Melissa5

Please recommend accomodations in Dunedin for a quiet & romantic stay? We are there for romance, wildlife viewing on Otago Peninsula, and good eats. Prefer moderate prices.

Hard to decide whether it's better to stay near the Octagon, walk to restaurants, and drive to see the penguins and albatross? Or better to stay out on the Peninsula closer to wildlife?

Which accomodation do you recommend and why?

If you are a local, where is the REAL food (not the tourist food!)

Thanks!

Melissa5

NEW ZEALAND is the country...I forgot to mention that.

itchyfeet5

We just returned from a 6 week trip and spent two nights in Dunedin...by the way, the city is verrrry hilly, much like San Francisco. If you like to do a lot of walking, I hope you are very fit as those uphill streets can be tough.

We stayed at a very nice property on York just two blocks from the Octagon called Motel on York. It is a 5 star property and fairly new so everything was very up to date. Parking is on-site at no extra charge..some of the city hotels charge for parking.We paid $145 NZ. In the city proper we were able to walk to most places. Since we had a car we drove to the Otago peninsula. Saw the Penguins and must say that after some of our other wonderful experiences, we were quite disappointed with this place. Thay do a lot of flashy advertising but it is nothing more, IMO, than a private farmer cashing in on the ecotourism industry. We paid $33 NZ each for what was to be 1 1/2 hour tour. The first 15 minutes was a little talk in a small building on the property telling us about penguins..nothing we didn't already know. Then we drove out onto the property where we were led into three Hides ( a sheltered area where you can observe the penguins in their burrows but they can't see you.) They were so deep into the burrows (which were built by the owner of this venue) that it was very difficult to really see the birds. Then we walked outside to the beach area where we saw more burrows..also with very limited sight. The guide, who told us he is a farm worker/tour guide, then pointed out some fur seals lying on the rocks below. Fur seals can be observed on almost any coastal beach on the east side of the SI at no cost and with better observation. To us this was a big rip-off. We then went to the albatross center. Unfortunately, this was nesting time so they do not allow you to observe them in their habitat. The visitor center had some very nice exhibits and the cafe had very good home-made soup and bread (it was cold and raining so was a real treat. There are a few wildlife tour companies that will take you there for the day but if you have a car I would advise driving as the tours can be pricey. We wanted to take the Taiaroa Head cruise but it was so rough, rainy and choppy that they weren't taking people out. We were there the second week in Nov. Perhaps when you go the weather will be better.

Dunedin was not one of our favorite places.If you want to see penguins, go north of Dunedin to Bushy Beach to see yellow-eyed penguins and to Oamaru to see the little blue pengiuns. Both of these places are the real thing, and do not rip you off. We loved Oamaru because we like vintage architecture. This city has many old victorian buildings and grand old buildings made of creamy white native limestone. The Oamaru city trust is slowly restoring them to their former glorious state, albeit slowly. They also have a vintage steam train that has been lovingly restored and offered rides the Sunday we were there for just $5 NZ from the restored station house to the port. What fun!!

Hope this helps you. BTW, the old Criterion Hotel has been restored and offers rooms to rent. We had lunch there in a beautifully restored victorian dining room and then sat in the similarly restored parlor chatting with the proprietor.

Nick4

I stayed at Motel on York just behind the cathedral near the octagon. It's a relatively new place with decent rooms at a fair price. It's just a short walk to a nice Indian restaurant and an Italian restaurant, whose names I don't remember, but they're on the octagon; two of the best meals I had in NZ.

BTW, wildlife viewing on the peninsula depends on the time of year and time of day you go. I found the albatross center and Penguine Place to be disappointments. I would definitely check with them re: the best time to go. A guided tour around the peninsula may be better. The drive out on the peninsula offers great views and with Larnach Castle made it a fun day.

Melnq8

Nick4 -

Was the Indian restaurant Little India perhaps? If so, it's our favorite restaurant in NZ and has locations in CH, QT, Nelson and Dunedin.

Melissa5

ITCHYFEET5: Thanks for replying. Sounds like Motel on York is a good one. Was it quiet for sleeping at night? I'm a light sleeper. Did you like your room, and which floor/type of room/view/ did you have?

Also, did you feel staying near the Octagon was a good location? What did you dislike about dunedin, other than the disappointing attempts at wildlife viewing on the Otago Peninsula?

Itchyfeet5, sounds like you were disappointed with Penguin Place? Is that where you went? Is that the same as Yellow-Eyed Penguin Conservation Reserve on McGrouther's Farm at Harrington Point? Or are they 2 different places?

