Editor Pick
Hotel SO - Coolest Hotel EVER
- October 6, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
Red Mezz from Inverness, Scotland
I have long been of the opinion while travelling that if you only stay in one type of accommodation on your journey, then your missing out on something important. Despite the fact that I’ve left my home country in seek of a year long round the world experience, and my funds will largely limit my trip to staying in backpackers, hostels and other means of cheap accommodation, I have the pleasure in this review of touting the exception to that rule.
We arrived in Christchurch on the way to our first work experience in New Zealand, which made our little stay in the city our last little bit of self indulgence before we headed into mountain country to get used to backpacker life, and therefore decided to stay in somewhat nicer accommodation and really enjoy the city at it’s best.
I have since heard that the backpackers and hostels in Christchurch are actually quite good, and many come highly recommended. But I am still thrilled at our little splurge, as Hotel So (found almost by accident while checking a booking site) has turned out to be the single coolest hotel I have ever stayed in to date – and quite possibly out ranking even the Vegas hotels as my favourite place to stay.
When first I stayed in Hotel So I was only a week into my New Zealand trip, and even more new to the South Island, but since then I have returned for a second visit to this wonderful hotel, and it has become even more apparent to me now what a true gem it is, given what you normally would get for a similar cost.
The list of positive aspects that make this probably the best little hotel in New Zealand are numerous in the extreme, and I hardly know where to begin – but as it will be a traveller’s starting point, I’ll begin with the location.
Centrally situated on Cashel Street right in the very city centre, it could not be easier to get to, to find, or to sight see from. There are two bars near by, and more restaraurants and cafes with in five minutes walking distance than you could visit in a week. (Not to mention a beautiful and top notch bar, café and restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel itself) If you are laden with luggage from a flight and with out a car you can easily take the airport bus to the corner of Cashel Street (where there is also a train station) and get off with in five minutes walk of the hotel. If you do have a car, there is a large indoor parking garage next door to the hotel which you can get a discounted 24 hour rate if you stay at Hotel So.
The hotel itself is not only extremely cool with it’s funky décor and brilliantly compact layout, but is also impeccably kept and very well run. On both of my stays here the staff have been extremely helpful and welcoming.
Hotel So is a rather new concept hotel, with the wonderful notion of keeping the hotel itself streamline and compact (the rooms are small, which is the only drawback some people might find) in order to keep the prices down. There is nothing unnecessary here – but everything you want. There is free internet access (a thing nearly unheard of anywhere in New Zealand) on the shiny new Mac computers in the roomy lounge, or wireless in the rooms and lounge. The rooms have no minibars, but a small fridge to keep your beverages and snacks in if you wish. There is also a large and pristine kitchen and lounge area if you wish to cook your own meals.
Each room comes with a kettle, hairdryer, and iron – but tucked away, and some of the doubles have a mini desk for using your computer on.
But the thing that really sets Hotel SO apart (other than the very, very reasonable price of $69 a night for singles and $89 for doubles) is it’s extremely cool décor. The whole place is color coded with mood lighting and backdrops. The shower units in each room are of frosted glass half circles which give the whole thing a very cool spacey feel – not to mention that you can change the mood lighting of the whole room with a button right at your finger tips. Have a shower in red – if your feeling quite hot, of keep the whole room glowing purple if your in a more mellow mood. (or any of the four other colours) The room is rather small, but your great flat screen TV mounted above the bed and all the mirrored walls make for a more spacious feel. There are more little touches than I can mention here, and it’s best that you find them all for yourself when you visit. Hotel SO is a part of the city that is almost as much a thing to see as it is a place to stay.
From journal So There's More to Christchurch than Just Great Restaurants...