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This is another top-class New Zealand hotel. Knowing that we don’t have a rental car in New Zealand this time around, it is only ideal to stay somewhere in the heart of the city. This is especially when I have saved all my shopping at my last destination. OK – here comes my favourite of the three New Zealand hotels! The Ascott Metropolis! This is my preferred choice of luxury New Zealand accommodation. Why? Location, Location, Location! Right in the heart of the city yet not bothered by traffic noises. This New Zealand hotel, more known as a luxurious serviced apartment, is tucked at Courthouse Lane, near to the shopping district of High Street and Vulcan Lane. And if shopping is not your game, go for a gust of fresh air at Albert Park, which is just across the residence.

I like the elegance of The Ascott. The service is personalized and warm. I find the staff very helpful, attentive and friendly too (you can tell the minute you walk into the door). We booked a high floor studio apartment facing the harbour for our last two nights in Auckland, after returning from Christchurch. We enjoyed the views from our apartment. Our room is stylishly furnished, spacious, cosy and comfortable. With a fully-equipped designer kitchen, we could enjoy some home-cooked dinner too.

This New Zealand hotel is perfect for families (like us), business travelers and holiday makers. Travelling with little Clayton requires us to take short breaks in the room. The location makes it so convenient and easy. With Albert Park next door, Alex would sometimes take Clayton out for a stroll while mummy shops leisurely (a mum’s delight!) I must not forget to mention that The Ascott is near to many restaurants and cafes. With the Link Bus stop close by, you can visit many city attractions (hop up and down the bus, as often as you like) or just simply enjoy a city ride for free.

For those who like to do some grocery shopping in the city, Foodtown, a huge well-stocked supermarket is only 15mins walk away. This is great if you need to do some last minute shopping for families and friends back home. After a long day of shopping and sight-seeing, just head for the 22m indoor heated lap pool and simply watch the city lights at the balcony.

This is a wonderful place to have a vacation… relax and recharge in comfort and luxury.

I have been rather impressed with this suite-style hotel during my New Zealand hotel accommodation search. Other than the full kitchen, the main attraction for me is its location at the viaduct harbour. I have wanted to stay near the waterfront. The Sebel Suites is a new style of luxury New Zealand accommodation in the upmarket category.

Priced at $NZ200 onwards (depending on season and room choice), you can choose from the studio, executive or one bedroom suite, facing either the city or marina. Be prepared to pay more for marina views. We stayed in a one bedroom, marina view suite on the night returning from the Bay of Islands.

The room is spacious for the one bedroom suite. There is a designer kitchen, a cosy dining area and a comfortable living room that opens to the balcony. Our balcony overlooks a ‘partial’ marina view. If you like a superb view of the marina, you need to opt for the Deluxe Suite. This comes with a price too. If you are self-driving, there is no car-waiting area at The Sebel Suites. So you would need instructions from the reception to drive to the undercover parking.

This is the first of New Zealand hotels we stayed in Auckland.

The unique feature about this small business hotel is that the rooms come with a fully-equipped kitchenette, which is why I am attracted to it. You can choose from a deluxe room to a two bedroom apartment. Rates for a Deluxe King Room is priced around $NZ150. The weekday rates is slightly cheaper than weekend rates.

Our room is cosy, nicely furnished with quality touches. It has a balcony that overlooks either the city or Myers Park. We were allotted a room at the second floor and unfortunately, it overlooks a public car park. I suppose that’s considered a ‘city’ view. So make sure you state your request clearly when checking in. There is an outdoor heated swimming pool and gymnasium which we did not have the time to utilize.

I managed to prepare some food for Clayton in the little kitchen. We had a good sleep on the comfortable king bed. On the overall, this is a good place to base yourself if you don’t like the hustle and bustle on city living. It’s about 5-10 minutes walk to Queen street though it is not close walking distance to the main attractions located in the city.

Here are 10 tips for a New Zealand Motoring Holiday, courtesy of Mike O Brien:

#1 Learn The Rules Of The Road

First and foremost, remember that New Zealanders drive on the left side of the road and drivers yield to traffic approaching from the right side. This can be confusing at first, but most drivers adapt quickly. Other important rules to keep in mind are that the speed limit on open roads is 100 km or about 62 miles per hour, and that seatbelts are required for both passengers in the front and rear seats of any vehicle. New Zealand authorities strictly enforce their drinking and driving laws, and photo radar is frequently used to ticket speeding drivers.

