The Carlin Boutique Hotel

For starters, 5 Stars isn't enough for the Carlin Boutique Hotel. This is the first time we have stayed here and it won't be the last. We were welcomed by the most professional concierge I've ever experienced. Beyond helpful. Amazingly gracious. We were walked through the villas operating systems and left to enjoy the privacy and spectacular views of the lake and Queenstown shopping area. Which is only 2 minutes walk away. The deck has a gas fire place next to a hot tub over looking the same beautiful scenery. The villas have everything you could possibly need. Most of which is supplied as part of the cost. The rooms are beautiful with, again, everything you could want in a hotel and more. Spotlessly clean. But the real cherry on top at the Carlin Boutique Hotel is the food. I could write a book on how amazing the food is but instead I urge you to try it for yourself. Perfect in every way food should be. I take my hat off to the chief and to the staff. If you want a truly outstanding experience, or you're looking for that better than home comfort, with effortless elegance and a taste of the good things in life. The Carlin Boutique Hotel will not disappoint you. We couldn't recommend a better way to stay in Queenstown.

Bizarre. One word I would use to sum up our stay at the Carlin 'boutique' Hotel. The Carlin prides itself on not being a 5 star but 6 star experience. This is far from it. DO NOT book the Skyline Suite for a start, it has been poorly converted to a hotel room on the same floor as the restaurant/check in desk, with major issues, one being a fire escape sign taped up (surely that is breach of fire safety code) to hide the light as well as shodily taped up PIR sensors. No hotel safe, bedside table only on one side, so the second person has nowhere to place a bottle of water or their belongings, no reading or bedside lights, a cupboard practically falling apart, no dnd or service room options, lack of basic (let alone 5 star) hotel room amenities. Can even hear the reception phone ringing outside. But anyways, let's start with the positives: 1) Jerry (who's only been here 3 days) is the highlight. He is professional, courteous and remedied our major issues instantly and moved us to one of the actual hotel rooms. Definitely a much needed asset to the hotel. 2) Hot tub/vast floor space is nice 3) General aesthetic is OK 4) Nice to have a free mini bar stocked with soft drinks and snacks 5) Comfy bed 6) Airport transfer one way included in a Bentley (though we got a Mercedes) 7) Packed us a sandwich and banana for an early tour. Now on to much needed improvements: 1) Service (aside from Jerry) not what you'd expect from a 5 star hotel. First day were told we didn't have a safe in our room as we booked the cheapest room. Were not asked upon checkout how our stay was. No good mornings or welcome backs or even smiles from alot of staff. 2) Breakfast is poor, so much so we opted to have breakfast out on our last day. No fresh juices, poor coffee, and pretty plates of food that lacked any real flavour, french toast was cold and dry, granola had one tiny pot of yoghurt and a mountain of granola (so much that I couldn't eat 3/4 of it) Had to pay for extras, i.e hashbrown, no fruit options, no pastries. No continental choices. 3) Inconsistent housekeeping, only received turndown 2/4 nights. 4) Style over substance, fancy branded hotel towels, however exposed pipework in kitchenette (should be covered with a panel), off-centre fireplace, and dirty sink holes. All in all if you're looking for a luxury stay, Carlin is not it. Luckily we didn't pay for their actual suites, but if we had, would have been severely disappointed and upset. Save your time and money, and go elsewhere in Queenstown. There are much nicer options out there! I would have orginally left 1 star, but because of Jerry, I've given it 2. Hope this helps any future travellers considering the Carlin.