Snowman Lodge & Spa

Great location but the place was rundown and lots of things weren't really up to standard. The oven in the communal area didn't work. There was no soap or shampoo in the shower dispensers, we booked for four people but there were only three towels so we had to request another. Wouldn't book to stay again.

Was really looking forward to our stay here, it looked really nice online. We stayed in cabin 2. Was great that there was a kitchen and hang out area for everyone to use. The room was nice to start out with, we only stayed one night thankfully, we found the slider door and drapes were covered in mold (not really what you want when pregnant!). It obviously hadn't been cleaned in a while. The reply we got back via email (as reception wasn't open when we checked out at 9am) was disappointing, was essentially 'sorry, we'll fix it now'. For what we paid, we were not happy to find it moldy.

The cabin, number 2, is conveniently located on the property. The staff were pleasant to deal with and allowed me to park my motorcycle next to reception, under cover of a roof, which was really appreciated. The facilities on the website appeared to be misleading (Wellness Centre?). Though everything in the cabin worked ok the cleanliness was not up to scratch at all. Years of dust on the bed headboard, on top of the cabinet and the tv.

Booked the day of our stay to break up our trip. Late contactless check-in was smooth, clear instructions were sent to us hours before our arrival. The room was spotless and had everything we needed, and better quality than we expected (for the price we paid). Beds and pillows were very comfortable, our private bathroom was modern and clean, common room/kitchen had all the appliances you could need. We made use of the late check out option being only an extra $20. Overall our experience was well worth the money. Although the detour of SH1 through Ohakune made roads more busy, we barely noticed throughout the night. Location can’t be beat as it’s right in the middle of town. Wish we stayed longer to make use of the spa services but we’ll definitely be back.

Rating the Spa only as I haven’t stayed at the lodge. Unfortunately, bad experience: the bathtub was dirty, with dust piled on the bottom, previous clients’ hair floating around, and other things I’d rather not know. I didn’t know if I was allowed the sauna or where it was—staff only showed me the bathtub and then you can’t see find anybody anymore (I had to call to check in too.) You can’t control the bubbles yourself so it’s mostly off and the area is noisy with the machinery. I did email the spa before reviewing publicly but no response. Two stars are for the price.

Amanorat was my masseuse (I hope I spelt her name right) She was very professional and I loved my body massage and head and facial. It was a cold day and the massage bed was warm and had a cozy blanket. The negatives are small but important, waiting lounge was cold dark and uninviting and shower/toilet where i got changed was cold. Having said that I would certainly go again.

We stayed for a single night on our way south and our expectations started out high. The location was great and close to everything (food, trails, etc) and the family room, while small, was everything we needed. The walls were thin so you could hear anyone who was in the hall or in the room next to you and it was kind of dirty. The real reason for my one star is that the next day, my wife was covered in bites on her back, neck, and legs. Upon googling it, we learned that it's very likely to be bed bug bites. All we can hope is that the children didn't get bitten and that we didn't bring back any critters with us.

I had to cancel my trip and all other hostels kindly accepted to waive the cancelation fee except this one. While it’s still on there right to fully charge you (which they did..) even after calling them couple days in advance and explaining the situation, it’s not “professional” nor a wise “marketing” move. It was just one night not a big deal and they could show more understanding and kindness. I would say do NOT book this place if there is any little change you would need to cancel or reschedule.