As April gives way to May and temperatures start to dip, winter is well and truly on the march in the South Islands. The good news is all current meteorological forecasts point to a great winter season for the Queenstown Lakes District in 2017! If you and your friends or family were planning a winter getaway to Queenstown this year, now is the time book. Whether you're in town for the brief weekend jaunt or an extended vacation, it always pays to book ahead!

Other than the sheer natural beauty of the landscape and being the global epicenter for adventure sports, the Queenstown Lakes District offers skiers and snowboarders not just one but several skifields with world-class facilities to choose from. Visitors staying in Queenstown will likely want to stick to the two fields run by NZSki - Coronet Peak and The Remarkables, while those staying in Wanaka will opt for nearby Treblecone. Cardrona ski field lies in between Queenstown and Wanaka and is also an option (if you don’t mind the travel).

The beauty of having not just one but several skifields operating in close proximity is that if conditions aren’t ideal at one you can simply move on to another. Also, not all slopes are built the same - some may be geared more towards beginners while others are designed to challenge experienced skiers and snowboarders. Transportation to and from and slopes is easy and convenient, making it trivial to explore and try them all from one’s homebase in Queenstown.

If we go by the words of renowned poet T. S. Eliot, April is the cruelest month - but then again he lived in dreary old London town with its overcast skies and never ending drizzle - so his perspective is understandably skewed. April (and May) in Queenstown, on the other hand, is a wonderful time of year where the cool crisp air and dropping temperatures promises many winter delights to come.

Imagine waking up to a stunning view of the Lake Wakatipu and its snowcapped surrounding mountain ranges in your luxury vacation-apartment with all the comforts of home (and then some). Sipping hot cocoa on the balcony overlooking the lake while deciding which mountain to visit today. It may sound idyllic, but that’s that’s an average day for our guests Highview Apartments. Book now and beat the winter crowds.