NZ lodges and spas top-notch

Five New Zealand spas and luxury lodges have been voted top-notch by the magazine Conde Nast Traveller (UK).

Huka Lodge near Taupo made the magazine's annual Gold List for its ambience and design, Kauri Cliffs golf resort in Northland for its facilities, and Blanket Bay lodge in Queenstown for its food.

The Polynesian Spa in Rotorua was voted the seventh-best spa medical and thermal resort in the world (up two places from last year), while newcomer to the list, La Spa Naturale in Paihia made it to No 10 on the list of Australian and South Pacific spas.

The Gold List is compiled by the travel magazine's editorial team, based on votes for its readers' choice awards last year, after 20,000 readers completed a poll.

Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said accommodation and spa providers named in the awards should be congratulated.

"It is always especially pleasing to be named in magazines of Conde Nast's calibre - the sorts of people who read the magazine tend to be the group of people we target with our marketing," he said.

Conde Nast Traveller (UK) is the British version of the internationally distributed, United States-based Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

- NZPA