We like to splurge on our vacations. We've stayed at some fantastic places over the years. Some have been worth it, some have not. I find that those that have been worth it are the ones that really enhanced our experience, e.g Four Seasons in Bali, Ngorongoro Crater Lodge in Tanzania. But some of the places, though they were nice, they just weren't necessary, e.g. Fairmont in Kansas City, Mandarin in Honolulu. In those places, I would rather have saved the money and just stayed in a basic, decent (and of course clean) room. Hopefully, that makes sense to someone other than me.

Basically, I would like to know if you think the following properties are worth it and why. And if you thought they weren't worth it, what would you suggest as an alternative. I know it's all a matter of opinion, but I'm interested in other people's opinions. I've read all of the tripadvisor reviews on these places, but I thought I might try to get more input here.

Here are the places we're thinking about:
Greymouth/Hokitika: Kapitea Ridge or Villa Polenza
Glaciers: Westwood Lodge or Franz Josef Glacier Country Retreat
Te Anau: Fiordland Lodge
Glenorchy: Blanket Bay
Queenstown: Azur or Eichardt's

Thanks so much!

Dear williams44, I am completely with you this one. To me, I am willing to pay extra to stay at something nicer. I am planning my NZ south island trip in Feb. and am curious what you stayed for your trip. I also checked out Azur (it's listed on Luxury Link), but at NZ$1400 per night, it's out of my price range (we can go up to US$500 a night). Thanks in advance for your help!

You might check out Wilderness Lodge
http://www.wildernesslodge.co.nz/
There are two. We stayed at the Arthurs Pass Lodge. The lodge is remote, and all inclusive. Some guests were confused as to included activities, but I think they just didn't read the web site very well, probably not at all. If in doubt, call. They are extremely friendly.
We were very pleased. While the actual room was rather average, though with a great view, the resort offers so much. We opted for the included sheep excursion which was thrilling. We were rained out of a birding expedition in the am. Weather gear is available. You are in the "high country." The evening astronomy was great.
The dinner was fantastic, and the table company quite interesting. All in all, a great stay. While the web site says two night minimum, we called at the last minute and got one night, on our way from Christchurch to Fox Glacier.

You can checkout my report on WL Lake Moereki. Part 4. Highly recommended. http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34602230

Hey jhw,

Sorry, it's been a while since I visited these boards. And sorry again but I can't give you any advice because we haven't gone on our trip yet. We won't be going until July or August. I'm a bit of an early planner.

So far we haven't booked anything.

Villa Polenza is closed, so we will likely go with Kapitea Ridge. Last I checked on the website, their rates are NZ$280, $430, $530 (about US$185, $285, $355) (including breakfast and GST)

Westwood Lodge- NZ$295, $320 (about US$200, $215) (including breakfast)

Fiordland Lodge- NZ$520, $640 (about US$350, $430) including breakfast, dinner and GST

Blanket Bay- NZ$1290, $1990, $2390 (about US$864, $1333, $1600) including breakfast, pre-dinner cocktails, and dinner

Azur- luxurylink, US$430/night based on minimum bid for 3 nights (including breakfast, afternoon tea, evening cocktails, transfers to Qtown and GST)

Like I said, we haven't booked anything, and we may go someplace other than Azur if we want to stay someplace in town.

I'm also planning on emailing the reservations department directly. I find that sometimes they can give better rates that way. We're also going in low season, so I'm hoping that they'll have low season rates.

If you end up going before us, let me know where you end up staying and what you thought.

Hello - taking a look at paces you've stayed, I think we have similar tastes! I just got back from Queenstown and the ONLY place to stay there is a fairly new hotel The Spire. It is BOMBASTIC BEAUTIFUL. I have more info about it at http://www.bombasticlife.com/psp_new...the_spire.html I checked out Eichardt's while I was there too. It's nice but I think The Spire is the best. Good luck and have a Bombastic time. Let me know where you end up staying and how you like it!