Hotels in South Island

The most popular cities in South Island are Queenstown, Christchurch, and Lake Tekapo. Nightly rates for hotels in Queenstown, Christchurch and Lake Tekapo are R3 141, R1 860, and R4 344 respectfully.

Novotel Christchurch Airport, located in Christchurch, is the top-rated hotel in South Island with a rating of 8,9. The next best rating is a 8,7 which was given to Holiday Inn Express & Suites Queenstown By IHG by momondo users. The third-highest rated hotel is mi-pad Queenstown, which was rated a 8,7 by momondo users familiar with the hotel.

Hotel prices throughout South Island will vary depending on what city you plan to stay in, but in general you can expect prices in December to be around R3 928 per night on average for a double room. However our users have seen South Island hotel prices in December for as low as R2 322 per night in the city of Christchurch.

Our data shows that hotel rooms in Lake Tekapo are about 57% more expensive on average than hotel rooms in the rest of South Island, with a nightly rate of R3 440.

Our users typically find that Christchurch has the lowest per night rates in the country at just R3 068. Christchurch offers hotels rooms at an average rate that is 49% lower than the average city in South Island.

Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa (R6 756 per night) is the most popular hotel in South Island for families, according to our data. You could also look into booking a room at either Sherwood Queenstown (R3 999 per night) or Novotel Queenstown Lakeside (R4 750 per night) as both hotels are also great for families.

For a couples getaway in South Island, our users often book a room at either Hilton Queenstown Resort & Spa (R6 756 per night), Sherwood Queenstown (R3 999 per night) or Novotel Queenstown Lakeside (R4 750 per night).

As of December 2025, there are 10 795 operators available to choose from for hotels in South Island.

Prices for hotels in South Island refresh daily.