The Mayfair Having only opened in July this year, The Mayfair is a boutique luxury hotel located just on the edge of the Christchurch city centre. Right by Hagley Park and the Botanic Gardens, the hotel features 67 rooms over five storeys, decked out in minimal yet elegant earthy tones that contribute to a relaxed and modern environment.
There’s an abundance of natural light in the rooms thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows, and each one is equipped with Byredo bathroom products, a 55-inch chrome casting TV and king beds. Larger suites have balconies that look out over the city or the park, and the Southern Alps.
The hotel’s diner, Majestic at Mayfair, serves as both a cafe and a polished cocktail bar, so you can pull up a seat for breakfast each morning or pop in for a pre-dinner drink later on. And if your stay falls on a weekend, settle in for high tea. 155 Victoria Street, Christchurch Central City
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The Observatory Hotel Find this artful, 33-room hotel in Christchurch's historic Arts Centre, a collection of several Gothic-style heritage buildings containing boutiques, galleries and restaurants.
Balancing its heritage with colourful, clean modernity, vivid interiors feature collections of local and national contemporary art, bold fabrics and custom-designed, locally produced furniture.
As the brief was for the hotel to feel like a large home, no two rooms are the same – allowing each space its own personality. Amenities include complimentary breakfast, plush bathrobes, Bluetooth speakers and smart TVs. The bathrooms are modern and well-appointed, most with marble-walled showers – the premium suite has a roll-top bath.
As a guest, you also have access to several common spaces. From the moment you arrive, check-in is carried out in the lavish drawing room, and there’s also a library, gym and fitness centre, plus meeting room facilities. * 9 Hereford Street Christchurch Central City 8013*
Eliza’s Manor In this 1860s heritage building turned boutique accommodation, parts of it still feel like a bygone era. There’s an impressive kauri wood staircase in the foyer along with heavily patterned carpets, gilded-frame artworks, stained-glass lamps and velvet armchairs. Quirky and contemporary touches such as brass animal head wall hooks and amusing artworks keep it fun, rather than being too “wealthy older relative’s stuffy front room”.
The eight rooms are all decorated differently, with Queen Anne-legged chaise longues (some original, some replicas), Victorian-inspired pastel floral wallpaper, stained-glass windows, heavy curtains in rich tones and antique side tables. There are plenty of modern, comfortable touches such as electric blankets, flat-screen TVs, a pillow menu and large, deep baths waiting to absorb your stress.
The hotel’s restaurant is a sister venue to nearby cafe Miro (and has the same owners), offering what they describe as “modern New Zealand” food – riffs on Euro classics such as confit duck leg and beef short rib, made using as many local and from-scratch ingredients as possible. The team even cures, ages and smokes its own bacon.
The Manor is climate-positive with a heavy focus on sustainability, reducing waste and being kind to the environment. This includes everything from efficient energy systems to the honeycomb on the cheese board, which comes from its own bees. * 82 Bealey Avenue Christchurch Central City*