Hawea Hotel, Eatery & Bar

Stayed here over winter whilst on a ski trip, travelling to and from Cardrona every day, and I have to say, choosing to stay here was the best decision of the trip. You get all the amazing views and beautiful scenery without the crowds of Wanaka and Queenstown. The locals and the staff are so kind and generous here, and they really get to know you whilst you staying which is a nice bonus. The food and drinks here are also amazing, often found ourselves choosing to eat in the restaurant here because the food was way better and way cheaper than the options at Wanaka! Would highly recommend this spot!

This was my first time here we didn't stay here we only had dinner. The place has a great view, great staff and great food. This was a great experience and one I would very much enjoy again. It was all started by the warm welcoming for the staff, a well cooked meal followed by a unexpected a free dessert for my birthday. So if you are ever staying in Lake Hawea please go and enjoy a great meal with a great view as well as a great atmosphere.

The room was large, spotlessly clean & the view over the lake amazing. We had the venison for dinner at the hotel & it was absolutely incredible, one of the best meals we’ve ever had. The staff were friendly & service fantastic.

We came for the Sunday roast dinner and it was delicious! Lamb amazing, gravy amazing, cabbage amazing. Staff were lovely but we did end up having to order another drink at the bar after waiting too long.

Stayed one night here on our way through plus had a drink in the hotel bar. Firstly the view from the room was spectacular! The hotel is an older building that shows some wear but the room was in good condition, nice and clean, comfortable and spacious. Small fridge and kettle available. We did get quite a bit of noise from the neighbouring room's occupants stamping up and down the stairs but that's really dependant on who is there. Older building so some creaking and groaning as people come and go might be a problem for light sleepers. All staff really friendly and helpful. Overall we really enjoyed our stay here. Hotel bar was nice, tasty drink, excellent service and also a nice view.

Accommodation - amazing lake view from every room (2br family), comfy beds, shower with great water pressure. The only negative experience is noisy neighbors on the first night - too much late night walking and long shower 😂 there's also a walking trail (Gladstone trail) right by the hotel, which takes about 15 min to get to the first beach. Food - good pub meals! We dined at the restaurant every night and our favorite was the Sunday roast - that was by far the best comfort food since we arrived on the South Island 5 days ago!

Went on a road trip with mates and decided to stop here, remembering the great pizza views and beers from last time. We got there around 1 pm for lunch, but shockingly no pizza available until 4 pm?? …. Really disappointing. On top of that, we couldn’t enjoy the restaurant seating with the amazing views they tried to cram us into a tiny back bar area. We ended up leaving and grabbing pizza at Water Bar instead. A real missed opportunity.

Lovely receptionist, our 3 meals all different were delicious, friendly waitresses. Spectacular views from our room which was very clean and warm. Would most definitely recommend staying here.

If you don't want to trek back to Wanaka, Hawea Hotel is a good option for drinks or a meal in Hawea! I got the chicken sandwich with gluten free bun and fries. Nothing to write home about but well prepared and satisfying. My partner got the wings and felt they were a bit undercooked - he didn't feel the best after eating them. We enjoyed some drinks on happy hour here, and looks like they have some game and trivia nights onsite. They also have a large patio outside and billiards inside. The bartender that took our order was awesome and gave us some good recs for the area.

We grabbed takeaway from here when we were staying at the Geo Domes nearby. I thought the food was really good. I had the fish and chips, which were gluten free. I'm from the US and gluten free fish and chips is pretty much unheard of. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Everyone else I was with enjoyed their food as well.

Lake Hawea Hotel does an excellent job of Italian style pizzas cooked on stone. The views of the lake really made the experience.

Give this place a miss. Food was below average and very short on presentation. However staff were friendly.