The quality of a hotel - and particularly the welcome offered by its staff - can make or break a vacation or business trip.
The Rees Hotel, one of Queenstown’s favourite luxury hostelries - is blessed with some of the most professional staff I have come across; a multinational, multilingual task force dedicated to making every guest feel at home.
Whether you need local advice, or a lift into the downtown area because it is snowing in October, there is someone on hand to help - and the Rees's location is close to perfect for those who want peace and quiet while having the action close by.
With dramatic views over Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables, this five-star boutique hotel is just a short waterfront stroll away from Queenstown’s central precinct. The Rees has 60 hotel rooms and 90 apartments all with private balconies.
The apartments are perfect for a family group with 1-3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, state-of-the-art kitchens for self-catering, a lounge and dining area and gas fireplace. All bedrooms feature super king-sized beds or twin beds, start-of-the-art video systems, LCD TVs, free high-speed wi-fi, iPod docking stations, satellite TV channels, designer bathrooms with walk-in showers and specially designed furniture.
If you’re in an apartment and don’t feel like cooking, or if you’re staying in one of the hotel rooms, the restaurant, True South Dining, offers gourmet cuisine, including an extensive wine cellar, and specialises in dishes based on local produce. The menu changes monthly to reflect ingredients that are seasonal.
Think dishes like teriyaki-grilled mackerel, pickled beets, potato salad and wasabi; or scallops, crispy pigs head, pumpkin miso puree, pickled turnips and nam jim dressing - matched with local wine labels like Surveyor Thomson or Northburn Station.
The Rees also has a spa treatment room, gymnasium, conference room, ski lockers, private jetty (just summon your own water taxi), mountain bikes, courtesy shuttle and wi-fi, along with the tiny Bordeau (meaning next to the water) wine lounge, which stocks local and imported French wines, including a wide range of Bordeaux vintages.
Whether you want to be hiking, mountain biking , kayaking, bungee jumping, paragliding, white water rafting, skiing, skydiving or jet boating, Queenstown is an outdoor playground that offers action and thrills aplenty.
And once you’ve had enough of that, the vineyards of Central Otago are right on the doorstep of a town that is party central at night time. The Central Otago wine region is home to 200 vineyards within a 1½ hour drive of Queenstown. Names to look out for include Felton Road, Mount Difficulty, Misha’s Vineyard, Mount Edward, Gibbston Valley, Rippon, Surveyor Thomson, Chard Farm, Peregrine and Quartz Reef.
The interior of one of the stylish apartments at The Rees
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This article first appeared on Winsor's wonderful Gourmet On the Road blog.
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