I guess i'm going to post a lot of messages in this forum from now on!!! we are going to be in december 2001 in the south island for 14 days for our honeymoon. We have booked the flight, and also the car; with the accommodation we are having a bit more of problems... we would like to stay in nice places, with nice views... and not too expensive !!(around 120 NZ$) - i've found some very nice b&b but my fiancee prefers to stay in lodges/motels/hotels, preferably with no backpackers (nothing against them!!!! but it's a honeymoon and we would like to stay in quieter places...) <BR> <BR>it would be be great if anyone could advise any nice places in: <BR> <BR>1. punakaiki (were looking at the paparoa park motel) <BR>2. Franz Josef glacier <BR>3. Te Anau <BR>4. Dunedin <BR>5. Christchurch <BR> <BR>Also we would like to stay in a nicer(and more expensive) hotel in Queenstown (3 nights). Any suggestions would be appreciated. <BR> <BR>Thank you for your help. <BR>anna <BR> <BR>

anna: <BR>We stayed at the Rydges Hotel in Queenstown. A 4 star hotel overlooking beautiful Lake Wakipitu. NZ$100 per night for a double. Walking distance to downtown. Be sure to take the TSS Earnslaw evening dinner cruise. Very romantic. <BR>In Christchurch we stayed at The Grange House. A quaint B&B, again within walking distance to the CBD. However it has no scenic view. <BR>I suggest you look up the city of Dunedin official web site for accommodations there. We stayed at a hotel there that left a lot to be desired, old and musty. Later, while touring Dunedin by motor coach, we didn't see any that were a whole lot better. We did enjoy Dunedin though and recommend a visit. Very Scottish. Be sure to tour the Otago Peninsula. Quite breathtaking. <BR>John <BR>

John:<BR>My husband and I plan to visit Dunedin in October. What hotel should we avoid per your message above???

all of them - the standard isn't great in Dunedin - spend the equivalent money on a B&B

Hi Anna <BR> <BR>I can understand your problem regarding accommodation. You want it quiet, private and intimate but not cold and inpersonal. In my estimation what you want to be able to do is to take advantage of the friendly Kiwi attitude but have your privacy. You can get this with some properties and I would like to recommend Boutique Lodgings of New Zealand. They only list 160 properties but ones like Pear Tree Cottage at Queenstown would be ideal for a honeymoon; Willow Cottage at Wanaka;The Gardener's Cottage at Geraldine check out http://lodgings.co.nz <BR>Kerry

Hi Anna <BR> <BR>Dunedin - This was one of our favorite stops but we did not stay in the city (it is a bigger busy city). We stayed out on the Peninsula at Larnach Castle Lodge. They have a website. Our room was a nice size, studio ceiling, balcony, even our bath had a great view. I think they only have about 12 rooms. We were there last November, the view was beautiful of the whole peninsula. I cannot remember the name of our room but it was great. They do have pictures on the web, I know we had a daughters room. You can tour the castle free while staying there. It is about a 20 minute or so drive into the city. We ate at two great restaurants in town. One was A Cow called Berta, the other off hand I cannot remember. Post back if you are interested. <BR> <BR>Akaroa - You might want to consider a night or two here. This is a small french fishing village about an hour or hour and a half from Christchurch. We stayed at Loch Hill Country Cottages. Individual stone and timber cottages, some with fireplaces, on a hill overlooking the harbour of Akaroa. A wonderful restaurant which you should probably book in advance is C'est la Vie. Only about 10 tables, very reasonable and very good. Loch Hill made the reservation for us. <BR> <BR>Franz Josef - There are really not too many options here. We stayed at the Punga Grove Motor Lodge. Walking distance to the helicopter services and restaurants. It had a kitchenette and a sitting room with a garden window overlooking the rainforest. Very reasonable also. <BR>