Queenstown, New Zealand, April 2011 – Condé Nast Traveller, UK has named Matakauri Lodge as one of the world’s best new hotels on The Hot List 2011, at a glamorous event in London.

Covering 31 countries from Argentina to Russia, the 65 hotels that made the cut this year were selected after months of careful research, working with hundreds of suggestions that were sent in by the magazine’s correspondents around the world.

Ranging from impeccably-converted centuries-old properties to gleaming, edgy skyscrapers, the winning hotels offer guests a broad range of experiences. All have one key thing in common: they’re clearly going to be the hottest places to stay in 2011.

Having wowed discerning guests with their two outstanding North Island properties, The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs and The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, Julian Robertson and family have opened their third luxury lodge on the shores of sparkling Lake Wakatipu on the South Island. Just minutes from Queenstown, Matakauri Lodge is wonderfully positioned on a knoll flanked by a pine forest, overlooking the glacial lake.The jagged peaks of the Remarkables mountain range serve as a magnificent backdrop.

After a 12-month makeover by acclaimed New Zealand interior designer Virginia Fisher, the property has emerged as an intimate boutique lodge with just 11 suites – all with picture windows to capture the magical views. You can enjoy the same mesmerizing outlook while having a spa treatment, swimming or working out in the gym. Colors reflect the alpine environment: slate-grey external walls with white gutters and trim like the snow-capped mountains; felt-covered chairs and masses of velvet cushions that echo the vibrant autumn foliage. Grey schist walls give a sense of place, and warm, Italian-marble floors continue the link with nature.

Honeymooners will love the seclusion and private terraces of the outlying deluxe suites; others might opt for main-lodge accommodation. Guests mingle family-style over drinks and canapés in the central lodge before dining on chef Dale Gartland’s daily-changing menu of regional produce – perhaps Aoraki salmon or New Zealand lamb – with excellent local wines to match.

Best time of year to visit: November – April

Best Room to book: Any of the 8 Deluxe suites

Location: 20 minutes from Queenstown

Matakuri Lodge and its sister properties (The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs and The Farm at Cape Kidnappers on Hawke’s Bay) are all members of the exclusive and prestigious Relais & Chateaux Collection.

Please inquire how we may include any of these properties on your next New Zealand visit!