Where We Stayed: New Zealand Edition

When we travel, we're not really consistent in the type of lodging we stay in. We definitely make decisions based on what type of trip it is, location, price, etc! Sometimes it's Airbnb, sometimes it's a hotel, sometimes it's a friends spare bedroom or couch :)

I was recently asked about where we stayed in New Zealand. We rented a car and drove around, so we stayed in a bunch of different places.

A few things to note: 

• We stayed in a lot of "motels". Normally, I'd turn my nose up at a motel because that usually means super sketchy!!! But all the motels in NZ were really clean and beautiful, and I believe it means there are outdoor hallways, as opposed to indoor (which was really common).
• We didn't do any camping, but there are definitely options. It's not free camping (where you just pitch a tent anywhere) except a few spots on the South Island, but you can make a reservation at a lot of camp sites. 
• We did NOT rent any Airbnb's in New Zealand, and here's why: location. If we had stayed in Auckland (we crashed with Ashley, so no need for a rental), Queenstown or Christchurch, we probably would have  - but most of the places we stayed were kind of remote or just very small towns where there weren't options. 

Now - Onto the accommodation!

National Park/Tongariro Alpine Crossing (North Island)

Where we stayed: Discovery Lodge, National Park, NZ

How I would describe this lodging: Modest hotel, simple, clean, great location & price. We stayed in the motel bedroom, but they also offer fancier chalets or simpler camp grounds :) 

Why we stayed: It was one of the closest places we could get to the actual crossing. Plus, major bonus, they offered a shuttle service for the crossing (you do the hike one-way, so you need to be dropped off and picked up). We were able to keep our car at the hotel while we did the hike, and were picked up/dropped off directly to our door. It was easy and simple, especially since we were leaving at 5am.

Would I recommend it?: ABSOLUTELY! If you plan on doing the Alpine Crossing (which is New Zealand's best day hike for sure!!!), it's the best place to stay. 

Napier/Hawk's Bay (North Island)

Where we stayed: Shoreline Motel, Napier

How I would describe this lodging: Clean, very simple, balcony view.

Why we stayed: We wanted to check out all of the art deco charm Napier has to offer (seriously, it's gorgeous!). I loved the idea of this hotel because it had a balcony, which was lovely. Our other choice was the Art Deco Masonic Hotel, which was so charming, but sadly booked. I did love our little Shoreline experience. We got a bottle of wine on the way in and drank it on the balcony! A really nice way to unwind after a lonnnnng hike! We also considered staying at this winery, but we only had one night and left the next morning, so I wanted to see all of the beautiful Art Deco buildings Napier is known for.

Would I recommend it?: Absolutely. The price was very cheap (about $80/night) and I loved having the little balcony. It was walkable to a lot of great restaurants, and close to the main Art Deco strip. 

View from our balcony at the Shoreline

Abel Tazman National Park/Nelson (South Island)

Where we stayed: The Sails, Nelson

How I would describe this lodging: Absolutely gorgeous, modern, chic, lux, underpriced, balcony/court yard, mini kitchen.

Why we stayed: We tried to stay closer to Abel Tazman Nat'l Park (where we went sea kayaking), but the options were few and far between. I am so glad we stayed in Nelson! Not only was this "motel" (seriously, not a motel) so beautiful and relaxing, the town of Nelson itself was incredibly charming.

Would I recommend it?: It was one of my favorite hotels I've ever stayed in. We got a 1st floor courtyard instead of a balcony, which I was bummed about at first, but the courtyard is completely private, where the balcony can be seen from the road. This is a family run place, and they do an amazing job. Once again, bring yourself a bottle of vino for the patio. We stayed in the "studio suite" (which is their smallest), but it still had a mini kitchen, which was helpful for us having road trip food.

Franz Josef/Fox Glacier

Where we stayed: Franz Josef Oasis

How I would describe this lodging: Modern, chic, relaxing, great breakfast, in-room fire place.

Why we stayed: This place looked really nice, I'm not gonna lie. And the price was right. Franz Josef is a really small little town, so there's not a ton for options, and many were really run down. This is "out of town", but it's really not even a 5 minute drive, so we didn't care. It was way nicer than anything "in" town. 

Would I recommend it?: Definitely. The "motel" (once again, I wish motels were this nice) seemed pretty new to me, so everything is chic, white, and modern. There's a gas fire place in the room which was so cozy after hiking glaciers all day! They also did great food, which was a bonus, since there wasn't a ton to choose from in town. We did dinner room service once and the breakfast buffet (very European style buffet - breads, cheese, musili, eggs, coffee, fresh fruit, etc) twice and it was wonderful. We were sad to leave.

Milford Sound/Te Anu

Where we stayed: Distinction Te Anu Hotels & Villa, Lakefront Dr.

How I would describe this lodging: Hotel & villas, standard, good location, ocean view or garden view available.

Why we stayed: Our original plan was to stay IN Milford Sound (which is about 1.5hrs away), but all of the lodging (there isn't much) was booked up, as it was Easter weekend. In the end, it actually worked out well because we did a hike on our way out to Milford, and Te Anu definitely has more options for dinner, gas, and groceries. Milford is extremely remote, so it was nice to visit and have a place to go to dinner that evening.

Would I recommend it?: Yes, but I think you could find something a little better. We were limited because of the holiday weekend. We stayed in the garden villa, which was the most affordable, and was fine - just a little outdated. It was clean and worked. I did enjoy the rose gardens outside and the location in Te Anu, which was close to restaurants and the water (we took a few evening walks). However, I think there are nicer places for a similar price if you do some shopping. ALSO - we stayed in the Lakeshore Dr location, but there is one other Distinction Te Anu, which is cheaper but had awful reviews. Be advised.

