Staying at the Wanaka Hotel

Wanaka Hotel, in Wanaka. Photo / Ben Taylor

How to get there: From Queenstown we drove over the steep and winding Crown Range Rd, enjoying the outstanding Central Otago scenery. Yellows, browns and reds everywhere.

Check-in experience: Warm, basic, and very friendly. It helped that the hotel had great parking around the back.

Wi-fi: Yes.

The room: Small, but bigger than expected, warm and clean, a tad dated. They forgot to replace our towels on one occasion but were very apologetic.

Also on site: Beanies Cafe and a slightly tired Mexican restaurant named Amigos.

What's in the neighbourhood: The Wanaka Library and Centre, Tussocks homeware store, a liquor store with prices that made my eyes water, and Bullock Bar, which didn't get rowdy at all.

Food and drink: We enjoyed Relishes cafe a few steps down the road and Federal Diner around the corner. Both boasted fantastic food and good staff.

Watching the sun rise in Wanaka was spectacular. Photo / Tennessy Weir

Bathroom: Poky. The toilet was too close to the wall. But the shower had great water pressure and the bathroom was spotless.

The bed: Big, firm and comfy.

Noise: The hotel was jam-packed but there wasn't much noise to report on, except for the odd toilet flush from the neighbours or footsteps from the room above.

What's so good: The garden was beautiful and we loved the amazing sunrise .

What's not so good: Windows left open all day and evening after a room service.

Value for money: Definitely. Right on the lakefront and it's a quick stroll to all of the shops.

Would I return? Yes, it was clean and warm and in a great location.

CHECKLIST

The Wanaka Hotel is at 71 Ardmore Street, Wanaka. Phone: (03) 443 7826.