Luxury Hotels - Australia & NZ - Hotel Advice Needed

Hi All,

My wife and I are going to be in Australia and New Zealand for 12 nights in July and early August (I know it's the dead of winter and there are better times to go, but my wife is a teacher and hence, our Summer is really the only choice).

DavidO is setting up the trip for me (he is wonderful BTW, I have worked with him on many many occasions for both personal and business travel) and has been really good on suggesting hotels. My question for you all is on the length of stay in each place and if there are any tweaks that I should consider making to the itinerary. The trip is as follows thus far:

July 21 - Depart LAX for Sydney
July 23 - Arrive Sydney
July 23 - Depart directly for Christchurch
July 23-26 - 3 nights at Otahuna Lodge
July 26 - Depart for Queenstown
July 26-July 30 - 4 nights at Blanket Bay in a Suite (confirmed upgrade)
July 30- Depart for Sydney
July 30-August 2 - 3 nights at Park Hyatt Sydney
August 2-4- 2 nights at Wolgan Valley

My main concern/question is whether I should reduce Blanket Bay to 3 nights instead of 4 and extend Wolgan Valley to 3 nights. I have mixed feelings on moving this much, but want to see each of the places. If anyone has any thoughts on this, or if you have "must do" suggestions for any of these hotels, I would appreciate the advice!

Thanks!

Much prefer Wolgan Valley to Blanket Bay, so yes, I would increase nights at Wolgan.

Much prefer Wolgan Valley to Blanket Bay, so yes, I would increase nights at Wolgan.

Thanks for this. Is there any particular reasons for your preference? I understand they are very different properties and settings.

Thanks for this. Is there any particular reasons for your preference? I understand they are very different properties and settings.

I just think that Wolgan is better - it is an exceptional resort in every way. It is also large enough to provide a raft of activities and sights, so I found I needed more time that I originally envisaged.

July 23-26 - 3 nights at Otahuna Lodge
July 26-July 30 - 4 nights at Blanket Bay in a Suite (confirmed upgrade)
August 2-4- 2 nights at Wolgan Valley


My personal favorite was the Farm at Cape Kidnappers, which is amazing in its scale, activities, staff, accommodation, and overall ambience. Otahuna has an amazing chef and very, very personal service, more like being in your own home than any place I have stayed. And the views at Matakauri are to die for.


1. Villa Feltrinelli (Lago di Garda, Italy)
2. The Farm at Cape Kidnappers (New Zealand)
3. Amankora (Bhutan)
4. Oberoi Udaivilas (Udaipur, India)
5. Wolgan Valley (Australia)

I really think three nights at Otahuna is too long if you've only got a total of 12 nights for this trip.

I would stay, at most, for 2 nights at Otahuna. The food is wonderful, as is the staff, but it is a very, very small hotel/property, with much less to soak up and experience than at Wolgan Valley, which is an entire destination that is unlike anything else you will experience.

Plus, it is quite a drive to get to Wolgan Valley from Sydney, so assuming you are going by car, 2 nights there is just not enough to really be able to see everything there and to make it worth the long drive. I think you really want three nights there.

In the winter, there are stretches with no guests there at all, so you might have the run of the place. The excursions are very interesting (the hike up to the glow worm tunnel was our favorite), and you will probably want some time in the superb spa. And the room quality is really unparalleled -- they will be the best accommodations of your trip, really comfortable and spacious for relaxing.

Another option would be to stay 2 nights at the Park Hyatt Sydney rather than 3 nights there, if you're really sure you want to spend 3 nights at Otahuna.

But the last thing I'd do would be to stay 3 nights+ at the other 3 resorts and only 2 at Wolgan Valley -- the epic scale of Wolgan Valley and what they have accomplished with the food, service, rooms, spa, and excursions really sets it above most other resorts worldwide.

IMO if you have never been to Sydney, I would suggest more nights there.

