stormysunshine5

Hi All!

I am currently knee deep in planning a month long trip to Australia and New Zealand this June and July. I have all of the flights booked, but now I am faced with finding hotels for all of our stops! I have crammed a ton into the itinerary, and I know that most will think it is too much, but our goal is to see as much as we can in the time we have.

The basic itinerary we have is: 2 nights in Nadi, Fiji; 3 nights in Melbourne; 4 nights in Port Douglas; 3 nights in Sydney; 1 night in Christchurch, 2 nights at the Franz Josef Glacier; 3 nights in Queenstown; 1 night in Wellington; 1 night in Rotorua; 1 night in Auckland; 3 nights in Tahiti. I know it is a lot in very little time. We only added the extra nights in both Fiji and Tahiti when we realized we were going to have layovers there anyway, so we just extended the trip to take advantage of it since the flight cost would stay the same.

What I most need help with at this moment are the hotels. There are so many options. And, with so many areas to research, it has been hard to narrow down where to stay in each place. Basically price is a consideration, but we also want to keep in mind location and services (free wifi, parking, etc.).

What I am considering:
- Fiji: Sofitel Denarau Island (with the limited time we have I know that I want to stay on the main island rather than going out to a more remote one)

- Melbourne: Cape Otway Ecolodge (already booked for 1 night)
Need a place in downtown Melbourne as well for this leg.

- Port Douglas: The Newport on Macrossan

- Sydney: Sofitel Sydney Wentworth

- Franz Josef: Rainforest Retreat

- Queenstown: Coronation Lodge

- Rotorua: Novotel Rotorua Lakeside

- Tahiti: Manava Suite Resort or Hilton Moorea

Has anyone stayed at any of the places above? Would you recommend any of them? Any better suggestions?

I haven't really checked into hotels in Wellington, Christchurch or Auckland yet. I know that we would like to be pretty central to the city; walking distance to restaurants, shops, bars and sights. Any advice?

Thanks in advance for any help! I really appreciate it!
-Nicole

Susan7

Wellington, I'd recommend the Museum Hotel it's close to Cuba st which is where the restaurants and bars are. It's opposite Te Papa the all-purpose museum.

tt7

In Melbourne, try the Novotel on Collins.

Melnq8

For Christchurch I recommend Merivale Manor. Walking distance to the Red Zone (CBD and center of earthquake damage) but easy access to airport and main highways. Ask for a room in the back if you're a light sleeper as Papanaui Road is pretty noisy. You might want to look into a Segway tour of the earthquake damage or alternatively, you can walk from Merivale Manor and then do a self-guided tour around the Red Zone. It will make you appreciate all that Christchurch has been through.

We've also enjoyed our stays at Del Lago and Salerno motels in Christchurch, but both had the same road noise issues.

Queenstown - our biggest issue with QT accommodation is the noise from the main street (surprise!). I've not stayed at Coronation Lodge, but just googled it and it looks very nice - road noise shouldn't be an issue as it seems they're a bit back from the main road.

Enjoy NZ.

Deno111

Hi Nicole,
I hope you have a great trip. I have stayed at quite a few places in Melbourne. The 2 I like the most are:-
Self Contained apartments - http://www.shortstay.com.au/index.php

Quest on little Collins - http://www.questapartments.com.au/Ac...o/Welcome.aspx

The short stay apartments are at Southbank, but very modern and not that old.

Enjoy.

patandhank

We will be staying at the Manava Suite Resort in April of this year. I'll post back and let you know what we think.