Places to Stay

Whether your budget runs to a luxurious lodge and fine dining or to a simple inn, we’ll find accommodation in New Zealand that we know will add to your experience during your holiday. We’ll help you to find the best places to stay in New Zealand to make your trip extra special.

We carefully handpick all our accommodation so we know you’ll love staying there as much as we do, and we pride ourselves on finding places that truly feel like a home from home.

This includes our selection of family-run Bed & Breakfasts and rural homestays for an authentic Kiwi welcome with exceptional hospitality. Silver Fern Holidays can even find you a bach at the beach if you want to get back to basics! You’ll never need to worry about where to stay in New Zealand when you book with us.

New Zealand Lodges

Offering generous hospitality in luxurious surroundings, with a particular emphasis upon well-appointed furnishings and classy interiors, Character Inns and Country Lodges are a great choice if you want a night or two somewhere extra special during your trip.

Beautifully appointed and often with the most spectacular views and facilities, New Zealand lodges and character inns ensure a special stay, with fabulous breakfasts and genuine hospitality.

City Hotels

In some of the key city destinations on your Small Group Journey, we use well-located properties with easy access to restaurants, excursion-points and general areas of interest. This maximises time for you to enjoy the key highlights of the city and the options to do some sightseeing on your own.

Private / Boutique Hotels

Most private hotels in New Zealand are independently owned and operated, providing an excellent service or our travellers on their own tour or as part of a group enjoying one of our Small Group Journeys around the country.

In many cases we know the owners personally and can vouch for their high standards.

In recent times, the word ‘boutique’ seems to have been applied to this style of accommodation to denote an emphasis upon upmarket furnishings, well appointed rooms and extra services such as the organisation of local activities, inclusive meal arrangements or a bar service.

Country Hotels

These properties may very well be the only accommodations in a small rural town. They serve the needs of business travellers, the occasional visitor and tourists visiting the lesser known regions of New Zealand. You’ll often find they also have the only restaurant or bar in the town and are the centre of the community; here, you may meet locals propping up the bar and extolling the wonders of their way of life!

Bed & Breakfasts

Bed & Breakfasts in New Zealand run the gamut of size and style, from a boutique-hotel approach to the laid-back beach house.  There are cosy townhouses in colonial suburbs and individual homesteads in wilderness areas, and the owners are as individual as the properties.

What all Bed & Breakfasts have in common is a warm and friendly welcome and lots of local knowledge so you can really make the most of your stay in the area.

A New Zealand Bed and Breakfast stay really does offer truly personal experience and we highly recommend including a few such stops within your holiday itinerary.

Apartments

It’s a good idea to consider apartment style accommodation at some locations if you’re planning a three to four week tour of New Zealand. Sometimes, you’ll feel like taking some time out and doing your own thing for a few days- forget the cooked breakfasts and homely comforts – “I just want my own space for a while, thank you”.

In the past few years, there has been a considerable increase in this style of accommodation since it’s particularly suitable for families who need to cater for different age groups and those who are travelling with a number of friends who want different rooms, but to share the same communal space.

You’ll find the majority of apartment owners will offer a breakfast – this may be of the continental type with a selection of rolls or toast and jam and tea and coffee or if they’re part of a larger complex, they may have a separate dining room.

Motels

Generally, of a good three- star standard, they offer good value and clean comfortable accommodation. They may be located “en route” to popular locations or they may be the best alternative to higher priced hotels in the main tourist destinations. The “motel” accommodation in Mount Cook is an excellent choice, as is the new central motel in Matamata for those eager to visit Hobbiton in the evening.

Farmstays & Homestays

Staying with a New Zealand family on their farm or in their own house is a great way to meet the locals and experience a real Kiwi lifestyle.

If you choose a farmstay, you may have the chance to help milk the cows, feed the calves or fix fences, you might even get to take an Alpaca for a walk!

At a Homestay you’ll be part of the family for the duration of your stay, sharing the home with your hosts and enjoying insights into local life. Your host may introduce you to some of the local sights and their friends, or particular interests they follow.

As with life, the more you put in the more you get out and our hosts are generally lively types who meet you more than half-way. You may even find yourself with a life-long friend!