The lodge had its start as temporary housing for workers involved in construction of the Lake Coleridge hydroelectric plant. This beginning has dictated the layout of the facility. Most of the rooms in the main structure are small, designed to house single construction worker who shared common bathrooms. The rooms are connected by a single hallway that extends from a common great room. A dining area has been added to the main structure, and a former bedroom has been opened and converted to a bar area that adjoins the great room. In addition to the rooms in the main structure, there are two outbuildings that serve as cabin-type accommodations with en suite bathrooms.
We stayed two nights. The first night was spent in one of the cabins, the Mountain View room. It was clean and comfortable, with a queen-sized bed, toilet, sink, shower, and television. The room was a bit small for our purposes, as we had clothes and backpacking equipment to clean.
The second night was spent in a standard room in the main building. This was even smaller. We paid for a designated bathroom of our own, but it was separate and down the hall from our room. The room was not soundproof at all, as we could hear anyone walking or talking in the hallway. It also lacked coffee service and television.
The lodge offers meals, the cost of which are in addition to room charges. We ate all three meals there. The food was very good and accommodated our vegetarian dietary requirements; but it was a bit pricey at NZ $45 per person for the three course dinner, NZ $25 per person for breakfast, and NZ $15 per person for lunch. Taking everything into account, the meals were a positive attribute of the lodge.
The couple who runs the lodge lives in an attached structure. The husband handles check-ins, the bar, food service, and pretty much everything that involves direct interaction with guests. The wife handles the cooking. They accommodated our dietary restrictions, and provided us transport to Christchurch (for a fee, of course).
Our impression of the lodge is mixed. The managing couple was nice, the lodge was clean, and the food was good. But the rooms were small, privacy on the second night was lost to hallway noise and a separated bathroom, and the lack of other dining options imprisoned us to the lodge and its fixed meal schedule (however good the food, that is always restrictive).
So, would we stay here again? If we needed to stay in Coleridge Village, the answer is “yes.” Would we go out of our way to stay here? To that, the answer is “no,” as the lodge itself is not a sufficient draw. But if faced with a night in Coleridge Village, this is a good place to stay.