[Rob K]

Could anybody please recommend nice, affordable places to stay in the following?:

* Picton: Within a short drive of the ferry.
* Wellington: Within walking distance of the downtown area.

Thanks,

Rob

[selchie]

Affordability is relative, but last November in Picton we stayed at a pleasant little motor court called AAA Marlin Motel. I think we paid $105NZ for a room with a kitchen & sitting area separate from the bedroom. It's nothing fancy or new, but is clean and quiet. There are chairs on the porch outside each room, so you can relax before supper with a cool beverage. The owners are nice and helpful, it has a play area for kids, and a coin-op laundry. We walked just about everywhere from the motel. There's a dairy about a block away, near a park. Picton's actually a nice little town. The train from the ferry comes through in the middle of the night, but the Marlin is a few blocks away, unlike the first place at which we stayed. I don't recall the train whistle bothering me much at the Marlin.

In Wellington we stayed at the Halswell Lodge in the Courtenay District. They have tiny hotel rooms in the main building, some motel-type rooms with kitchens, and B&B lodgings which are nicely appointed, but small. The motel rooms seemed OK, but are pricier ($135-145) than the Marlin in Picton. The Apollo Lodge is nearby, and seemed clean and relatively quiet (street observation). The youth hostel seemed nice, and aparently has ensuite rooms, as well as dorm-style rooms. We'd probably try that next time. The Cambridge Arms seemed to have a variety of lodgings, but has a smoky casino and bar on ground level. I'm not sure what the rooms would be like.

If by "downtown" you mean the business district, then you should be looking at Thorndon or Lambton Districts. But we walked all over the waterfront every day. It seemed to take 15-20 minutes to get to Lambton Quay from our lodgings. There are shuttles to and from the ferry and airport, which are quite handy.

Have you checked out www.aatravel.co.nz? They have loads of accomodation listings. We aimed for lodgings with a Qualmark rating of 3 stars or better, and were only disappointed once (in Westport). Good luck, and enjoy!

[AndyA]

http://www.whatsnew.co.nz/427.0.html
You can try this place if you wish. It works out at about $600 a week for a 2 bedroomed apartment, less if you don't need 2 bedrooms. It's in the city centre..

Andy.