Fodor's Expert Review Alpenhorn Chalet

This wonderfully pleasant backpacker lodge is in a wooden 1900s villa that's very typical of the small-town Victorian architecture in New Zealand at the time. A log fire in the huge kitchen helps keep the place warm; the bedrooms are centrally heated. At the end of the day, relax in the hot tub or simply sit in the sun—even in winter it can be intense—to bask and read. It's popular with skiers, fishers, and "flashpackers" (well-off travelers who choose backpacker hostels).