After a bit of a struggle with traffic, one-way streets and pedestrians, Johnston Street finally came into view just off of Lambton Quay. Formerly known as the J-Street Apartments, Quest on Johnston served our needs well. Geared towards business travelers, our one-bedroom apartment came well-equipped with kitchen, small living room, table and chairs, bathroom and separate bedroom. A washer and dryer came in handy for washing a few items, but don’t bother trying to dry much as it didn’t work very well.

The apartments are located on Johnston Street just between Lambton Quay and Waterloo Quay and not far from the cable car lower terminal which takes you up the hill to the Botanic Gardens. It is situated about halfway between Te Papa Tongarewa and the Parliament area, perfect for walking anywhere in the city.

The entire apartment was clean and tidy. It didn’t have a great view, but it wasn’t booked for the view so we couldn’t complain. A very thorough booklet about local attractions, the apartments, local restaurants, emergencies, oft-used telephone numbers, groceries, etc. was a very thoughtful touch to the apartments. I found myself referring to it several times during our visit. I filled out the survey they provided—and gave them good marks in 80% of areas (I was a bit annoyed about the lack of a hair dryer and the washer/dryer combo unit wasn’t great!).

Breakfast is not provided to guests with discounted rates so we walked up to the Star Mart on Willis Street to buy breakfast and lunch for three days and some snacks and bottled water for a few days. Once again the booklet left in the room told us exactly where to go for groceries.

Parking can be troublesome. Thankfully when we arrived there happened to be one space left out on the street where it sat until the following morning. The front desk booked car park spaces through a local garage for us the following two days. There really was no need to have a car in Wellington due to its compact central district.

I stayed in a one-bedroom serviced apartment in Hamburg, Germany for nearly five months. Compared to that accommodation, this place would get cramped for that amount of time. The kitchen, with a small fridge and some shelves, and the bedroom, with cupboard space, were sufficient for a short-term stay, but nothing I would want to do long-term.

There was no apartment-sponsored Internet access available through the apartments, but Tom searched for Wi-Fi and found a place offering 24-hours for $10NZ which is a bargain compared to what a hotel typically charges. Quest on Johnston’s website now states that they are working on Wi-Fi for the apartments but doesn’t mention the cost, only saying that it might even be free.

Overall these serviced apartments come at a reasonable rate and I would recommend them on a short-term stay. The location is great for all areas of Wellington and you will find them clean, tidy and well-maintained.