#2 Check The Insurance Coverage

Most reputable rental companies quote rental rates that include the basic insurance to cover damage to the vehicle. Supplemental insurance is usually available for purchase to cover additional damage like chipped or broken windshields. Insurance policies issued in other countries are not valid within New Zealand.

#3 Have Your Driver’s License Available

Before renting any vehicle in New Zealand, you will have to present your current driver’s license from your home country. If the license is not written in English, you will be required to provide an English translation. An international driver’s license is not required in New Zealand, but if you plan to stay for longer than one year, you will need to apply for a New Zealand driver’s license.

#4 Rental car company representatives are trained to provide assistance to travelers when determining routes and destinations.

Ask for maps and guides, and don’t forget to keep the rental car company’s phone number handy in case you need help along the way.

#5 Allow Yourself Enough Time

While New Zealand is not the largest country in the world, there are few destinations that offer such diversity in its natural and cultural landscapes. If you are only able to spend a few days or a week in New Zealand, you might want to focus on touring one island. If you have several weeks, consider developing a theme for your journey such as exploring national parks or wineries. You can literally spend a lifetime discovering the wonders of New Zealand; so don’t try to pack everything into a short visit.

#6 Take It Slow

While the roads and highways in New Zealand are generally very well maintained and signed, they are frequently winding, hilly, and narrow. Allow yourself plenty of time for driving between destinations, and take extra precautions when it is raining, snowing, or icy. Snow chains are required on some South Island roads during the winter months.

#7 Book Your Ferry Crossing In Advance

Most travelers want to explore both the North and South Islands. When renting a camper van or car, you have two choices on how to make the journey. You can leave your North Island vehicle in Wellington and pick up another one in Picton on the South Island, or you can drive your vehicle onto the ferry itself. It is generally more expensive to place your vehicle on the ferry, but it is more convenient. During the peak season, spaces on the ferries book up. Thus, it is important to make your reservation as soon as you can. Ask your rental car company for assistance. If you are prone to seasickness, try to schedule the first ferry of the day when the waters are most calm.

#8 Take Advantage Of Information Centers

Many cities and towns in New Zealand have information centers that provide excellent help to travelers. They can give you information on local sites, attractions, lodging, and restaurants. Frequently, these centers also have internet services, clean restrooms, and postcards for purchase.

#9 Meet The Locals

One of the biggest advantages of renting a vehicle in New Zealand rather than touring on a bus is the opportunity to meet the friendly locals. You will be amazed by the welcoming nature of native New Zealanders, and you might just meet some new friends. Don’t forget to ask for tips on where the best places are to eat and stay.

#10 Bring A Variety Of Clothing

In New Zealand attire is generally casual, and you most likely won’t need any formal clothing. What you will need is a variety of cool and warm weather clothes that you can layer. The sub-tropical climate of the North Island offers everything from warm temperatures in the summer to very cool temperatures in the winter. Snow falls on parts of the South Island from May through September, and both islands experience notable amounts of rain, wind, and fog.

 

(By Mike O'Brien)

Are you always in charge of planning for any family or group vacation? I am. And I enjoy it! Planning for a vacation can be real exciting and fun. And one of things I love most is to check out and decide on accommodation! Since I completed our first family holiday site few months ago, I have also been an active forum contributor to some travel sites. Contributing to the forum allows me to help others as well as offer my unbiased comments and feedback. Over the months, I also observed that most tourists/travelers tend to ask some common questions at the forum. Questions such as: What to do and see?

Where to stay? Reliable recommendations of rental car or campervan companies Where to eat? Any 'must dos' Itinerary suggestions and help

The truth is the internet has made it so easy and convenient for us to gather all these information before we travel to any country. What most people are after are reliable information from 'real travellers'. Nobody wants to make a 'mistake' on a vacation! I stumbled upon a cool site called ' 50 Sites You've Probably Never Heard of' that can provide ALL information for anyone planning for his next holiday. I checked out a few of them, a couple of which I have been using in my itinerary planning. And you gotta to be kidding if you can't find the information you want from these 50 sites! So don't forget to bookmark it and use it for your next vacation planning.

