Queenstown Journals

New Year in Queenstown

Best of IgoUgo

A January 2003 trip to Queenstown by Jack Ventura

The Parkroyal Queenstown Photo - Crowne Plaza Hotel Queenstown, Queenstown, New Zealand

Quote: The votes came in from family and friends. We chose Queenstown for New Year’s Central. We planned around it and took trips to the Southern Alps and the tropical fjords of the South Seas, bungee-jumping and para-gliding. Kia ora!

20 Photos

Crowne Plaza Hotel Queenstown

Hotel | "Parkroyal Queenstown"

Quote:

The Parkroyal Queenstown is probably the best high-end hotel in Queenstown. The room rate was NZ$290. Hey, it’s New Years!In a town where level, buildable land is a premium, the Parkroyal has a drive-up entrance. We could’ve driven our vans around and up the hill to the rear of the hotel where there’s a carpark on the roofs of the hotel’s sixth and seventh floors, but valet service was well worth the tip. What the hey, it’s New Years!Upon greeting the front desk of an elegant lobby I asked for the Manager, with whom I had had email, fax, and phone conversations. The news of a turnover in the manager’s position was at first foreboding, but the hotel’s st...Read More

The Parkroyal Queenstown is probably the best high-end hotel in Queenstown. The room rate was NZ$290. Hey, it’s New Years!

In a town where level, buildable land is a premium, the Parkroyal has a drive-up entrance. We could’ve driven our vans around and up the hill to the rear of the hotel where there’s a carpark on the roofs of the hotel’s sixth and seventh floors, but valet service was well worth the tip. What the hey, it’s New Years!

Upon greeting the front desk of an elegant lobby I asked for the Manager, with whom I had had email, fax, and phone conversations. The news of a turnover in the manager’s position was at first foreboding, but the hotel’s staff turned out to be both friendly and professional.

I had a fruit basket and welcome card in my room to greet me, a nice gesture. All of Parkroyal’s rooms have spacious, roofless balconies, but the views from the 1st, 2nd, and maybe 3rd floors might be disappointing, compared to the upper floors. Whichever floor you’re assigned, and even if you’re not staying at the Parkroyal, you must take the elevator to the 5th floor. When you step out, you are assaulted by arguably the best 180° panoramic view in all of Queenstown. My room was on the 5th, but it was a rear corner room. Not a great view, but I was more than content.

The 4th & 5th floors have the hotel’s extra facilities. Guest laundry machines are on both. The washers take NZ$2 coins; one dollar coins will last 30 minutes for the dryers. The front desk can provide a package of detergent for a dollar, too. The sauna is on the 4th. Both facilities are open from 7am to 10:30pm. Other hotel amenities include safety deposit boxes, ski lockers, a tour desk, and an Internet-connected computer.

The hotel serves a good breakfast buffet from 6am to 11:30am, your choice of full breakfast for NZ$24, or a continental selection for less. The hotel’s restaurant, Bentley’s Bar & Brasserie, serves dinner from 6pm-10pm; lunch starts at 2:30 to 4:00, depending on the season. When I walked in there around midday, it was mostly empty. I asked the tender of a cozy bar at the entrance whether or not she could make a cappuccino. Not only did she make a delicious one, it was gratis.

Another instance of the hotel’s generosity is the rate reduction I received. I’m not above begging, and to my request, the Reservation Supervisor was not able to change the room rate for New Year’s Eve, but she did lower our two additional nights to NZ$220.

For the room you get, that is a good rate. There’s the expected amenities: hair dryer, iron & board, extra pillows & blankets, in-house movies, etc. The refrigerator was well stocked. The instant tea and coffee selection was generous. I loved the terry bathrobes. But, the best amenity of all is in a refrigerator next to the ice machines: New Zealand’s milk. There’s no label regarding fat content, but it is so good that it validates New Zealand’s moniker: "Godzone". Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on January 31, 2004

Crowne Plaza Hotel Queenstown
Beach Street
Queenstown, New Zealand
64 3 442 7800

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Heartland Hotel Queensland

Hotel | "A-Line Hotel"

Quote:

Stanley Street descends steeply into Queenstown and halfway down is the narrow entryway to the A-Line Hotel. I missed it on the first pass and had to double back, which became a test of my unpracticed handbrake-n-clutchwork. The parking lot of the hotel was also small and pitched, difficult to maneuver in for our large vans.We spent only one night on our first arrival in Queenstown, to familiarize ourselves with the lay of the town, to buy tickets or make reservations for the various activities we’d enjoy later, and to rest up before continuing further to Fiordland. A-Line’s room rate of NZ$120 made it a good choice.The hotel has rooms in cute little alp...Read More

Stanley Street descends steeply into Queenstown and halfway down is the narrow entryway to the A-Line Hotel. I missed it on the first pass and had to double back, which became a test of my unpracticed handbrake-n-clutchwork. The parking lot of the hotel was also small and pitched, difficult to maneuver in for our large vans.

