At Luxe Tours we often get asked to recommend a great place to stay in Te Anau before our guests travel to Milford Sound the day after and we have built up some go-to's that we know deliver great service, a comfortable place to rest their head but also a couple with some unique points that make them a class above others. In this accommodation spotlight, we take a look at Radfords on the Lake, located on Lakefront Drive in Te Anau.
We should point out that we here at Luxe Tours have no affiliation to Radfords On The Lake other than them holding our tour brochure, among many others, in their office and having the ability to book our tour for their guests. We have not approached Radfords for this article and the majority of information, especially pricing or room configuration, has been taken from their publicly available website. What is our goal? To highlight an accommodation provider, from a non-bias position, that may be helpful to you
Where is Radfords On The Lake?
Located at 56 Lakefront Drive, Radfords On The Lake is a Te Anau based, apartment style accommodation facility. Its address point should leave you with no confusion as to one of its unique and popular points of difference - it sits right opposite and on the doorstep of Lake Te Anau with stunning views out to the Kepler mountains.
Radfords is 750m or a 10-min walk from the main FreshChoice supermarket, a 400m walk to the RealNZ Visitor Centre to access the Te Anau Glowworm Caves, and just over 600m to the majority of Te Anau's restaurants.
For guests travelling on a Luxe Milford Sound Day Tour, it is a 1.4km walk (20mins) to our departure point at Milford Road Merchant Cafe (225 Milford Road, Te Anau), or a 3min drive.
Who operates Radfords On The Lake?
Locals Kerri & Steve James own & operate Radfords, with Kerri very much the public & guest face of the business. Radfords state on their website: "At the core of our business is family. We are family owned and run and everyone plays their part".
On a sunny afternoon, you will often find Kerri's mum tending to the tidy and various gardens throughout the facility, while daughter Shelley is heavily involved in safety, HR, marketing and management support to give her parents a break.
What room options does Radfords On The Lake have?
Studio Apartment - $350 - $500
Radfords operate 1 x Spa Studio that has a shower over a double spa and with partial lake views. As well as this, they also have three Premier Lakeview Studios spread between two levels of the building and all with mountain/lake views.
All of the studio apartments are suitable for two people only and it is a super-king bed. Each of the rooms have a small kitchenette, 40" flat screen TV with SkyTV, a pod coffee machine and other amenities such as hair dryer, speaker or ironing board.
One Bedroom Suites - $390 - $530
These rooms range from 58m2 to 68m2 and have a seperate bedroom to the main lounge & kitchen area.
There is a super-king bed for two as well as a sofa couch and while the room is more suitable for two people, it can be requested to used the sofa-couch when booking.
Prices vary greatly depending on the specifics of the room such as a lake view, or size and very clearly the time of year being booked in (December - April is peak season).
One Bedroom Access Suites - $390 - $485
Suitable for all access including wheelchair, this ground floor one bedroom apartment can sleep up to four people with a super-king bed and a sofa couch.
The room is 58m2 in size and has full garden views, as well as partial lake & mountain views. The bathroom is large & spacious for wheelchair access with a full suite of support options such as handrails and a wheelchair accessible shower.
Two Bedroom Apartments - $590 - $760
The largest of all options is the two bedroom apartment of which there is one located on the ground floor, and then three Premier Lake View suites on the top level.
These rooms can sleep up to 6 with each of the two bedrooms having a mix of super-king, king and single beds as well as a sofa couch in the seperate lounge. All of the rooms are 88m2 in size with a kitchenette and generous sized bathroom.
Prices vary greatly depending on the specifics of the room such as a lake view, or size and very clearly the time of year being booked in (December - April is peak season).
Is Radfords On The Lake's Pricing Fair?
Radfords on the Lake is considered a 5-Star Apartment/Hotel Accommodation and on Google Reviews it has a 4.7 star average as reviewed by previous guests.
If we compare a Radfords 58m2 One Bedroom Suite against another hotels who claim to be 4-star, on the same street, with lake views and a slightly smaller size room at 50m2, we find that Radfords comes out about $50 -$100 cheaper depending on the time of year.
