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu without any stress at all.
Thank you so much for hosting our wedding:)
Mercedes and Scotty

Brilliant hotel. Beautifully appointed rooms, very comfortable and quiet, although a little on the small size when travelling with kids. Very friendly and helpful staff. The restaurant is good, however not cheap.

Room was very clean and modern, staff were welcoming and the views of river + mountains were amazing - highly recommend!

This hotel is just fantastic. The beautiful rooms, the amazing bar, the incredible views and most of all the beautiful staff. We had a large group and stayed for a number of days. Nothing was ever a problem and they smiled constantly even when under pressure. The food was great and the bar is beautiful. I would strongly recommend it as the best place to stay in Queenstown.

I’ve stayed here for two nights. It was overpriced and overrated. The toilet was flooded with water and there was no drainage on the ground. Obviously the toilet had some fundamental design issues. The ventilation was also very weak that there was some mould smell in the toilet which was really disgusting. Given the rate I paid, the room was incredibly small and the lighting of the room was not good too. And more importantly the amenities were very basic even no cotton buds provided in the toilet.

We enjoyed our stay at Kamana Lakehouse. We booked in advance for the room that offers a view directly on the mountain. It was simply beautiful and magical!

We also had our private spa.

The room was clean. The breakfast was really good! Service is perfect.

Even if the hotel is a little « out » of downtown Queenstown (2 minutes drive) I would totally recommend that place and will still book the same place next time!

Very dissapointed. Staying at this property turned out to be very problematic from booking to departure. This hotel will not be worth the money. They did not deliver what they had promised and did not even have extra beds until we could prove that they should have provided us such. The food was mediocre and ridiculously expensive at the Nest restaurant. Breakfast is not a buffé. They promised us lake views but one of the rooms definitely did not count as a lake view and the other one had a parking lot as the view. The managerial office was rude and felt like they just wanted to make as much money as possible.

The only positive thing was the very kind and professional staff that barely saved the stay. Thanks.

I was down for a conference in Nov.when I arrived @9pm I wasn’t even greeted. I asked for some milk for my room which appeared to be a hassle. The following night the bar wasn’t open - couldn’t even get a wine. Kept having power cuts, and on the first morning a cold breakfast…we had to ask for a toaster, and on the 2nd morning my eggs took 40 min. I appreciate the issues with staffing, however i paid full price - it should have been discounted. Really disappointed…

The staff were friendly and welcoming, and initially to look at the Nest restaurant and welcome area we got a good first impression, as it has a beautiful fit out. However for the cost of the hotel, many things were missing. Firstly we won’t shown or clearly directed to our room, with it being located on level two entering the lifts with only the option to go to ground or level 1. Confusing. The rooms were much smaller than anticipated, particularly the bathroom with the balcony of the restaurant looking straight into our room, disapproving seeing as we had hoped for privacy to enjoy the views of the lake and remarkables as a couple on a romantic break. Don’t be fooled by the Mercedes’ parked at the entrance with the ‘Kamana’ number plate, There is no shuttle service from the hotel to town, so be prepared for additional cost of taxis if you don’t fancy trekking up a steep hill to get back. More of a function space than a hotel, with guests staying there appearing to be an afterthought to wedding functions and dinner guests at Nest. Was extremely disappointed in the cost of our stay for the perceived value we got and wished we had booked somewhere else to stay for the same cost and had a better experience and value for money. Due to this we cancelled the Soak and our dinner reservation at Nest. Would describe this as a upscale Motel rather than a boutique lake house or premium hotel. The photos of Kamana and the rooms are cleverly shot and good marketing has helped to give the illusion of an upscale resort. Don’t be mislead by this.

Caught some magnificent views of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu from the balcony of the restaurant, yet the food was somehow still more stunning. It was delicious.

We made a reservation for the fine dining restaurant (Nest Kitchen and Bar) which sits inside the Kamana Lakehouse. We anticipated we were going to arrive late to our dinner reservation so we called them 3 times (no one picked up), and it was only until we tried the 4th time someone answered. We advised we were running late and would aim to get there within 10-15mins which they said was fine. Once we parked our car, a lady from reception walked outside to tell us that we were really late and that they may not be able to keep our booking and that we needed to speak to the manager to work it out. The way she spoke to us was extremely rude and her tone was condescending. Once she directed us to the restaurant, I was confused as I did not see any manager who I supposedly needed "to speak to" neither did any "manager" walk up to me. I then proceeded to tell the waiter that we had a reservation and they seemed perfectly fine with it and had no issues with us being late (except that he mentioned other tables would be prioritized first) - but other than that, no issues. The lady at reception felt the need to tell us off and it definitely ruined our dining experience and we could not enjoy it as much. I hope the lady at reception is better trained on how to speak to customers because that is not how someone should be treated.

The receptionist with blond hair she said her name is “ B “, she is so rude, he hang up the phone super strong after talking to me. She couldn’t spell my name so I asked her to check in booking system but she asked “ you didn’t check in yet right? ” I just checked in with her a day before and she still couldn’t fine me in the system (she didn’t check it carefully and unprofessional)

The bar is amazing that’s why I give 3 star, I want to give 5 stars if that receptionist was friendly to me.

Killer Cocktails! The bar lady is Serious. What an Asset! Great atmosphere at the Lounge. But my GF said one of the receptionist was plain Rude. Her name is B? Or Bee?

We enjoyed our honeymoon here. We liked the lake view from the dining area. The bar was easily accessible and opens into the dining area. The room was spacious, clean and comfortable. The staff were attentive and friendly.

Had an amazing experience and comfortable stay.
Great service, team was so welcoming and helpful. I am definitely coming back.
Thank you Mohamed for sorting out the room issue for us.

Can't rate this place highly enough. Our experience was 10/10, the facilities, decor, service, rooms, food, view were top notch and worthy of the relatively high room rate. Highly recommended and will definitely stay here again.