NZ accommodation #4: Lake Matheson Motel @ Fox Glacier, South NZ

When we arrived in Fox Glacier, it was almost 7pm. Weather was good for the whole day, sunny and warm, and it was not sunset yet when we checked in Lake Matheson Motel. By the way, do not be misleaded by the motel name. Lake Matheson Motel is 4km away from Lake Matheson, but just 400m away from Fox Glacier township. During check-in, we asked the receptionist if we could make it to Lake Matheson before the sunset, they told us we will be just in time. So we rushed to lake Matheson. It is best to visit Lake Matheson at dawn or at dusk when the lake is very calm.

Therefore we only managed to capture the motel building the next morning.

Our studio with a queen size bed and a two seater sofa

overview of the studio unit, kitchen is at the far end.

My only complaint would be the shower curtain was not able to keep just the shower area wet. Personally, I prefer a toilet with wet and dry areas.

the basin

Our plan of having dinner at one of the Fox Glacier's restaurant was spoilt because we came back from Lake Matheson too late. At 10pm, few restaurants that we tried had stopped taking order. We were so tired that we decided that we just need a shower and a bowl of hot noodles.

Most hotel or motel will provide some hot drink packets. I found that they usually give one packet of coffee and one packet of chocolate.

Next morning, before we went for the anticipated helihike, we made french toast. Simple breakfast but it was so delicious with NZ's butter and eggs. For drink, we had hot coffee, hot chocolate, Charlie orange juice and fresh milk.

The studio rate was NZ$135, considered reasonable in Fox Glacier. The room was actually quite good though we spent very little time in it.

Lake Matheson Motel
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NZ accommodation #3: Harrogate Gardens Motel @ Hanmer Spring, South NZ

We did an anticlockwise road trip for South NZ. The first night in South NZ was spent in Hanmer Spring, a small town located between the east coast and west coast.

Harrogate Gardens Motel was a great find. The motel had two self contained unit and one ensuite room, I booked one of the self contained unit at NZ$110 after reading all the good reviews. The unit was at the back garden of a family house, so it was very easy to reach the owner when we needed help.

The unit was really large, even bigger compare to the previous accomodations. It made us feel so comfortable until we did not want to step out from the room. I did ask if we want to go to the Hanmer Spring Hot Spring, but the answer I got was No. :D

In case you did not notice, it was a luxury king size bed. The room was large, so the bed was relatively small in the picture. :)

The unit had a double spa bath and the owner even decorated the bathroom with roses petals.

Take a closer look to the spa bath, bubble bath gel was provided too. It was definitely a romantic getaway for honeymoon couples. ;)

This unit also had a fully equipped kitchen, but too bad I did not take a photo of it. We found a washer in the kitchen. So when I finished cooking dinner, the washer finished one load of laundry too. We had lamb shoulder, mashed potato, blanched brocolli and mussels for dinner. Green tea for me and coffee for him. Oh yes, if you happened to see fresh mussels in tank in any of the hypermarket, remember to grab some. They were huge, fresh, juicy and most important delicious. Just boil them in water and if you want(I did not) squeeze some lemon juice when served. I bought 6 mussels for less than NZ$2.

I woke up too late to prepare breakfast the next morning. Thanks to the spa bath. ;) Therefore, we had a quick breakfast, my favourite Nissin instant noodles, Harrogate's cookies and plunger coffee(with Harrogate's freshly ground coffee).

At this price, it was difficult to find the same range of accomodation in the more touristy NZ cities. We were definitely pampered after staying a night at Harrogate and had set our expectation higher on the coming accomodations. Stay tune to see if we will be disappointed in the coming days! :)

Harrogate Garden Motel
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NZ accommodation #2: The Green House on the Hill, Bed &Breakfast @ Napier, North NZ

When I had decided to try out different type of accomodations in NZ, I started to look for an affordable B&B. After many comparisons, my pick was The Green House on the Hill, Bed and Breakfast, Napier . This B&B has limited rooms(two if not mistaken) to offer and the room rate is NZ$135.

The stay at Green House was a pleasant one from the beginning. The first thing that caught my attention was the welcome board with my name on the tree. :)

The spacious room was beautifully furnished, tastefully decorated with many little extra touches and spotlessly clean. We spent some time on the comfortable two seater before bed, uploading photos and accessing the free WIFI.

I just like the fact that we could park our car in front of the room. It made loading and unloading so much easier.

Our room had an ensuite bathroom, I remember another room had a private bathroom too, but it was not ensuite.

We enjoyed a great evening with the complimentary red wine and snack. The snack(homemade by Ruth, I assume) is very tasty.

The next morning when I woke up, I found Ruth in the kitchen and breakfast is all set. Ruth is very friendly and she enjoy meeting with different people.

At first, I was a bit disappointed when I read from their page that The Green House does not serve cooked breakfast. But then I have to give thumbs up to Ruth. Everything served in the breakfast was either homemade or carefully picked. The cheese and fruit platter gave us a chance to sample different cheese and fruits at one time. We had a hearty breakfast before leaving for Wellington.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and just wish that we could have stayed longer. For the lovely cosy room, warm hospitality and delicious breakfast, check out their page and book a room!

The Green House on the Hill
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