When comparing Radfords Studio Apartment, likely a popular choice for couples staying one or two nights, we find it is bang on price comparable to other hotels on the same street (Lakefront Drive).
With Radfords having a higher Star Rating and Google Review Rating, we consider Radfords pricing to be fair for the area.
On the same street, Lakefront Drive, here is the Google Review breakdown of accommodations either side of Radfords (who has a 4.7 Star Rating):
Fiordland Lakeview Motels: 4.8 Star
Kingsgate Hotel - 3.8 Star
Distinction Hotel & Villas - 4.8 Star
Edgewater - 4.1 Star
Lakeside Motel & Apartments - 4.8 Star
Anything I Should Be Aware Of?
We have noted that Radfords on the Lake's two bedroom apartment pricing is at the steeper end of what you would find in Te Anau. This room is designed for six people and so the cost can be split up a bit but comparisons down the same street show it is at the upper end out of available options.
We expect that a room like this would be very popular, especially for families who do not want to stay in an AirBNB property, which would be really the only other option.
Our Experience with Radfords On The Lake
Luxe Tours has had several of our Milford Sound tour guests staying at Radfords on the Lake recently and here's what they reported to us:
"Wonderful views right out the front window and off the balcony."
"Kerri the host was just lovely and very helpful with us finding things around town."
"There is nothing we could fault with the room - spotless, warm and very comfortable bed. We would definitely stay there again."
Our own perception of Radfords on the Lake is an accommodation facility that is well maintained and always appears naturally inviting when you come in off Lakefront Drive. We also noted the following:
Plenty of parking space with notably wide spaces, not crammed in against each other.
Very tidy and well kept gardens that show a commitment to upkeep and an eye for detail.
The office was well run with a tablet doorbell of sorts that then pages the on-call reception host, with them responding that they "are on their way".
Friendly, energetic and very professional service with a big smile also from the hosts.
Radfords On The Lake's Website and Booking.
You can of course book through sites such as booking.com or trivago.com, however at Luxe Tours we always recommend booking direct with the accommodation, attraction or tour provider for several reasons:
You have more control over your booking, changes, amendments or any extras you would like from the provider.
Customer service is direct prior to arriving, you can talk to someone onsite at the accommodation and get very quick and detailed answers or information.
Sites such as the above can take up to 30% of fees or commissions from the provider. In Te Anau most providers are local families - we high recommend supporting them by booking direct. You will find that the same refund, cancellation or change policies still remain.
The key to a good website is answering a customers questions quickly and without the customer having to search high and low for that answer.
We find their website very professional and simple. When you first arrive, it takes only a couple of scrolls of the mouse to find that accommodation that is offered at Radfords. Question one answered.
One of the most logical steps a potential guest might take next would be to view one of the rooms and what it offers.
When clicking through to one of their bedroom offerings, in this case the Studio Apartment and the most popular room they have, all information is displayed within an A4 size space including the type of Studio Apartment available, some clear photos of all the spaces in the room, and then a full breakdown of what the room includes. We found this simple to navigate.
Once you head through to the booking page, everything seemed fairly typical of what to expect for most providers when booking, but one feature we liked was the ability to do a specific date & availability search for a specific room.
This was particularly helpful for the wheelchair access room and the two bedroom apartment where you would expect a bit more travel planning to be needed for groups in need of such a room. The guest can easily see on one calendar when that specific room is available, answering their question easily and quickly.
Would Luxe Tours recommend Radfords On The Lake?
Yes - we do recommend Radfords On The Lake if you fit into the following traveller:
Wish to stay on the lakefront with mountain or lake views from your room.
Wish to stay close to, but not right inside, the main street of Te Anau.
Your budget range starts at $350 per night.
You are a couple, things start to get towards the upper end of budgets when choosing to stay here as a family or larger group.
Service, care & local hospitality is important to you.
To explore and potentially book your stay at Radfords on the Lake, you can do so here direct on their website: https://www.radfordsonthelake.co.nz/
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