PLAY

This was like visiting friends we hadn’t met yet! We came for my husband’s 50th birthday. Liz and Doug made us feel so welcome. The cozy cabin was a delight - the wood burning stove is so charming, the beds were comfy and Mr tweens had a blast. Highly recommend booking a sauna session, too. The dinners were incredible and they went out of their way to make a special birthday celebration for us complete with a proper chocolate pudding. Glenorchy is a stunner - an hour and a world away from the bustle of Queenstown.

We had the pleasure of meeting Doug and Liz to help celebrate a family members 50th Birthday. From the get go the experience was exceptionally warm and enthusiastic. This passionate group of professionals created the perfect environment for our festivities. Hand written menus and beautifully curated food set the stage for an amazing celebration. Would recommend to anyone who values a true hospitality experience to make the trek here. Chefboy approves.

Hosts Gabbi, Liz, and Doug were outstanding! We absolutely LOVED our stay at the Great Glenorchy Base Camp. Thank you so much for hosting us and giving us a very memorable weekend. Everything they do here from the cosy rooms, comfortable beds, warm fires, hot showers and (most importantly) absolutely delicious food was 10/10. Outstanding and unique. Thank you 🙏 We will be talking about it for a long time and it will be a hard one to bet that’s for sure.

If I could do more than 5 stars I would ! The cabins are perfect, bedding is luxury, shared bathrooms and shower rooms were much better than we expected. And Liz’s cooking was first-class! Healthy, local, diverse and delicious menu, and she’s a joy. Doug is the ultimate NZ host. You will feel like family on your first day at Alpine Base Camp! And the location across from Headwaters Eco Lodge and 100yards from the General Store allows you to feel “off the grid” without being too far from anything!

We brought a big group to Base Camp and it exceeded every expectation we had. This is my fourth time visiting with Dougie and Liz, but the first time that I feel like I really GOT what they've built - all the other times I've been using them as accommodation, but hadn't eaten there or done other experiences that they offer. This time, we got to eat there every night for a week and see how they've created something genuinely unique. The huts are warm and beautifully designed with real wood-burning stoves and surprisingly luxurious bedding, but it's the communal hall is where the magic happens: Liz, Dougie and the team producing incredible wood-fired meals each evening, served family-style at the long table with named, handwritten menus and a warmth that made every dinner feel like a celebration. Now that I've eaten it, the food alone should be reason enough to visit — hearty, seasonal, beautifully cooked, and always generous. But what truly sets this place apart is the experience beyond the camp. Dougie's knowledge of the Glenorchy area is deep and generous. He pointed us toward walks, spots, and adventures we'd have struggled to create ourselves, and each one was a highlight. He created an custom amazing lakeside fire-cooked meal for us, which worked really well with the kids (we had 10 kids under seven in the group) as it let us return back to put some of them down for naps etc., as well as supporting all the mums and then all the dads to get some quality time away connecting in with each other in nature. The quality of service throughout was remarkable, and everyone felt really seen by the team. A couple of examples: Dougie asked one of our farmer friends who was hard of hearing and struggling with the cacophony of the dining hall to write down a plan for his farm, making him feel included and purposeful in an otherwise frustrating situation. On another day, when all the team were back from a cold day of exploring and in the sauna, he turned up with beers. It's small things like that that just show how they go above and beyond. Add the awesome built environment, waking up surrounded by mountains and lake, and you have something that's hard to describe and impossible to forget. If you value experiences, connection, and being hosted by people who truly love what they do, this is the place.