Franz Joseph Scenic hotel is situated right in the heart of Franz Joseph. The hotel is the best I have stayed in in NZ. Staff were 100% helpful. Food at hotel was incredible. Views from hotel room and restaurant were breathtaking. And the kids had a ball.
Lovely site, basic but perfectly adequate for our stay. The couple who look after it were really friendly and helpful. We borrowed a rice cooker to use, Only downside was kitchen didn't have much to cook with, so we had to improvise. Even cooking scrambled eggs we had no jug to make it in. Beds comfortable, one bedroom only had one bedside table so that meant I had to put stuff on window sill behind me , and it got wet. Shower was extremely good very powerful and loved the heater above you. One warning don't cook onions or spicy food , they requested that not to cook otherwise would charge you cleaning fee because of the smell!!
Very good value for money by staying here and close to everything. I didn't have a hire car so walked everywhere and I was close to everything I needed and easy walking distance. Motel is run by a nice family, always willing to answer questions and I felt very welcome. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and would happily stay here again. The decor, and bed linen etc is older style, but homely and comfortable. Highly recommend. Has onsite laundry too which is fantastic.
The hotel seems new and all the rooms were very clean. There was also a nice little kitchen and a spa bath tub, which we did not find the time to use. Special mention to the kind lady at the reception who was very helpful and informative. Thanks!
We drove to visit the Fox Glacier Walk and the Lake Matheson Trail, which was about half an hour drive away. There were supermarkets nearby in case one planned to cook or dine in at the restaurants.
When you stay with Bella Vista you know what to expect and whilst there are subtle nuances that define difference locations, the experience is fundamentally the same. The hotel is located slightly away from the main street of Franz Josef, but still in a busy location. There are many restaurants within a very short walk and except for touring the region, once you park at the hotel, you don't need your car for getting around the town. We had booked a Compact Queen room, however we were put in an access room on the ground floor, which had a great deal of space and a large bathroom. As you expect from Bella Vista, everything was immaculately prepared and presented and its hard to fault any aspect of it. This room was also fairly dark, with effective drapes. We didn't have much interaction with the hosts, apart from at check in.
A stunning modern studio room with a spa bath. Small outside terrace with Mountain View. Everything we needed and easy walk to small local town which suited us perfectly. Extra-large bed exceptionally comfortable. Very tight vehicle through-fare because of limited parking space outside rooms and slightly thoughtless parkers. Exceptional local scenery driving to Fran’s Joseph and onward down to Wanaka.