We are now at the southern end of the North Island. This is our last stop before moving on to the South Island. If you are a minimalist, you will fall in love with this New Zealand Hotel. This apartment-style hotel is elegant, contemporary, modern, stylish and professional. Yes, I would readily classify it as a luxury New Zealand accommodation! Well, when I first stepped into Bolton, I thought the setting may look a little ‘intimidating’. See, a lot of the amenities and facilities are designed with the business travelers in mind. But I was proven wrong. We were warmly greeted at the door by the porter who helped us with all of our luggage and bags (we’ve got quite a few). We were unloading all our stuff from our rental car as we would need to do some repacking before returning it. After a quick check-in, we can’t wait to check out our room for the next two nights. Alex and myself just bounced on the bed when we got into our room! This is a real super king bed! It is huge! That’s not all! The bed cover is velvety soft and there is a very nice furry bed throw over the bed. It is so cuddly and soft – very nice! I like the designer kitchen. Stainless steel finishes always impresses me! Being a graphic designer at heart, I love minimalism. I like clean lines, dark wood furniture, neutral tone and simple forms. Our premier suite gets a lot of daylight from the expansive tempered glass windows (which is pleasant). It overlooks the park and a bit of the office building next door.

The Bolton hotel is only 5 mins stroll to Lambton Quay, the main shopping street in Wellington. So it is convenient to hop back to the hotel when you get tired from shopping or sight-seeing. What more, you don’t need a car here. In fact, it is better not to even drive in the city if there is no necessity. Parking can be very expensive and the streets can be complicated if you are not familiar.

And if you like to cook in the designer kitchen, head for New World Metro, the city supermarket at 68 Willis Street. The Bolton offers a few room choices: Classic Studio, Premier Studio, Classic Suite, Premier Suite, Premier Twin and Bolton Suite. Packages start from $NZ169 on a weekend night for the classic studio. So is this another luxury new Zealand accommodation? Well, to me, it simply is.

I thought I would share about a beautiful family vacation destination that I came across this morning. This is the the Island of Elba which is the third largest Italian island after Sicily and Sardinia and in fact, the largest in the Tuscan Archipelago. With an incredibly charming coastline, the scenery is fascinating with all that you need for the family break. I love the fact that the climate is mild and being a lover of crystal clear waters and blue skies, this is one place I would seriously look into in the near future. If you need to find out more about Elba Hotel & Travel Information, find out more here.

One of the things I notice when I do my usual blog walking is the interesting and fun widgets on the sidebar on a blog. Somehow, blog interface is becoming like an artist's palette, individual blogger tends to personalize blog with popular widgets including RSS reader, technorati, myBlogLog, flickr, plus other social community widgets that the blogger belongs to. I haven't come across many who use a weather widget and I think it may be a nice idea, to inform share with your visitors what's the weather like for your city today. For some, it may be a good way to draw more visitors, in other words, increase the traffic to the site. For others, it can be just a fun widget to include. The widgets can be personalized to the theme of your choice, plus up to 3 million international locations, in English or Spanish. Adding the widget to your blog is easy. Just select the size, theme, location, language and that's it, your customized weather widget is ready to be placed on your blog!

If you are an organic advocate like me, you may be keen to know that there are organic places to stay when you are on a vacation. I stumbled upon this finding when we were planning for our first New Zealand trip 2 years ago. These organic stays boast the use of organic or natural produce in their foods and cooking. Most of them are situated either in organic farms or near one. So out of curiosity, I picked Joya Garden and Villa Studios, a Bed and Breakfast located in Nelson in the South Island. The studio is surrounded by a nice garden of herbs and fruit trees. It was relaxing to walk around the garden and lazing at the gazebo. Another one we stayed was Hapuku Lodge situated in Kaikoura, South Island. This one was a real treat for families, honeymooners and simply anyone who loved comforts in the natural surroundings. Hapuku has a cafe that serves organic and fresh produce. They are well known for their organic beers in the island. A reliable car rental company is crucial if you are planning to see New Zealand on wheels. You can even save on rebates or get cash coupons when you book with car rental companies at EBates. With the wide selection of fleets, you can compare prices before deciding on the right one for your travel needs. For me, this is the best way to enjoy the scenic wonders of this land of the long white cloud.

I found a cool way to travel luxuriously without having to burn a hole in the pocket. I first came to know about this in a travel magazine awhile back but had absolutely forgotten all about it. SkyAuction allows you to bid for your vacation deals from $1. Recalling from the article I read, many avid travelers and well knowned people are regulars of the luxury packages. Bid from your choice of destinations - Asia, Europe, Carribeans and Bahamas, Australia and South Pacific, Mexico, from hotels, cruises, flights and even dining. Now that I found the site again, I’ll be checking out on what’s up for bids before making my vacation booking. That’s one cool way to travel cheap. The only thing is most of the bids do not include tax which means that you will pay more than the bid price. Whatever it is, it is still an option to save :)