Driftaway Queenstown opened in early 2022. It is located in Frankton, around 10 minutes drive from the centre of Queenstown, close to Queenstown airport.
With camping facilities, cabins with shared bathrooms, family units and studio units, Driftaway Queenstown provides a range of budget-friendly lakefront accommodation options
They are also taking sustainability seriously. The Driftaway Queenstown site is run on 100% renewable energy with the usage and waste tracked and monitored so that it can be actively reduced year on year.
58 solar panels offset 20% of the energy consumption, all the units have courtesy EV charging stations and electric campervans will be able to be accommodated in the future.
Checking into Driftaway Queenstown
Driftaway Queenstown’s check-in process was super simple thanks to a registration form emailed to me after I booked online. The team were also kind enough to text me when our Studio Self-Contained Villa was ready, several hours before the official check-in time.
Our beautiful modern villa had a queen bed, lake and mountain views, a private bathroom with beautiful Huia products, and kitchen facilities which included thoughtful touches such as a Nespresso machine with coffee pods. Staying at the very start of the winter ski season it cost less than $185 per night which felt like a bargain.
I slept notably well but was unaware until I wrote this review that the luxurious bedding and pillows are special – made by New Zealand owned and operated Vendella who make their DreamGreen range from recycled plastic bottles spun into a soft hypoallergenic microfibre yarn.
The villa was new and very warm, somehow retaining a lot of heat with the heater on the lowest setting on a night where the temperature went below 0 degrees Celsius.
The wifi worked well across the site and we made good use of the kitchen which saved us a lot of money compared to eating out.
At every stage the communication was excellent with texts and emails from pre-check in to post check-out.
Driftaway Hot Tubs
The private Stoked Stainless Driftaway Hot Tubs on the same site are rented by the hour. The water is heated to 38 degrees using solar power and heat recovery systems. The tubs are emptied and refilled for each booking and guests are provided with towels and drinking water.
Anyone can rent a Driftaway Hot Tub but a discount code for 50% off is provided to guests staying at Driftaway Queenstown.
If you’re a solo traveller you’ll need to find a buddy as hot tubs can only be booked for two or more people for safety reasons.
While each hot tub facility contains a toilet and basin, they don’t have showers which I think would be very helpful for visitors not staying there. If you’re up for an icy plunge in the lake to cool off it would be possible but not as simple as simply running straight out from the hot tub.
The google speakers which were hooked up to Spotify were a fantastic addition, meaning you can ask for whatever music you like to be played without leaving the hot tub.
Staying at Driftaway Queenstown was fabulous and much more cost effective than staying in the central city. If you’re travelling without a vehicle you can also catch a bus or water taxi into the city centre.