We spent only one night on our first arrival in Queenstown, to familiarize ourselves with the lay of the town, to buy tickets or make reservations for the various activities we’d enjoy later, and to rest up before continuing further to Fiordland. A-Line’s room rate of NZ$120 made it a good choice.

The hotel has rooms in cute little alpine A-frames. And I thought we’d be staying there. Instead, we were assigned rooms in the Trellis Wing. I think it’s called that because all the rooms have balcony views overlooking Stanley Street toward Lake Wakatipu. I wasn’t disappointed.

Nice rooms. Functional. Clean carpet. The bed was comfortable and the closet had extra pillows. Other furniture, including a small table, was showing considerable age, though. In addition to large sliding glass doors that led onto a balcony, my corner room had another bay window above a sitting alcove. The bathroom is nondescript, but a hair-dryer was provided. I have to have a coffee pot. And a refrigerator, though I know well enough to leave the stocked wine bottles alone. I did not expect to use the iron & board in the closet either. Nor, the room’s brand new heater. The phone, alarm clock, and a small TV with no pay-per-view were very basic room complements.

The A-Line Hotel also operates Aurum Hotel & Suites next door. They’re part of Scenic Circle Hotels, a cooperative of ten hotels throughout New Zealand. Their central reservations number is 0800-NZ-OWNED (69-6963). Their website is www.scenic-circle.co.nz.

Don’t know about my travelmates, but I didn’t take advantage of A-Line’s guest laundry machines, fitness center, sauna, or spa pool, all unsupervised facilities. I peeked inside the Hillside Brasserie, normally open from 6am-10am and from 6pm-9pm. The cozy decor suggested that the restaurant makes an effort to serve good food. It provides the room service; though mostly just snack food during the afternoon hours. One way to order room service is to fill in a menu the night before and leave it hanging on your room’s door knob.

It’s really a very short walk, but the hotel provides a complimentary shuttle service to Queentown’s center with a simple call to the reception desk. I liked the small hotel lobby, dominated by a huge, open log fireplace. The lobby bar, with access to Hillside Brasserie, opens at 3pm; it’s where you go for a bucket of ice.

There were just three flaws with my overnight stay. First, any outgoing telephone calls will affect your checkout bill. Second, there’s a lot of vehicle traffic on Stanley Street, late into the long summer nights. Third, the hotel desk mistakenly called my room around midnight. Even so, I think we all woke very early the next day feeling refreshed and excited. Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on January 31, 2004

Heartland Hotel Queensland
27 Stanley Street
Queenstown, New Zealand 9348
+64 (3) 442 7700

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Winnie's

Restaurant | "Winnies"

Quote:

You have to love an eatery with such a whimsical name as Winnie Bagoes. Oops, I meant "Winnies". It seems the American motorhome manufacturer recently got wind of this and sent them a cease & desist letter.Located smack in the middle of a pedestrian-only street called The Mall, it’s one of the best alfresco dining and people-watching places in all of Queenstown. I wanted an upstairs balcony table, but there were six of us. We sat at a picnic-style table and benches of thick, rough-cut wood. If it hadn’t been so heavily lacquered, it would surely be covered with penknife graffiti.Open from noon to 11pm daily, Winnies is a restaurant with two persona...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on January 31, 2004

Winnie's
7-9 The Mall
Queenstown, New Zealand
442-8635

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Kiwi, and Other New Zealand Wildlife

Story/Tip

Kiwi Cutout Photo - Queenstown, New Zealand

Quote:

At the end of Brecon Street, at the foothill of Bob’s Peak, is the terminal for the Skyline Gondola. There are a number of other attractions there, too. My little niece raved over the two miniature golf courses, one indoors and another outdoors across the street. I was a bit surprised that I was the only person interested in seeing a real live kiwi. I think that a destination’s wildlife speaks strongly of the character of that place. With this enigmatic creature, to the extent that New Zealanders refer to themselves as "Kiwis", it couldn’t be more true. The place to see one in Queenstown is: Kiwi & Birdlife Park Brecon Street PO Box 643 Queen...Read More

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New Year's Eve at the Skyline

Story/Tip

Skyline Gondola Photo - Queenstown, New Zealand

Quote:

During my planning for this trip, I sent an IgoUgo guide an email asking a not-so-easy question. I wanted to know how best to count down toward the 2003 New Year in Queenstown, New Zealand for a group of family and friends, ranging in age from 3 to 70, maybe 20 of us in total. She generously replied and I accepted her suggestion. Thanks to dawn, we had a grand time! I wasn’t so sure whether we all would converge, but in 2’s and 3’s and 5’s through the evening, everyone made it to: Skyline Gondola, Restaurant, and LugePO Box 17Quee...Read More