As I was reading in The New Zealand Herald about the Crown View Bed & Breakfast near Queenstown, New Zealand, which was named the best B&B in the South Pacific, I thought of the last B&B my wife and I stayed in Queenstown. This was our last stay in New Zealand before making three fantastic flights back to Michigan (Queenstown – Auckland, Auckland – Los Angeles, Los Angeles – Detroit), and we wanted someplace memorable. And we found it at the Hikurangi Lodge.
The Lodge was easy to find. We turned off Highway 6A and up a few very steep streets to be greeted by an incredible view of The Remarkables mountain range and Lake Wakatipu. Shirley and Barry were incredibly nice and accommodating – we had arrived late from a drive from Dunedin, and I had forgotten to write down the phone number before we left home to let them know we’d be late.
We slept in the Remarkables Room and couldn’t have asked for a better view. With the lake and mountain range in clear view, we had beautiful sunrises and sunset. We were even blessed with a few rainbows during our stay. It was without question the greatest view I’ve ever had from a hotel / B&B room.
Shirley made great breakfasts every morning and Barry was available to provide us information about the local area or book excursions for us. Whenever we would return to the Lodge from a hard day of relaxing, we always felt welcome, like we were visiting friends and not staying at a B&B.
We will not return to New Zealand for several more years, but when we do, the Hikurangi Lodge will definitely be on the list of places to stay.
ABetterStay Blog said on February 12th, 2010 at 3:01 pm
While traveling all across Europe and The US I have found that my favorite memories are of staying in cute cottages, cabins and challets. I totally recommend booking one. Great post!