As part of our recent trip to New Zealand’s gorgeous South Island, Matt and I found ourselves spending a few nights in Christchurch. This came about for a couple of reasons, the first being that Matt has tried to fly into Queenstown once a few years ago and had a terrifying landing experience that has pretty much scarred him for life. The second, less weird reason, is that we really wanted to do a road trip from Christchurch to Queenstown to give us a chance to see as much of the South Island as we could in a short time.
With only a few days to spend in Christchurch, we needed to stay somewhere easy, affordable, comfortable and enjoyable. Quality Hotel Elms turned out to be all these things and more!
Location
The hotel is located a short 13-minute drive from the airport, which makes it very easy to get to. We landed very late at night, around midnight, and found it really easy to jump in our hire car at the airport and find the hotel with no problems. The check-in desk is open 24 hours, so we were able to get into our room easily, have a nice hot shower and get straight into bed for a much-needed rest.
Around the hotel, you’ll find all the essential shops you may need, like a service station to fill the car up before you hit the open road. There are also some restaurants, a bakery, convenience store and a few fast food chains a short walk away too. The location of the hotel is perfect for anyone flying into Christchurch who wants to stay somewhere central, close to the airport and easy to find. Similarly, it’s also great for people driving into Christchurch that need to be close to the airport to fly out.
The whole check-in process was easy and seamless, as was the check-out process. We were able to get driving directions from General Manager, Chris, who also gave us some tips on the best places to stop on our way down to Queenstown. That kind of insight from a local is invaluable when you’re travelling!
The Rooms
We stayed in a Deluxe Super King room on the top floor of the hotel and it was a great size, really generous! We had so much room to spread out all our luggage and get comfortable in the room. The room had recently been refurbished, after the earthquakes that devastated the area, and was decked out with comfortable, modern furniture that gave the space a really warm feel to it.
The bed was huge and extremely comfortable, making for a very good sleep after a big day of travelling. The bathroom was modern, classic and really clean with nice fluffy towels, plenty of mirror space and enough space around the sink to unpack all your bathroom essentials. The shower had fantastic water pressure and plenty of hot water too (very important after a travel day!)
The room also had a comfortable couch, a big television with loads of channels, lots of storage space and a great little mini bar with a microwave too. The whole feel of the room was comfortable and enjoyable, like a home away from home. I also loved the views out the window, it was really nice waking up to the blue skies outside and looking over the rooftops of local houses and watching the street below come alive.
I also really liked the eco-friendly focus of the hotel. They were really open and forward about promoting eco-awareness and supplying great quality bath products in the rooms, by eco.logic. Quite often at hotels, you get stuck with average bath products, but that definitely wasn’t the case here.
Dining and Entertainment
Onsite you’ll find the Sapporo Gold Restaurant and Bar which has an awesome, seasonal dining menu. The food looks and tastes delicious and the A La Carte menu includes tasty delights like pan-fried scallops on a crispy confit of pork belly, served with a light hoisin glaze and herb crusted Canterbury lamb rack, served with a medley of roasted winter vegetables, Beauregard kumara puree and mint jus. All the flavours of New Zealand, on one menu!
Breakfast is served daily from 6:30am and offers a simple, delicious selection to choose from. It’s your chance to fuel up for the day with yummy eggs, bacon, tomato, beans and toast then finish it off with pastries, fresh fruit, cereal and yoghurt. I’ll also give you the hot tip right here and now, the barista made coffee is seriously good! If you’re a coffee lover, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how good the coffee is.
The Verdict
Both Matt and I really enjoyed our stay at Quality Hotel Elms because it was just so easy and enjoyable. The whole place had a professional but really relaxed vibe about it. The staff were so friendly and made us feel like asking them a question or just having a chat was no trouble at all, they were so open and welcoming. General Manager, Chris, is a really funny, helpful and enigmatic guy who is very proud of the hotel, and rightly so because it really is a fantastic place to stay in Christchurch.
The rooms are really comfortable, the food and drink on-site are fantastic and, most importantly, the service is fantastic! It was so easy to get to the hotel, so easy to check-in and settle down, so easy to get something great to eat and so easy to get directions on where to go and what to do. Everything about this place is enjoyable and makes your whole stay seamlessly easy.
I’d recommend the hotel as a great place to stay for anyone visiting Christchurch for a few days or more on holiday, this includes singles, couples and families. I’d also recommend it for people in town on business, who need a place to base themselves that’s comfortable and enjoyable.
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