Lochmara Lodge

New Zealand , Marlborough
MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS, Lochmara Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound, Picton
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50 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

03 Apr 2026

Kathryn

Magical place. Awesome staff & facilities. Will remember forever. Dolphins were a bonus!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Mar 2026

Dor

We got an amazing (upgraded) large spotless-clean room. It had a terrace with a great view of the bay. The staff were very kind and friendly and told us about all the activities they have on premises - which we enjoyed a lot. We had a delicious dinner at their restaurant - every dish was top-notch. Our whole experience had a very premium, luxurious feel from start to finish - a must-stay if walking the QCT!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Feb 2026

Lesli

Magical property with friendly staff and super comfortable rooms.

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

02 Feb 2026

Gayla

Staff had excellent communication and was willing to accommodate my unique situation

Self

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jan 2026

Juliette

Staff are all amazing! Beautiful place to stay

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Nov 2025

Aimee

The staff were incredibly helpful. One of them, in Picton before we got on the ferry, told us how to see the bioluminescence, which was fantastic. The young man who took us around to feed the animals and the marine biologist who told us about the marine life on the viewing platform were incredibly knowledgable. The room was pretty and we had a good view if we sat outside. We also loved the hammocks and the glow worms.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Oct 2025

Sue

Lots to do there

10/10

Exceptional

10 Mar 2025

Jonathan

Loved the animal feeding tour and the art installations in unexpected places. Appreciated all the facilities available to guests, such as the trails, hammock and kayaks. The boats and gear would benefit from a bit more care.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Mar 2025

michele

Beauty and quiet with lots of activities too

A special place. Water taxi in and out. Hike up to 360 degree lookout on queen charlotte track. Kayaks and SUPs. Great food in the restaurant. And amazing views from our room. Peaceful and tranquil. And such friendly staff to top it off.

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

25 Feb 2025

Victoria

Quirky Waterfront Accommodation

Waterfront accommodation with lots of sculptures and wildlife throughout the grounds. The food was excellent and they provide packed lunch options for people walking the Queen Charlotte Track. Highly recommend the bath house experience if you're looking to relax!

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

11 Feb 2025

Bruce

Absolutely beautiful!!!

8/10

Excellent

11 Feb 2025

Mark

We enjoyed the great surprises and variety of information along the local walk around the property, the main attraction been Grumpys camp. The staff were polite and friendly.
However the dining experience could of been a little bit better with the seafood chowder been a bit hotter (as it was just warm) and also had a small piece of broken mussel shell which might of been a choke hazard to someone maybe not familiar with eating shellfish, also the pork belly was very nice but needed to have a crispy skin to make it a 10/10. Otherwise a very enjoyable experience. Thanks.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 May 2024

Mike

Absolutely loved the stay. Great staff, beautiful views and walks and the food was exceptional.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 May 2024

Alexander

This was the most beautiful stay during our honeymoon. We were pleasantly surprised and impressed with all of the different activities and things offered here. We definitely want to come back to Lochmara the next time we find ourselves in Aotearoa. Thank you!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Mar 2024

James

Wonderful Lodge

Super place to stay. Incredible location. Clean comfortable rooms. Friendly helpful staff. Meals were wonderful.

A highlight of our trip to New Zealand.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Feb 2024

Jenny

We had a fantastic time at Lochmara staff exceptional and service fantastic. Thank you

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

18 Feb 2024

Corrina

Beautiful location for a couple of nights. Loved the animals. Only thing that let it down was the restaurant. The food sounded delicious on the menu but that’s where it stopped. Food was expensive and lacked any sort of flavour.

10/10

Exceptional

08 Feb 2024

Andrew

Simply the best

One of the most amazing places we've stayed at in New Zealand
We will be back. Absolutely stunning location with wonderful staff and fabulous facilities. Loved it!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 Feb 2024

Shuvranil

The property was a slice of heaven on earth. But for foodies like me I would request either of 2 options - expand the menu or provide microwave/bbq facilities.

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

01 Feb 2024

Ela

Beautiful views
Friendly staff
Great food
Tidy rooms, could do with an upgrade, clean and nicely presented.

Leisure Friends

6/10

Pleasant

16 Jan 2024

Graham

Couples timeout

Nice place...friendly staff...would recommend for an overnight stay but wouldnt recommend longer...focus is more on day trippers from Picton not on those paying top dollar to stay in the accommodation. The water taxi is charged on top of accommodation which should be included if you are staying I feel, as there is no road to drive there... Room service doesnt get done till very late in the day and we had to chase up towels, toilet paper etc. Maybe not enough staff but maybe 2 seperate staff groups would work better...one for day trippers one focused on accommodation.
Overal a relaxing stay in a comfortable room.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Nov 2023

Wendy

Gorgeous location. Easy hike to the Queen Charlotte Track. Ecologically responsible.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Apr 2023

Verified traveler

A beautiful relaxing Lodge, with many activities including kayaking. Dining excellent.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Mar 2023

Mark

Good size room and bathroom.”Coffee” in room very different to café coffee

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Mar 2023

Kaye

Great destination, so much to do and see. Nestled in a gorgeous spot. Friendly staff. Comfortable room. Great access from Queen Charlotte walking track

10/10

Exceptional

18 Apr 2022

Shelley

Really enjoyed our stay here, staff were friendly and helpful, room had everything that we needed with added bonus of a sea view. Lochmara has many activities to do we especially enjoyed kayaking as we got to see seals. The restaurant had good food and great service. We were walking the QCT and would recommend staying here as we felt it was well worth the detour.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Feb 2022

Julie

Awesome wee piece of paradise . But take the bug spray !

