Heaven, here we come...
Good morning sunshine, well actually, the sun was still sleeping when I awoke.
We’re going to New Zealand... Yeay!
We caught the hotel shuttle bus over to the Sydney international airport, found the staff check in desk, and received our boarding passes for Queenstown, always a relief. We missed our big bacon and egg breakfasts at the hotel this morning... oh, hang on a moment, they didn’t do a big breakfast at the hotel... so we ate at the airport. I recommend you skip the airport breakfast it was very ordinary.
The duty free shops beckoned, Lauren needed to buy a camera, I wanted to get another memory card and battery for mine, and of course, the all-important bubbles! (Previously known as Champagne)
The flight to Queenstown was uneventful; they played some crappy movie so I listened to music all the way.
Flying into New Zealand was stunning; we flew over mountains dusted in snow, surrounding beautiful alpine lakes with a smattering of clouds above. I’m in love! As we approached Queenstown, the mountains opened up to reveal Lake Wakatipu and the beautiful green hilly area straight out of a fairy tale that surrounds the airport.
It took no time at all to get through customs and immigration. It was a nice change for the customs staff to greet us with a smile on their face as opposed to dour faced customs agents who treat you like a criminal when you are just going on holiday. The bags were already on the carrousel when we got there too, it was all so smooth and pain free.
We got a surprise by the cost of the taxi to the hotel though, NZD24 for a 5-minute ride.
Oh my God! Queenstown is so beautiful! Even on the bus ride to town, the stunning views assault your eyes and you don’t want to blink in case you miss a beautiful vista. It was as if my eyes had never seen before; the greens seemed greener, blues bluer and everything was clearer, crisper and brighter. Everywhere I looked was a photo opportunity waiting to happen.
After wandering around town for a little while, we headed up the hill to the base of the Skyline Gondola and our ride to the top of Bob’s Peak.
Due to tiredness, Lauren and I, on the way home sat at a non bus stop for about 20 minutes before realising the stop was on the other side of the road. FYI, the bus picks up at the same place as it drops off at the mall in Queenstown. We finally got home and hit the hay after getting our things ready for another early start tomorrow. I turned the light out at midnight... again.
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The quest rooms are basic but with all the necessities. Again, no luxuries but they did provide shampoo and conditioner satchels, and plenty of towels. We had a one-bedroom unit, which had a queen bed in the bedroom and a single bed in the lounge area. The kitchenette had all we needed to keep ourselves fed and watered for the week, and there is a laundry on the property with coin operated washing machines and dryers.
The outdoor pool beckoned, but unfortunately, we didn’t have any time to enjoy a swim. I understand there is a spa pool, but I didn’t see it and there is a sauna you can pre book for half an hour at a time, again, we didn’t have time to use it. This would make the perfect base for a skiing holiday.
The hotel is right on a bus route to town, a single ride cost $3.50 and you can buy a ticket with ten rides for $28. Reception has copies of the timetable. Plenty of parking is available for those with their own car.
My only problem with the hotel is that it is a bus ride out of town. I would have liked to have been closer to the centre of town. It wouldn’t be so bad if you had your own car.
Reception was kind enough to reconfirm all our tours for us and even book one for Laurens spare day. Postcards are available to purchase and there are a couple of vending machines for lollies in the reception area too.
Internet access is also available in the reception area but you need to purchase a code from the reception desk and they had run out when we needed one.
We enjoyed one meal in the hotel restaurant; the view is magnificent, overlooking The Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu. We had a light meal, I enjoyed the loveliest salad and Lauren had the soup, we both enjoyed our meals immensely with a glass of local wine. The bar looked very inviting; however, we were both too tired to go in for a beverage.
The staff made our stay as fantastic as it was, in fact everyone we met in Queenstown were wonderful. I would definitely stay here again if I were coming to Queenstown for any amount of time.
