Milford Sound Lodging New Zealand

When visiting New Zealand, Milford Sound is one of the most popular attractions of the South Island. However, if you can spare the time to stay, you’ll find that Milford Sound Lodging is limited. Stay at the one and only place surrounded by extreme nature – the Milford Sound Lodge. This is a great place to unplug and enjoy the natural wonders of New Zealand. My husband adores being out in nature. I prefer relaxing at a hotel with a great view of nature. I take shorter walks to enjoy my immediate surroundings. This was a perfect solution for us.

One of the Sound’s large waterfalls enjoyed from the foreshore; photo by Richard Bilow

Milford Sound Lodging

Milford Sound Lodge has it all. The modern studio chalets stand in the midst of a magnificent nature scene. These magical peaks and towering trees appear as enchanting giants standing guard, surrounding the sleek wood clad structures. Our room was perfectly laid out. It had a queen bed, a small but comfortable sofa and a dining table.

The floor-to-ceiling sliding doors gave us a stunning view of the mountains with a beautiful shimmering aqua green river running by. One could sit at either the sofa or the table and marvel at the view. In fact, once my husband rushed out to catch the light for his photography, I stretched out and took in the view from the bed. It was glorious.

Milford Sound Lodging — The Cleddau River that ran by our chalet at Milford Sound Lodge; This was shot down the trail; photo by Richard Bilow

The river was a bit more visible from the sofa. In the morning, after Richard left in the wee hours for another photo hike, the sofa became my throne. I sipped my coffee from total comfort.

I watched as the environment slowly changed in front of me. The river ever so gently washed by. Then the fog settled low against the mountains. Another picture perfect angle came from the dining table. As I dined on the delicious and healthy in-room breakfast, I sat in awe of the scene. The stirring blue snow-capped mountain lit up as the sun rose in the sky. The giants were smiling upon us. Richard was out on the foreshore under clear skies fulfilling his photography dreams. I was in cozy blissful comfort connecting with Mother Nature.

An hour and a half after Sunrise; photo by Richard Bilow

Breakfast

My healthy breakfast at the room was a great start to my day. After all, I had just slept like a baby for eight hours! Both the bed and all the pillows were a good fit for me.

The restaurant was under construction when we stayed at Milford Sound Lodge in the Spring of 2023. So, we missed out on the full dining experience. However, the breakfast that was delivered to our room was delicious. It included fruit, yogurt and oatmeal, along with muffins, croissants and juice. Some of those were our selections made from a few options. The muffins and croissants were both toasty warm. As I often point out – these were definitely worth the calories.

Room with a View

The room had a general warmth to it. Carpeting surrounded the queen bed, as well as the sofa and dining table area. Three beautiful Tui bird sculptures were displayed above the bed. There was a framed photo on canvas as well. It featured one of the many Milford Sound waterfalls. I also admired the amount of natural wood used in the design of the space. The natural materials complemented the black leather headboard and shelf straps as well as the dark fabric of the sofa and gray carpet. Our room had a modern edge with an organic feel. It had a small fridge and French press with coffee, along with a kettle an a variety of teas.

My husband raved about the shower. It had good pressure in addition to the water turning very hot very quickly. It gave his aching back some relief after days of shlepping all his camera gear around. I on the other hand noticed completely different aspects of the space. The heated tiles surrounding the kitchenette and bathroom area emitted warmth, delighting me as I felt it on my toes after taking a hot shower.

Our room did not come with a microwave, but a public kitchen was available adjacent to the office. Milford Sound Lodge has several camper/van sites set away from the rooms. Visitors who rent those sites primarily use the public kitchen.

The Green Project

One more big plus…Milford Sound Lodge is environmentally friendly. I was enthused to learn about the Green Project at the lodge. This is an important priority for me as a resident of our shared planet The lodge created this initiative in 2015 in order to reduce its carbon footprint. The staff told us that the business is also family-owned and did not shut down during covid. The employees were accommodated on site. They did not lose their jobs, despite having no guests at the property for over 6 months.

Find our more about the Milford Sound Lodge on its website – https://www.milfordlodge.com/; Or CLICK HERE for additional articles about New Zealand; ETG also encourages you to visit New Zealand’s official tourism website – https://www.newzealand.com