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Dec 2021

Dilnur

perfect view,friendly staff

Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Dec 2021

Belinda

An amazing escape from the hustle and bustle of life. Switch off from life... the lack of connectivity here allowed us to reconnect as a family.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Nov 2021

Emma

Friendly staff. Efficient checkin. Loved we got our room early. Very helpful.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

24 Oct 2021

Aimee

Absolutely amazing. Staff were excellent, location was perfect, and the food! Delicious!! Can’t wait to come back…

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Apr 2021

Helen

Awesome Lication

Awesome location, Lodge is really nice, food outstanding, service great. Grounds around the lodge are in good condition but it’s such a shame that all the amazing work that had been done up above - hen house, bee aviary, Crumpy’s Camp, garden area has not been maintained

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

25 Jan 2021

Michelle

Property is amazing. Room is AWFUL. Worse than a motel 6. Not sure how this place has a 4 star designation, the room itself doesn’t even deserve 2 stars. That asides, staff is also great.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jan 2021

Richard

Awesome!

Amazing stay at Lochmara with excellent service from Louise and her team. Heaps to do and such an amazing location.

Friends_and_family Family

2/10

Poor

27 Feb 2020

Neil

Can not get anywhere near by road

Driving around New Zealand, we followed sat nav toward Lochmara to the end of the road. There we were informed it was a 5-hour hike to the resort or a 1-hour drive back the way we had come followed by a $120 water taxi. We also wanted to get away early, which we were told would not be possible. If you click on check in information, you can see the resort is not accessible by road, but such information should flash up in big letters before booking. It was unclear enough that we did not see it until the time we expected to arrive at our room, I would be very careful before booking as it is very very remote!

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Feb 2020

Kevin

A must!

Stunning views. Quiet area. Fair bit to do for young families

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

11 Feb 2020

Mary

Highly recommend this unique, scenic lodge

We stayed two nights. It is remote and only reached by 20 min water taxi or hiking. It is a lovely, picturesque setting in Queen Charlotte Track. People are very friendly and helpful, especially Bo at the desk. There are lots of trails to walk around with lots of unusual and comical sculptures. Kayaks and paddle boards are free to use. There is an underwater observatory. All in all, it’s a fun, scenic place with good food and friendly service. The only food available is in the cafe. The lodge has a very large property with lots of animals. They even have glow worms that are fun to see when dark. Highly recommend this unique lodge for fun and relaxation.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

Beautiful setting

What a beautiful area to explore. This property is positioned in a stunning location with access to the Queen Charlotte track and wonderful views. We really enjoyed our stay but the place is just a little tired. It is up for sale and I have no doubt the new owners will spruce it up a little. I didn’t like all the signs around the place about paying extra for activities. You’d think when you pay top dollar for a property , you are not asked for a gold coin to view the eel feeding! I also didn’t like the fact that the day visitors share the hotel facilities. Perhaps they should have their own area as it gets a bit crowded in the restaurant and lake front area. But, we did enjoy our stay. The room is large, the bed comfortable and the food lovely.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

11 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

Lovely sunny spot. Art trail was ok but not great.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

28 Nov 2019

A very nice place with lots to see and do.

Friends_and_family Family

2/10

Poor

18 Nov 2019

Dalton

NO ACCESS BY CAR! TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!

BE AWARE THAT THERE IS NO ACCESS TO THIS HOTEL BY CAR! We drove from Picton, using navigation. After two hours of trying to find the hotel we called for directions. We called multiple times with no answer (between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m.) We finally called the number for the cafe there and were informed that the hotel reception was closed for the day. When we asked for directions we were told that the only acess to the hotel was either on foot via 2 hour hike, or by water taxi from Picton, but again that reception was closed! We were told to call back in the morning to discuss with reception. Multiple calls the next morning with no answer! The only negative experience in over two weeks in New Zealand.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 May 2019

Verified traveler

Gorgeous location and great service, though the food and water taxis are a tad overpriced.

Family

8/10

Excellent

19 Apr 2019

Verified traveler

Immersed in nature and trails and water activities. The staff overall was fantastic and helpful. Reception staff was cold and judgmental. We were given a small amount of wifi and told that is not the reason we were visiting this lodge. We couldn't download our pictures from our devices. Wifi was advertised as free. We didn't need someone else to micromanage our wifi and or tech usage.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

19 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

A sight to behold

Fantastic place to visit bit hard to get to but well worth the effort

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Incredible location. Lots of free things to do. Good food. Very beautiful views from almost everywhere

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

Wonderful peaceful spot only accessible by water taxi. Somewhat rustic (no AC or TV’s) but we were able to leave the sliding doors to the balcony open all night without any bug influx. Access to Queen Charlotte Track and all sorts of water sports available, plus feeding of parakeets and other animals. Excellent restaurant onsite.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

13 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

Lochmara stay

Overall it was a good trip, could have been better. There were several lovely members of staff who actively improved our stay however the member of staff on reception seemed annoyied with us with every interaction we had, not sure what we did wrong. The restaurant is expensive, I appreciate the location adds a premium but the quality of meals wasn’t particularly high to justify the high price. Rooms were spotlessly clean but basic and feel slightly tired. Amazing art everywhere and a beautiful setting.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Nov 2018

Elaine

Friendly helpful staff.
Great facilities and spectacular views over the sounds

10/10

Exceptional

19 May 2018

Donna

I love this place

Stunning place with great service and an amazing menu, was not disappointed! Bonus was kayaking right next to the dolphins which the staff said was very rare

10/10

Exceptional

21 Feb 2018

Verified traveler

Gorgeous place for a getaway

Excellent stay - we wish we could have stayed longer! Nature surrounding the lodge was stunning and the highlight was kayaking and doing the Queen Charlotte Track day walk to the lookout point.
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Partner