Seeking Lodging and Tours advice for S. Island NZ
 

Finally my wife and I have our itinerary for our NZ trip. it will be tight but what the heck.

would like to request recs for lodging in the following areas:
B&Bs and hotel/motel recs are welcomed.
Auckland
Fox Glacier area
Queenstown
Christchurch

Due to time, we are planning to do a day trip to Milford Sound from Queenstown, any good tours to recommend?

We were thinking about Te Anu but we think it's too far and will only increse our drive time.

Thanks.
Jeff

Jeff

Just to let you know. If you are going from Queenstown to Milford Sound by road you will go through Te Anau to get there.

So you wont have to miss it at all.

Steve

Places we've stayed and recommend:

Fox Glacier - Lake Matheson Motel - www.glaciercountry.co.nz/

Queenstown - Villa Del Lago - www.villadellago.co.nz or A-Line Hotel - www.scenic-circle.co.nz/(you might want to request a quiet room at the A-Line, away from the street)

Christchurch - Commodore Hotel (near airport) - www.commodore.net.nz

If you do decide to stay in Te Anau, I highly recommend the Explorer Motor Lodge - www.explorerlodge.co.nz

Have fun!

Melnq8 - Vila del Lago looks great. How was it? Did you have the 1,2,or 3 bedroom? Did you make reservations in advance and pay the rack rate? Any tips you can share on getting good rates, upgrades? ((F))

Earlier this year we stayed at the following Motels (we visit New Zealand at least once a year, always stay at Motels and generally find them of a high standard.)

Auckland: Duke?s Midway Lodge, at $80, a night the Duke?s is an excellent deal for Auckland. The studio style rooms are a little small, but very comfortable, it is also convenient for the airport.

Queenstown: We stayed at the Earnslaw Lodge; we had had excellent advice to book ahead at Queenstown and had done so just in time. We had a very good Motel with beautiful views down Lake Wakatipu and at $120 per couple it was very good value for Queenstown. It is possible to walk into town, but generally we took the car in ? I am blessed with a non-drinking wife! We have stayed at better and more luxurious Motels in Queenstown but the Earnslaw represented excellent value for money.

Christchurch: Our Motel, the Southern Comfort, was pre booked over the Internet for $85 a couple, which is good for Christchurch. Ask for an upstairs unit, our friends had a ground floor unit and were troubled by noises from the upstairs spa bath. We stayed there twice on this holiday and will be back there again next year.

We didn?t stay at Fox, we went onto Franz Josef, where we found it very difficult to get accommodation and eventually had to settle for a Motel some distance out-of-town at $68 a night. I would suggest that you book ahead for accommodation at either Fox or Franz Josef.

Jed -

We've stayed at Villa Del Lago on two occasions now. Both times we booked several months in advance and both times we had the same unit (by request).

We usually visit NZ in September, which is low season. In Queenstown, however, it's still ski season (depending on the snow of course) so rates tend to be a bit higher.

Below I've pasted our impressions of of Villa Del Lago from our stay in 2002. We stayed there again in September 2003, but the rates had gone up to NZ $175 for a one bedroom unit.

We'd booked a one bedroom unit at Villa Del Lago, a new complex of individually owned vacation units. Our unit had unobstructed views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables, and was by far the quietest place we?ve ever stayed in Queenstown. Our biggest complaint about Queenstown on previous visits was the constant road noise. Well, this time we found peace and quiet. Our unit was similar to a condo and it had a queen sized bed in the bedroom, a bathroom with heated floor, tub and shower, a living room with a gas fireplace, TV, VCR and CD player, and a kitchen with refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave, cook top, coffee making supplies, dishes, utensils, pots and pans, etc.

Villa Del Lago is a bit off the beaten path, but only a 25 minute walk from the town center via the Frankton Arm Walkway. Alternatively, you can drive to town and park near Queenstown Gardens, which is a 5 minute walk from the center of town. Parking here is free and unlimited, whereas parking in town is metered and limited to one hour until 6 pm. After 6 pm, there?s no charge for parking in town and it?s a lot easier to find a parking space.

Villa Del Lago, Queenstown ? Tel: +64-3-442 5727, Fax: +64-3-442 9498, web site: www.villadellago.co.nz, Email: [email protected]. We highly recommend this place! One bedroom units rent for NZ $165 per night, three bedroom units on three levels with two bathrooms and huge living area rent for NZ $325 per night ($156)

Jed -

Please note the prices above reflect what we paid for a one bedroom, and were quoted for a three bedroom in September 2002. The exchange rate was much better then (US dollar).

Hi Jed,

We stayed at the New President Hotel just off Queen St. in downtown Auckland. It goes for around $135 NZ for a studio room; I believe they all have kitchenettes. It was fine for our needs.

Lee Ann