Blanket Bay

Set on a magnificent, glacier-carved lake 40 minutes’ drive from Queenstown in the South Island, Blanket Bay is a perfect place to experience New Zealand’s most exhilarating wilderness adventures.

The lodge’s name recalls an event more than a century ago, when a mob of sheep was shorn on the shores of Lake Wakatipu in a bay just south of Glenorchy. To protect themselves and the wool from the elements, Maori shearers used blankets to create the shed and shelters, and so Blanket Bay was born. 

Little expense has been spared in creating a perfect haven, which is a far cry from the blanket shelters of 1861. Heart of the lodge is the Great Room, where lofty ceilings, a massive log fireplace, vaulted wharf-timber beams and antique wooden floors embrace a singular kind of rustic elegance.

Guest accommodation is sumptuous and full of character. Rooms and suites feature stone fireplaces, private balconies and generous bathrooms complete with separate tub. You can count on magnificent views of the lake and mountains.

Daytime activities include guided fly-fishing, heli-flight-seeing to Milford Sound, jet boating on the Dart River, biking on the trails or hiking in Mt Aspiring National Park. Blanket Bay’s stables offer horse riding on the adjoining Wyuna High Country Station, and in winter the lodge is the perfect base for heli-sking with a guide.

A description of Blanket Bay wouldn’t be complete without a salute to the food. Every day the lodge’s culinary team live up to guests’ highest expectations with ever-changing menus of creative Pacific Rim cuisine.  Over the years, many of Blanket Bay’s chefs have been recognised with awards and accolades; the kitchen is a hotbed of culinary talent.

Time spent at Blanket Bay creates lasting memories. A Forbes Traveller reviewer was moved to say: "In 35 years of hotel design and visiting, this is the best hotel experience I have ever had. Such a wonderful location and such wonderful service—it was a magical experience. I was heartbroken to leave."