This is a lovely place to stay if you have your own transport. It is only 5 minutes out of the centre of Franz Joseph and is wonderfully quiet and peaceful. The Manager greeted us upon arrival and was very easy to deal with and friendly. The facilities themselves are great. The guest lounge was excellent to relax in at the end of the day, and as we visited towards the end of winter, the fire was very much appreciated. Breakfast, although only continental, had great variety and suited our requirements easily.

As previously mentioned, you really need your own transport given you are out of the main town area, but this was not a concern for us, as we were more looking for serenity at the end of the day.

Unable to find a suitable B&B in the Franz Josef area, we chose Westwood Lodge, at about 60% more than the price of other places we had stayed during a South Island tour. What it lacks in charm and intimacy, it makes up for in its facilities. Situated on the main Highway 6, it is just a mile from central Franz Josef. Our large bedroom included a comfortable bed, wardrobe, small table and chair, fridge, TV and DVD player, with a good selection of DVDs available from the guest lounge. A veranda with table and chairs was next to a planted patio with the car park beyond. The large bathroom, with underfloor heating, had two basins, good quality toiletries, a wet room shower and high sided bath. The booking site said that breakfast would be $25 extra, but on arrival were told we would be given a free Continental breakfast, which was excellent, with cereals, a wide range of pastries and bread, yoghurt, fresh berry compote and fruit. The dining room looks down through a lovely lounge with a huge imitation log fire that throws out lots of heat, with French windows opening onto a pleasant garden with a wonderful view of the mountains beyond. Soft music played in the background during the evening, with a selection of CDs as alternatives. Next to it is a snooker and pool room with full-sized table.

Rooms were big, spacious and warm. Lovely views from the patio. You can even see the glacier! Breakfast was delicious and Alex is absolutely amazing. He is super friendly, great at showing you around - even recommended a restaurant a few walks with tips and hints. Best service!! Definitely recommend taking his advice. The common lodge area and games are also the perfect spot to relax after dinner or a hard walk. Will definitely stay here again.

Alex & Izzy really seem to enjoy what they do. Alex took great care in showing each group of guests around the facility to show everything that was available. Breakfast was ready right when we requested it. There are fancier places in Franz Josef, but we really enjoyed this place, and it's a fantastic value for the money.

Really we have no complaints. Maybe the bed could have been a little more comfortable.

Actually better than expected - warm welcome and very convenient as a short stay.

It has a lovely lounge area but no bar or restaurant so its an empty space with no atmosphere. They could do so much more with this place.

The lodge was set in landscaped gardens and had a very characterful lounge area which was comfortable and relaxing. Room was comfortable, very clean and spacious.

Dim lighting for size of room - it was quite dark. Noise from the road traffic early morning.

Beautiful communal fireplace was a perfect setting for reading and relaxing at the end of the day. Hosts were very welcoming, offering plenty of good chats in front of the fireplace, prompt cleaning of rooms etc. Lodge is close to town centre, so easy short 1 min drive back and forth for food. The best part of the rooms was probably the heated floors in the bathroom, very lux!!

The pillows were a little flat/soft, needed two pillows to get the pillow to the right height for sleeping.

Wonderful accommodation that is set in well looked after grounds. 5-minute drive into town. Beautiful fireplace in the main house to relax by in the evening. Would definitely stay again.

There was nothing to not like. But would have been great to have been able to have a glass of wine beside that beautiful fireplace in the evening.

Nice loghut style accommodation, staff was excellent. very friendly.

Main concern is that we expected a bit more for a 4 star hotel at that price. Also, the booking said breakfast included, but this was only the continental breakfast spread. Which was good, but it was a bit limited.

The two young people Alex and Issy were refreshingly engaging and went out of their way to make us feel welcome and comfortable.

Unfortunately Covid has meant travellers are few and far between so we were 2 of only a few people staying in a large establishment. It will have a better atmosphere when more travellers start moving about again.