There you have it, my review of hotels and motels to stay at in New Zealand! Do you have any favorite places you've stayed in NZ?
xo

Non Traditional Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving.... over two weeks late. I hope it was wonderful :) We've been gone since the end of November, but I'm so happy to be home!

We celebrated Friendsgiving the Tuesday before with our Village. I cooked my first turkey and managed not to screw it up! (Thanks, Williams-Sonoma Brine!)

Only 'group photo' we took... whoops. That could have gone better.

Getting ready for dessert!

We had a great time. If you notice all the funny hats, they are from our Christmas Crackers we each had. Have you ever done them? When I lived in London, everyone had them around the holidays and I thought they were so much fun. You always get a paper crown, and some type of toy, riddle or gadget. They're kind of silly, but it's a fun tradition that I stole from the Brits, because it's just fun :) I bought them at TJ Maxx, but have also seen them at Target.

The morning of Thanksgiving, we boarded a plane! We spent 90% of our Turkey Day on three different planes and in four different airports.... whew! Luckily, our second flight had free satellite tv, so I was able to watch the Macy's Parade! Gotta love technology.

I mentioned our Honeymoon in Mexico at a resort called Capella Ixtapa in the Zihuatanejo region. It's beautiful and remote, and we just love it.

there.

We were blessed enough to find that gorgeous resort on a Flash Sale via Jet Setter (seriously, sign up NOW) for about 60% off regular cost, and decided to take a mini-cation to celebrate our first anniversary and have ourselves a non-traditional Thanksgiving. 

We tacked it onto another trip, which I'll explain more about in the next few posts.

But as assumed, it did not disappoint.

We ate and drank to our hearts content, enjoyed every sunset on the balcony, swam in the pool, visited the shops in town, finished a few books and just generally enjoyed each others company while being unplugged. We even saw three whales playing out by the islands in the bay, schools of fish jumping around, and tons of beautiful birds. So pretty!

view from the balcony

inside

outside. Paradise, right?

First sunset.

Reading by the pool!

Enjoying the chips, salsa, guac and cervezas they delivered to our room each night!

Dip in our personal pool.

Down by the hotel pool

Tapas menu and my Diet Coke.... i only drink it in Mexico!

We were really stressed, as you can see.

Matt asked for "Chips and Salsa, Mas Grande" for lunch.... and this is what happened. DELICIOUS.

Sunset.

Never gets old.

bathing suits are on, i promise!

After breakfast one perfect morning.

I mean seriously. What a forecast for November/December!

These are all iPhone pics, I have a few on my camera as well. But I think it's so beautiful, it almost doesn't matter the quality of the pictures!

Can it be our anniversary every day?

I want to go back.... NOW. I asked if the hotel was hiring, and I was only half kidding.... because if I could live there, I think I would! Also, we were leaving Mexico and heading straight to Bozeman, Montana.... aka, the Arctic Tundra. More on that later... but let me give you a hint: 100 degree difference in temperature. YIKES! 

Have you been to Mexico? If you are married, have you ever revisited where you honeymooned?

xo

Wanderlust Wednesday: Ixtapa, Mexico

The only part of the "wedding" process that I was TRULY interested in was - where the heck are we going on our honeymoon!

It was one of the first things i started putting my research into. Venue? Dress? I got to them eventually :)

There are a lot of things to weigh in on your options for a honeymoon: warm + exotic, or cozy + cold? Removed from society or tourist destination? Do you want to relax the entire time, or have activities? There are tons more. We decided on: exotic, warm, slightly removed, and RELAX. This directed us to mexico, the caribbean, the pacific islands, hawaii, etc.

We started searching everything, and it was totally overwhelming. The next question - all inclusive or not? We did the math on some of the nicer resorts vs. all inclusive, and we ended up spending slightly less on drink and food for the week, and we always had exactly what we wanted (some all-inclusives are limiting on the restaurants you can eat at, etc).

Our answer: Capella Ixtapa in Ixtapa, Mexico.

the view

We found Capella through a website called Jetsetter.com and i have to tell you - it's my favorite website on the planet. They only feature five star resorts in the most beautiful places in the world, and nothing they offer is less than incredible. That being said, they also offer them at incredibly low rates (i'm talking $500 a night hotels for $150 at times) - making this a win-win for us. 

Ixtapa is in the Zihuatanejo region... which is about 2hrs north of Acapulco. Zihuatanejo is the beach that they talk about at the end of Shawshank Redemption :) It's a quiet little place on the side of a cliff... 

winning.

This place was true paradise. It's built into a side of a cliff, so each room has an infinity pool. The two large pools at the bottom are for all guests, and they're also beautiful. They have the most kind, helpful staff i've ever met in my entire life. One of the servers HUGGED Matt on our last night there, saying he would miss us. I believe a lot of this success is the low density of the hotel. It only has 50 rooms or so, and each room only has 1 king bed. So it's mostly couples, and you've got 100 people there at a time, max. The resort is large enough to where you'd barely notice. 

The food is probably the biggest reason to visit - it was truly the most amazing breakfasts i've ever had in my life! Roasted eggs, fresh tortillas and tomatoes.... divine. I just recently read an article in Conde Nast Traveler about the top 500 hotels in the world. Capella wasn't only listed as one of them, but it was the only place to receive a perfect 100 score for food and dining.... and i completely agree! Just order everything.

 

And as a little bonus, they deliver house made chips and guac to your room EVERY SINGLE DAY at 5pm. It's accompanied with dos cerveza. Absolutely perfect.

I'm especially reminiscent on our time right now because in one month exactly, we'll be back there to celebrate our first anniversary (a few weeks delayed).

  

This place was heaven on earth for us. I don't think you'd hate it either.
xo