Thank you to everyone for you thoughtful and helpful suggestions. It is obvious that everyone thinks we need 3 nights at Wolgan Valley, so hence, I have asked DavidO to reduce Blanket Bay to 3 nights and increase Wolgan to 3. I appreciate the suggestion that Otahuna might only warrant 2 nights, but after traveling from the US without an overnight, I think we will need 1 of the nights to simply recover and soak up the excellent wines and hospitality. So, 3 nights everywhere it is!

If anyone has suggestions for activities at Otahuna or Blanket Bay (or anywhere else!), please let me know. We are planning on doing the longest and best helicopter tour at Blanket Bay (thinking about Doubtful Sound vs. Milford Sound) and doing either Akaroa (to see Hectors dolphins) or a day trip (probably by car, not train) to Arthurs Pass during our time at Otahuna (in addition to seeing Christchurch).

... We are planning on doing the longest and best helicopter tour at Blanket Bay (thinking about Doubtful Sound vs. Milford Sound) and doing either Akaroa (to see Hectors dolphins) or a day trip (probably by car, not train) to Arthurs Pass during our time at Otahuna (in addition to seeing Christchurch).Good luck just don't predicate your trip on good weather ... it is mid-winter in an area famous for huge snowfalls (20 feet overnight is not unusual at the glaciers) and there will be many days in July when the helicopter won't operate (at least not into Doubtful or Milford Sound). The rest of the time you'll see mostly cloud :) Keep in mind that you are going to a ski destination in mid-winter (I got the sense from your posts that you may think July is summer :) ).

If anyone has any thoughts on this, or if you have "must do" suggestions for any of these hotels, I would appreciate the advice!

Thanks!

Otahuna Lodge is a great place, destroyed twice, rebuilt with a lot of courage. Visit the crater peninsula Akaroa when there.

The drive to Queenstown is long and I would never venture into Glenorchy in winter. Blanket s great but far from Queenstown. Stay in town at the Spire or at the newly opened Matakauri Lodge.

In Sydney the only place to stay is the Observatory Hotel. Wolgan Valley is literally at the far end of the Blue Mountains. Why not go to Tower Lodge in Hunter Valley instead (better weather) or stay nearer on the top of the Blue Mountains, Katoomba at Lilianfels.

P.S.: Please consider before staying at Wolgan Valley that this place is owned by people in charge of a country ignoring human rights, especially foreign labourers, women and gay people. Why give your money to Emirates.

I absolutely love Blanket Bay and love every minute of my stay there.
I'd say 3 night is a good length to stay and relax there, but not enough if you want to experience the activities Queenstown & its surrounding area offers.

We did a Mildford Sound heli tour and Dart River Jetboat tour, both were a lot of fun.
Mildford Sound is a must do, and Dart River Jetboat tour takes you upstream the lake, the tour guide will also show you several sites in Lord of the Rings when they were shooting in Glenorchy.
I also did some horseback riding on site, and that was a lot of fun too.

Do note that Blanket Bay is about 90 minute drive from Queenstown, so if you want to venture into town, this is not the most ideal place to stay.

Spire is a trendy boutique hotel in town, but it doesn't offer lake view.
Eichardt's Private Hotel is in town and lakefront, some rooms have lake view.
I stayed with Azur Lodge, which offers amazing lake view from their villa, but it's a 10-minute drive from town.
We passed Matakauri Lodge on our way to Blanket Bay from Azur Lodge so it's further off from town, but I'd really like to try it next time in Queenstown.

I went in late August, and thought the weather was perfect, did a lot of skiing (not very good snow), but the weather in town was mild and not very cold, and we still get to do all the activities we want to do.

Have a great trip!!

I strongly agree with the recommendation to stay at the Spire (or possibly Eichardt's--haven't stayed there) rather than Blanket Bay. I found Blanket Bay to be a pretty bad value once you get past the wonderful views, and being in town gives you a lot more options for activities as well as dining, which I found to be one of the bigger disappointments of the Blanket Bay experience.

Good luck just don't predicate your trip on good weather ... it is mid-winter in an area famous for huge snowfalls (20 feet overnight is not unusual at the glaciers) and there will be many days in July when the helicopter won't operate (at least not into Doubtful or Milford Sound). The rest of the time you'll see mostly cloud :) Keep in mind that you are going to a ski destination in mid-winter (I got the sense from your posts that you may think July is summer :) ).