I'm wondering if Elmwildlife Tours or Otago Nature Guides is a better way to go? As my husband is a biologist he will want the best penguin views possible (without disturbing the penguins) and if there is a guide he will appreciate a well-informed naturalist.

Itchyfeet5, did you go to Bushy Beach and Oamaru on your own to see penguins?

Thanks for sharing! Oamaru sounds like a nice day-trip from Dunedin.

NICK4: Thanks for your recommendation of Motel on York, also recommended by Itchyfeet5. I see you too were disappointed with Penguin Place. I'm not sure if this is a pattern, but I seem to be hearing from people who enjoyed Elm Wildlife tours, but nobody so far has been excited about Penguin Place.

Any more ACCOMODATIONS recommended for Dunedin? I really appreciate everyone's help with our trip. 8-)

itchyfeet5

Melissa5

Motel on York is about 2 short blocks from the Octagon. They are a 5 star Qualmark rated accommodation and as I mentioned before, very immaculate and well-kept. Their e-mail is [email protected]. In Dunedin there is a very beautiful old Railroad Station within walking distance from the motel as well as a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. We didn't go but some of the people we met said it was no biggie and they thought it was overpriced. Can also take a tour of the Speight's Brewery...we didn't do this one as we were unfamiliar with this brew. We didn't sample it till after we left Dunedin and then drank it whenever we could get it on draught with our dinner and were walking back to our hotel/motel. Mind you, my hubby only drinks beer/ale on rare occasions and I have maybe one beer or a few sips every few years...this was really good.

Restaurants we went to were ob or within a block or two from the Octagon. Nova Cafe is at 29 The Octagon and was recommended by the motel staff. We had a very pleasant meal...pasta and hubby had a very good burger plate for only $NZ33. The other place we ate at was one that was recommended on this blog by several people. Etrusco at the Savoy...8A Moray Place...it is upstairs and is located in what used to be the ballroom of the Savoy Hotel. They make good pizza and pasta dishes and were very reasonable. No gourmet dishes here or at Nova but good, decent meals that won't break the bank. Both were very crowded, a mix of locals and tourists.

Penguin Place is the one on McGrouther's Farm. I have to admit that they seem to have done a fair share of conserving and protecting these endangered species but the place just turned us off. And as I said before, viewing was not great.

We went to Oamaru on our own to see the Little Blue penguins. We included a behind the scenes tour before the actual viewing took place and it was both informative and enjoyable. The entire cost was about 30 US$ for both of us. It was a choice between here and Bushy Beach and this one best fit into our itinerary. We spoke with several people we met at the Blue Pengiun Preserve who had been there and they said it was great.

Elm Tours were highly recommended but since we had our own car, we really didn't want to pay someone to drive us to places we could go on our own. You might check with them, but I think they may take you to the same Penguin Place as part of their tour.
Whatever you decide, hope you enjoy your trip. We loved NZ.

Tim_and_Liz

We also enjoyed a meal at the Etrusco!

jonesy86

being a local i can't say that i would recommend going to oamaru for any reason other than to see the blue penguins which are amazing.
there are so many places to eat out in dunedin that i suggest you just walk up the main street ans back to see which ones take your fancy! personaly i enjoy the terrace and craft bar which are both in the lower octagon or metro which is there also.
there are many indian spots which have all proven to be delish.
The steakhouse also has great food, its a pokey wee place but the meals are a treat, it's on the main drag between to clothes shopd, you won't find it probably unless you look for it so best to get address from the phone book and hunt it down that way.

because i like here i can;t say that i have expreienced many of the hotels on offer. the only one i have is a bed and breakfast on high street called grandview b&b http://www.grandview.co.nz/
its up a bit of a hill but has a really homey relaxed feel to it and gets nice vies of the city, i'd say it's about a ten minute walk to town and the bus service goes right past it if you can't be bothered with the walk back up.

a good place to go for a provate persona; viewing of penguins on the peninsula is sandfly bay

i hope all this info is of use

Merry christmas
Jonesy

mlgb

I went to the Speight's Tour today and give it a thumbs up rating, especially the sampling afterward. I was surprised to learn that there are now 7 different brews. We were able to try 6 of the 7 and all are delicious.

As to Melissa's question, for romance and quiet, I would probably stay on the Peninsula. Hulmes Court, another B&B, is on a quiet street, it does have that cat issue.

Unfortunately no restaurants that are worthy of a recommendation at this point. Maybe I will find one tomorrow, my last night in NZ before returning home.