A 5-suite-and-4-apartment boutique in the restored 1866 Eichardt's lakefront landmark on Marine Parade — the only hotel in Queenstown with a private Lake Wakatipu frontage — with the Bunker bar and Eichardt's Bar & Restaurant.
"The 1866 building Albert Eichardt put up himself, restored as nine-suite serviced perfection. Step out of the lobby directly onto Lake Wakatipu's edge. The Bunker bar in the basement is the most-photographed cocktail in the South Island."
Eichardt's is the oldest building in Queenstown — built in 1866 by Bavarian-born goldminer-turned-publican Albert Eichardt as the original Eichardt's Hotel, on the only available lakefront site at the corner of Marine Parade and the Mall, opposite Steamer Wharf and directly onto Lake Wakatipu. The building is a category-1 New Zealand Historic Place, has stood as a working pub-hotel-restaurant continuously since 1866, and was acquired by Andrew and Lonnie Cox of the Imagine Group in 2001 and comprehensively restored across 2001-2002 to reopen as Eichardt's Private Hotel — Queenstown's first true small-luxury boutique. The principal architectural decision of the restoration was to preserve the building's exterior and original 1866 stonework intact, and to convert the upper floors into the property's 5 named suites, with a smaller adjoining 4-apartment wing (Eichardt's Lakefront Apartments) added in 2008 directly across Marine Parade overlooking the lake.
The 5 suites in the main 1866 building — each named for a Lake Wakatipu landmark (Wakatipu, Cecil, Walter, Earnslaw, and the headline Penthouse) — range from 50 to 110 square metres. The Penthouse on the top floor is the milestone unit, with a private lakefront balcony directly overlooking the TSS Earnslaw steamship dock and the most-photographed Queenstown view from any hotel. The 4 Lakefront Apartments are larger one- and two-bedroom configurations across Marine Parade, with the same lake-and-Walter Peak view orientation. Bathrooms are travertine with deep tubs facing the view; bath products are Aotearoa New Zealand-made Linden Leaves.
Eichardt's Bar & Restaurant runs the all-day programme on the building's ground floor — directly inheriting the 1866 pub-room space — with a contemporary New Zealand register and a Central Otago-and-Marlborough wine list. The Bunker — a deliberately small basement cocktail bar accessed through a hidden side-laneway entrance, with a fireplace and a wood-panelled register — is the most-photographed bar in Queenstown and the after-9-PM destination for the small-luxury Queenstown crowd. There is no spa or pool — the hotel's footprint and 1866 building register preclude these — but the lake itself is 30 metres from the lobby door, and Onsen Hot Pools (15 minutes by complimentary transfer) handles the wellness component.
The Marine Parade address is the unambiguous booking proposition. From the lobby door it is 5 metres to the Lake Wakatipu shore, 30 seconds to Steamer Wharf, two minutes to the Queenstown Mall and the Skyline Gondola base, three minutes to St Omer Park, four minutes to Earnslaw Park, and five minutes to the Queenstown Gardens. The TSS Earnslaw steamship docks 50 metres from the front door (the Walter Peak day-trip is the most-booked Queenstown excursion, included in select stay packages). For travellers wanting the smallest, most-historically-significant Queenstown booking with the lake-edge address, Eichardt's is unambiguous. Matakauri is the lodge-and-mountain alternative; Eichardt's is the village-and-lake alternative.
The Penthouse with the private lake-and-Walter Peak balcony, dinner at Eichardt's Bar & Restaurant, cocktails at the Bunker, and the TSS Earnslaw day-charter to Walter Peak. The most-photographed Queenstown honeymoon set-up.
The Penthouse balcony at sunset with Walter Peak as the backdrop is unambiguously the most-photographed proposal angle in Queenstown. The Bunker handles the post-proposal cocktail set-up; the Eichardt's restaurant handles the announcement dinner. Staff arrange ring-delivery and photographer programming as standard.
A milestone-anniversary booking with the Penthouse, private dinner-for-two on the lake-facing balcony, and the TSS Earnslaw charter as the staff's signature anniversary set-up. The 1866 building register and the lake address combine in a way no other Queenstown hotel can match.
Marine Parade
Queenstown 9300
New Zealand
Lake Wakatipu shore 5 m from lobby; Steamer Wharf 30 sec on foot; TSS Earnslaw dock 50 m; Skyline Gondola base 2 min; Queenstown Gardens 5 min; Queenstown Airport 12 min by car
5 named suites + 4 apartments
Wakatipu Suite from NZ$1,400/night
Earnslaw Suite from NZ$1,800/night
Penthouse Suite from NZ$3,800/night
Lakefront Apartment from NZ$1,600/night
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
1866 original; restored 2001-2002
Imagine Group — independent
Eichardt's Bar & Restaurant (1866 original room)
The Bunker basement cocktail bar
Direct Lake Wakatipu frontage
Onsen Hot Pools transfer included
1866 NZ Historic Place category 1
5 named suites + 4 lakefront apartments
Linden Leaves NZ-made bath products
From NZ$1,400/night. With only 5 suites, the Penthouse books eight to ten months ahead for December–March southern-summer and the June–August ski season. Eichardt's restaurant reservations recommended at booking.
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