Like most hotels along the West Coast, the Heartland Hotel Glacier Country in Fox Glacier is nothing fancy but perfectly fine for a night. I can’t imagine any reason why you’d stay here for more than a night as there’s really not a lot to do other than go and see Lake Matheson and take a walk up to the actual Glacier, which is not that spectacular. You read more about things to do on the West Coast in our West Coast Travel Guide.
We left Wanaka early afternoon and stopped off at the Blue Pools in Makaroa so by the time we got to Fox Glacier, it was around 6p.m and thought we’d stay here the night. There’s not many hotels so you don’t have much choice and they all look pretty much the same. We just walked in the asked for a rate, which is usually not the best idea but he gave us a slightly better rate than what we could have got off booking.com or other sites so parked the car and took a few clothes out for a very short stay at Heartland Hotel Glacier Country.
The rooms are quite small, we booked a basic one, two single beds, tiny bathroom and pretty glad we didn’t have big suitcases because not sure where you’re put them. It was on the second floor and you have to walk up stairs so it’s really better just to take a few clothes out for the next day rather than lug your suitcase up a flight of stairs. Didn’t eat dinner at the Heartland Hotel Glacier Country and not even sure there’s a proper restaurant there, but there’s a reasonably good cafe about 50 yards down the street which we had dinner at.
Anyway, bathroom at Heartland Hotel Glacier Country was, as I mentioned, tiny, shower was alright, pretty much what you’d expect from a hotel in Fox Glacier. Not really much to complain about with regards to the room and if you expect 5-Star accommodation anywhere on the West Coast, you’re going to be disappointed and shouldn’t come here. For most normal people it’s a totally fine hotel to get some sleep.
Breakfast at the Heartland Hotel Glacier Country was alright, nothing great, nothing too bad. Staff, who all seem to be foreigners on working visa’s were alright. The breakfast itself was ok – bacon, eggs, toast and all the normal stuff for a hotel in the west. Don’t expect beautifully presented eggs benedict or decadent pancakes or fruit, but it’s all more than alright to get you going in the morning and fill a gap. Check-in and check-out was quick, less than 5 minutes and overall absolutely no problems staying here again if you’re just wanting a place to lie down and have a sleep.
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