New Zealand Motels

Smurf71

Hi all,

Can anyone help? As part of our upcoming holiday to Australia and New Zealand over November and December, we will be self driving through the South Island of New Zealand for just under two weeks. I've hired a car through Apex

I had read on the forum that a lot of the Motels in NZ are great value, and so we were particularly interested in staying in this type of accomodation because of the ensuite bathroom and private catering facilities.

Our route will take in Wanaka, Queenstown, Te Anau and Franz Josef. Doing some research I've come across the Bellavista chain of motels. Has anybody here stayed with them and if so, what are your views on them? They work out pretty reasonable on a nightly basis (£45-55 per room). Or is there any other motels or chains that we should consider as well.

Appreciate all advice on this, and many thanks for reading.

bobsmum

We spend a month in NZ every year (December) and when not staying with family, use motels a lot. Have stayed at several of the Bella Vista chain (including Hamilton, Christchurch and Evans Bay in Wellington) - all much the same design, clean and spacious, good parking, usually in a central location etc. We usually have a studio - we occasionally got given a 1 bed apt for the same price if the place was quiet (ie Hamilton on Boxing Day night!).

Most NZ motels are of a very high standard and are good value for money - many have full kitchens or fridge/microwave/kettle etc. Many have spa baths, sometimes in the room itself - just the thing for tired feet after heavy sightseeing. Try looking at the Jasons website - they publish a large motel guide with loads of listings - do not waste money buying this when you arrive as all motels have copies they will give you for free - pick up one at your first stop! I think the AA also do a similar guide.

There are not many large chains of motels - most are independently owned or managed. You might find sticking to the Bella Vistas every night a bit "samey" - you can see from their website they are all built to almost exactly the same design/plan, but at least you know what to expect.

Just be aware that over the Xmas/New Year period, everywhere will be busy, especially the popular tourist destinations like Queenstown, Wanaka etc, so you will benefit from booking ahead. We are usually touring in the first 2-3 weeks of December and generally have had no problems getting a motel on the actual day, but I would recommend booking ahead over Xmas/NY.

HTH - you will be exploring a spectacular part of NZ and I'm sure you will love it! Have a great trip.

Smurf71

bobsmum wrote: »

We are usually touring in the first 2-3 weeks of December and generally have had no problems getting a motel on the actual day, but I would recommend booking ahead over Xmas/NY.

HTH - you will be exploring a spectacular part of NZ and I'm sure you will love it! Have a great trip.

Many thanks for the advice-greatly appreciated!!

We're actually travelling from the 2nd Dec to the 15th Dec around the South Island, so I'm just wondering would I be better (and cheaper) to just book on the day, as opposed to booking well in advance?

Many thanks.

kunekune

Hi Smurf71,

Generally, at that time of year you should be able to just wing it. We lived in NZ for 20 years and the only time we ever failed to find a motel in the town we wanted was the Easter weekend. We just used to get in the car, and go, and then choose something we drove past. They are great value for money, you can choose how fancy you want, and do your own cooking - the kitchens are basic, but there will usually be a hob and an electric frypan, plus some utensils. There is always a fridge, no longlife milk - and the owners normally leave milk, tea and coffee for you. School holidays start just before Christmas and run till the end of January, so there won't be a lot of domestic tourists about. I don't know how much difference it makes to price to book ahead, but the main advantage of the choose-as-you-go approach is that a lot of them won't be on the internet at all.

I'll probably be back in NZ when you are there - but no touring for me, I leave here on a Monday, get there Wednesday, rest Thursday, have a conference Friday to Sunday afternoon, and fly back on Sunday night!!! I have short legs and don't mind the flight ...

colino

Sorry, didn't use that chain but we meandered around using wotif.com to check out accomodation and combining that with contacting hotels direct, we were always happy on the places we stayed.

Smurf71

Thanks for the advice so far guys.

Think we are going to use a combination of cheap motels and hostels whilst we are there. Looks really great value.

kunekune

Another option you might not know about is "cabins" at campsites. They are like little wooden chalets, usually with bunk beds. You tend to find them at sites in areas where people go all year round, as they are a bit more weather tight! NZ campsites rarely have static vans for hire, but they will often have 4-5 cabins.

Smurf71

Great advice again Kunekune, many thanks! Have been able to select a few motels through the Jasons website that looks really good value! Think we will use a mixture of hotels, motels and hostels during our two week visit!!

Thanks for all thats posted so far-brilliant stuff and much appreciated.

onefootmotu

Hi, we lived out there for a few years and did a fair bit of touring, mainly in our camper but we used cabins and motel rooms at holiday parks too, mainly when we needed a good wash and a comfy bed!! The good thing about the parks is they tend to have more facilities, swimming pool, launderette etc which can be useful if you're travelling a lot and it's warm.
https://www.holidayparks.co.nz is a good site, with all types of accommodation
At Franz Josef we stayed at the Rainforest Retreat Holiday Park which was fab and something a bit different.
Have a brilliant time, it's such a great place.

Smurf71

onefootmotu wrote: »

www.holidayparks.co.nz is a good site, with all types of accommodation
At Franz Josef we stayed at the Rainforest Retreat Holiday Park which was fab and something a bit different.

Just looked at that site and that Park thanks to your post, as we were planning to stay at Franz Josef. The park and accomodation looks fantastic and exactly what we were looking for. And very reasonable as well!!

Many thanks for this-very much appreciated!! Am look for something similar for Wanaka, Queenstown and Te Anau!:T

bobsmum

Hi again Smurf71 - sorry for delay in re-posting, have been over in NZ for two weeks, got back yesterday!
I totally agree with what kunekune says about cabins and with "winging it" with bookings - for 2nd to 15th Dec you really should have no problem getting either cabin or motel accomodation - it's more of a problem over Xmas/New Year problem.