Where to Stay for the NZ Golf Open 2027: Queenstown's Best Luxury Bases for Open Week

The 106th New Zealand Open returns to Millbrook Resort from 25-28 February 2027. Four days of championship golf, alpine scenery, and a field of the world’s best players teeing off across the Coronet and Remarkables courses. It is, as ever, New Zealand’s premier week in professional golf, and for those who prefer their base to match the occasion, the properties below are the ones to know.

Set in the Wakatipu Basin and its surrounds, each offers something distinct: lakefront serenity, hillside drama, architectural pedigree, or lodge-level scale in a private setting. What they share is position, quality, and the kind of space that makes a week, not just a tournament, out of the trip.

Spaces fill fast for NZ Open 2027. Below, our picks.

Luxury Queenstown Accommodation 

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Matariki Residence

Sleeps: 12 | Distance to Millbrook: Approx. 20 minutes

Set high on Queenstown Hill, Matariki Residence takes its name from the Māori New Year, a fitting namesake for a property that feels as much a celebration as a stay. Six king bedrooms spread across three generous levels, with front-facing suites waking to lake and Remarkables views, and a rear terrace wrapped in native flora providing a quieter counterpoint.

The second floor is where groups gather: dual lounges separated by an indoor fireplace, a formal dining area with its own bar setup, and a professional-grade kitchen anchored by a floating breakfast bar. The hidden media room, accessed through what looks convincingly like a pantry, is a fun detail that will surprise and delight the little ones.

A short scenic stroll or a chauffeur-arranged transfer puts you in the heart of Queenstown and everything this vibrant hub has to offer.

Lake Hayes Retreat

Sleeps: 12 | Distance to Millbrook: Approx. 5–7 minutes

Positioned directly on the shores of Lake Hayes between Queenstown and Arrowtown, Lake Hayes Retreat is one of the most characterful properties in our collection, and one of the closest to the course. Five minutes to the first tee; considerably longer to want to leave.

The design is contemporary and considered: a curated art collection, retractable floor-to-ceiling glass running the full length of the building, and a private wine cellar to greet you on arrival. The master suite occupies its own wing, with a freestanding tub, steam shower, and walk-in wardrobe, while three further queen suites and a bunk room upstairs give groups flexibility without sacrificing privacy. A hot tub on the lakefront terrace and an outdoor fire pit handle the evenings festivities.

World-renowned Amisfield Winery and Bistro is minutes away. Ayrburn, the region’s most celebrated multi-venue food and wine destination, is a short drive. So is Millbrook - tick, tick. 

Hawks Nest

Sleeps: 10 | Distance to Millbrook: Approx. 15 minutes

Designed by Mason & Wales, Hawks Nest is an architecturally striking property that earns every bit of its reputation. Set hillside above Lake Wakatipu with expansive views across the water to the mountains beyond, it offers five bedrooms, six bathrooms, and an amenity list that makes returning to base after a day at the Open genuinely appealing.

The ground-floor New York-style bar is the après-golf anchor; a sauna and wellness room with lake views provide a quieter retreat. The kitchen, two ovens, five-burner gas hob, scullery with ice machine, is built for groups who want the option of staying in, while a wood-fired outdoor oven and built-in pizza station handle evenings in the garden. A PlayStation 5, full media setup, and branded Hawks Nest honey from the property’s own hives are the kind of details that give a villa its personality.

For the NZ Golf Open 2027, Hawks Nest is the choice for a group that wants the full week in total comfort and style. 

Homestead Bay, Queenstown

Sleeps: 14 | Distance to Millbrook: Approx. 25 minutes

Set on the shores of Lake Wakatipu at Jack’s Point, beneath the uninterrupted backdrop of the Remarkables, Homestead Bay operates at a different scale. Six bedrooms across several wings, five with en-suites, a walk-in wine cellar, a library nook, multiple lounges, and over 25 kilometres of walking and cycling trails starting from the door. Jack’s Point championship golf course is a short drive.