Thank you for all the great thoughts and comments. I do know that July/August is Winter in NZ, but as mentioned, my wife is a teacher and her schedule is a lot less flexible than mine, so US Summer is really our only time to do a trip this length.

I am hoping that 1 of our 3 days in Queenstown/Glenorchy will be clear enough for the trip to Milford/Doubtful Sound, as this sounds like a highlight of anyone's NZ trip.

I am also aware of Wolgan's ownership by Emirates, and do take pause regarding the political/human rights record, but in this case, it's more a matter of Wolgan being the only bush resort of this caliber within easy driving distance of Sydney, so we are going to stay there.

With regard to Blanket Bay vs. other properties closer to Queenstown, we are definitely looking for a "lodge" experience and not a city hotel (I can go to Aspen and stay in town for that type of experience), so which of the "nearby" lodges would you all consider to be the very best? Also, how do they rate in your eyes vs. Blanket Bay?

With regard to Blanket Bay vs. other properties closer to Queenstown, we are definitely looking for a "lodge" experience and not a city hotel (I can go to Aspen and stay in town for that type of experience), so which of the "nearby" lodges would you all consider to be the very best? Also, how do they rate in your eyes vs. Blanket Bay?

Others have had more positive experiences at Blanket Bay, but my take is that it's a fine hotel but really, really overpriced. Even though it's definitely not in the same league in terms of luxury, we enjoyed our experience more and thought the food was quite a bit better at River Run in Wanaka. Unfortunately, I can't make a direct recommendation in terms of a similarly luxurious replacement since I haven't stayed at Matakuri yet.

I'm envious as we did a 3-week Australia/NZ trip a few years ago and would love to return. Queenstown was my favorite place of all, and will be great in winter if you like skiing. The Crowne Plaza took good care of us and is well located, but I am sure there are better hotels if you have $$ to spend. IMO the Hyatt Sydney is THE hotel for tourists if you can avoid breaking the bank - Mrs. B has specificially instructed me to get a room with a view next time we are there for NYE. But normally I am not sure I would pay a premium as there are many fine hotels downtown.

I stayed at Matakauri a few months ago for 3 nights, and loved several things about it: the incredible views right across the lake to the peaks, the really comfortable and attractive accommodations, the superb food (perhaps the best I had in New Zealand?). And it is very close to Queenstown, but is in the forest about 15 minutes outside of town on a rise, so it is secluded.

What I didn't like about it: the slightly uneven housekeeping. And the public spaces are all crammed into one lodge building so are not especially spacious or comfortable. There's a small gym and small pool and jacuzzi.

I have not stayed at Blanket Bay, but have driven by, and as it is quite a drive from Queenstown, it feels otherworldly in its remoteness and grand setting. If you are looking for a real New Zealand lodge experience, it seems like it may be a safer bet than the very intimate, stylish Matakauri.

As DavidO is such a fan of Blanket Bay, I think you may do well to trust his recommendation.

IMO the Hyatt Sydney is THE hotel for tourists if you can avoid breaking the bank - Mrs. B has specificially instructed me to get a room with a view next time we are there for NYE. But normally I am not sure I would pay a premium as there are many fine hotels downtown.

FYI - Based on a tip I got on this forum, I was able to book the Park Hyatt Sydney for $310 per night, tax inclusive! I did this by purchasing 3 "Inspire" stay certificates via the Hyatt website. I called the reservation line and they immediately confirmed my desired dates and reiterated that the Inspire certificates were indeed welcomed for my stay.

With regard to Blanket Bay vs. other properties closer to Queenstown, we are definitely looking for a "lodge" experience and not a city hotel (I can go to Aspen and stay in town for that type of experience), so which of the "nearby" lodges would you all consider to be the very best? Also, how do they rate in your eyes vs. Blanket Bay?

I had an amazing time at Blanket Bay, everything was perfect from arrival to departure, for me, the stay was worth every penny and I'd go back in a heartbeat!
So I'd say, Blanket Bay is exactly right if you're looking for a lodge experience