The design balances grandeur with genuine livability: multiple outdoor terraces and a covered pergola with fireplace make the most of the lakefront position, while the layout ensures groups of up to 14 can share space without crowding it. For Queenstown accommodation that feels more lodge than villa in scale, Homestead Bay is the answer.

Twenty-five minutes to Millbrook. Some of the finest evening skies in the Southern Lakes from the terrace.

Threepwood Escape

Sleeps: 6 Distance to Millbrook: Approx. 10 minutes

Set on a 1.5-acre working farm in Lake Hayes, Threepwood is a self-contained guesthouse with uninterrupted views of the Remarkables and a pace that makes it easy to forget there’s a golf tournament on at all. Two queen bedrooms, a full kitchen, a private deck for outdoor dining, and an eight-person hot tub that comes into its own after dark, when the lack of city light turns the sky above the Wakatipu Basin into something worth staying up for.

The Lake Hayes walking track starts at the property boundary, one of the region’s most scenic loops,  and the Gibbston Valley wine trail isn’t far beyond. Coronet Peak and The Remarkables are twenty minutes by car; Millbrook, considerably less.

For those travelling with clubs in tow, secure storage is on-site. For those who’ve been talked into the trip under slightly different pretences, the tennis court shared among Threepwood’s residents provides a reasonable alternative.

Beyond the Tournament: Te Arai Links

Not near the Open — but the reason to extend the trip.

For the true golf traveller, the NZ Golf Open 2027 is a natural anchor for a longer itinerary. And the most compelling addition is a detour north to spectacular Te Arai Links.

Set alongside a pristine stretch of New Zealand coastline 75 minutes north of Auckland, or a breezy 25 minutes by helicopter, Te Arai features two pure links courses of genuine world standing. The North Course, designed by Tom Doak, and the South Course by Coore & Crenshaw, both appear in the global top 100. Firm and fast fescue fairways shaped by coastal wind, majestic sand dunes, and ocean views across some of the country’s finest surf beach: it is, in the language of those who take this game seriously, a pilgrimage course.

Stay options range from ocean view rooms and two-bedroom coastal cottages to four-bedroom villas, each with breakfast included. On-site dining at Ric’s at the Ocean rounds out a destination that functions as a full retreat, not just a round.

For those travelling from afar for the NZ open golf, pairing Queenstown with Te Arai turns a long-haul trip into one worth planning well in advance.

Beyond Golf: Queenstown in Autumn

The 106th NZ Open falls in late February, and timing is on your side. Autumn arrives in Queenstown with a particular kind of beauty: the poplars and willows along the Wakatipu lakeshore and Arrow River corridor turn amber and gold, the vine rows of Gibbston Valley shift to rust, and the hills hold a clarity that summer’s haze obscures.

Ayrburn is the non-golfer’s essential. Set in a carefully restored 1870s farm precinct, it brings together multiple restaurants, a wine bar, and event spaces across heritage stone buildings on the Arrowtown edge, a destination in its own right, and the natural pre- or post-round dinner.

Amisfield Winery and Bistro on the Lake Hayes Estate road remains the regional benchmark for Central Otago Pinot Noir paired with serious cooking. Lunch on the terrace in late February is an argument for extending the stay. Let us arrange a private tasting for your group - well worth it. 

The Lake Hayes walking track which runs directly past Lake Hayes Retreat, offers a flat, scenic morning circuit through the willows at their autumn best. For something more ambitious, the Arrow River trail into Arrowtown is one of the region’s finest easy half-days.

For the group that wants activity beyond the fairways: Coronet Peak operates late-season snowless trail experiences, and helicopter access to remote high-country picnic spots or fishing sites can be arranged through us. 

Book Early

These properties fill quickly for NZ Open 2027 Queenstown accommodation,  particularly during tournament week. Our Travel Designers are already coordinating Open week itineraries, from private chef bookings to tee time arrangements and helicopter transfers.

Contact us today to secure your preferred property.