Where to stay in Christchurch
The unique hotels and other places to stay I have loved
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Staying within the four avenues, in the central city, typically means paying for parking. But, it also means being within an easy stroll of the city’s sights, cafes, and restaurants. The centre is all flat, for easy walking. Anywhere too far to walk is often on the tram route.
These are all places I have stayed (and paid for myself).
My favourite — The Observatory Hotel
The hotel with the best amenities (including free parking and laundry) — The George
Best budget option — Hotel Give
A unique stay — Tussock Hill Vineyard Retreat
The Observatory Hotel
The Deluxe room
The lounge
The Observatory Hotel is located in a unique spot; the ground floor of the Observatory Tower building in the Arts Centre. What was once a university campus – with this particular corner serving as the physics and biology buildings – is now a labyrinth of galleries, shops, and exhibitions spaces.
The Observatory Hotel is right in the thick of it (you can head across the square for wine and cheese at the Cellar Door, visit Ernest Rutherford’s Den, or go for a film at the Lumiere Cinema, all within straying beyond the gothic revival buildings).
This corner of the former campus was transformed into the colourful hotel in 2022, with each of the 33 rooms decorated in bold colours and artworks. It retains the essence of the heritage building, with high ceilings, and exposed brick and beautiful wooden beams in the shared lounge. The lounge is the most visually stunning part of the hotel, with bright couches and a table laid out with all manner of coffee table books, to flip through while enjoying a hot drink from the coffee and tea station (which also has sparkling water and cookies).
The lounge
The entrance
I stayed in a Deluxe Room on the ground floor, so there wasn’t much in the way of a view, but the bright colours, bathrobes, and soaring ceiling added up to a novel and comfortable stay.
The details
Rates start from $269 for a Legacy room
No meals, but some excellent places to eat are very close by; Cellar Door (for dinner), and Quad eatery (for breakfast) are both located within the Arts Centre
The George
The squat, glass and steel building of The George is located right by Hagley Park, which means some rooms have lovely green views. Despite the imposing exterior, the hotel is all about boutique luxury, with some excellent features that made for a very comfortable stay. The free on-site parking and free shared laundry facilities were both welcome, and the turndown service has to be the cutest I have ever seen – you’ll get a small teddy bear (George) left on your pillow, along with a chocolate.
I also appreciated the generous check in/out times of 2pm and 11am, which makes all the difference when you want a slower morning. And, my room had some of my favourite features to encounter in hotel rooms; underfloor heating in the bathroom, and plush bathrobes.
The rooms have a broadly blue, brown, and gold colour scheme, with some bold prints, which felt appropriately decadent and old worldly.
My main complaint was that there were no coffee cups in my room, just dainty tea cups which are pretty but only hold a thimble when I need large quantities of coffee (although that may have been specific to my room – it seemed an odd thing to omit). The hotel also provides mini bars, which I find a little stuffy (I think a more modern approach complimentary chocolate, snacks and drinks, which I see more often) but that’s just me being fussy. The George is a more formal hotel in that sense, with a concierge desk in addition to reception, an onsite restaurant (which I didn’t try – Christchurch has too many other good dining options), and the aforementioned turndown service.
The details
Rates from $345 in winter, $448 in summer
Hotel Give
Hotel Give (the building in the centre) is right next to Hagley park
A spacious and comfortable queen room
Hotel Give describes itself as a socially responsible stay, with proceeds helping to fund charitable initiatives in Christchurch. It’s somewhere between a hotel and a hostel; there are dorm rooms, rooms with shared bathrooms, or rooms with ensuites. All rooms have access to industrial but practical shared kitchens.
My queen room (with a shared bathroom) was surprisingly spacious, with ample floor space plus a nook for bags, a table and chairs, and even an occasional chair in the corner. I requested a room with a balcony and got one looking towards the park – being winter it wasn't the most impressive view, but it was nice to get a balcony for a budget room. In terms of the bathrooms, there are a lot of them (it seemed to be as many as one per room) and they are a combined shower/toilet room (not the shower or toilet stalls of truly budget hostels).
Related
Road trips that pass through the Garden City:
There was one right outside my room and I never once had to wait for it – I felt like I was the only one using it. The heavy doors do make noise and (with bathrooms outside the rooms, there was more opening and closing than usual). This started around 7am, so this hotel might not suit you if you like to sleep late. The laundry facilities were opposite my room and were also fairly noisy, but that tapered off before I went to sleep. There’s plenty of parking on-site, but it comes at a cost of $25 a day.
Overall, this is a great budget option for somewhere close to the city, clean, and with a great objective at its core.
The details
Rates from $90 for a room with a shared bathroom
Drifter Christchurch
Design-led Drifter is a hostel/hotel hybrid; it offers both dorm and private rooms. It’s a very modern place (having only opened in 2024) which sometimes counts against it. The check in process was a little niggly; there are tablets in the entrance area, instead of a receptionist. And the digital room key tripped me up at first. After checking in, you get emailed a link which opens a web page with a series of buttons to open your room, operate the elevators, open doors around the properties and more. It’s confusing at first, but once you get a handle on it, I do admit that not having a key is more convenient.
Plus, as soon as I got inside I forgot my annoyance. Covering four floors, the property is enormous, with a whole range of nooks to settle into. I particularly loved the library as a reading area, and the study for when I wanted to do a little work. There’s also a pool table, several terrace areas in internal courtyards, a zen room full of sheepskin bean bags, and a self-guided yoga studio. The number of common areas means it never feels too busy (except for the kitchen, which although well stocked is only one small corner of the common area).
The location is perfect, right around the corner from the bus station and easy walking distance to the central sights.
I booked a private room with an ensuite and balcony for one night. The balcony is roomy, but overlooks the carpark (the balcony rooms are on the 1st floor). Even so, it was nice to have a balcony for a fairly reasonable budget price. The room design was modern and stylish, with a colour palette of sand, caramel, and muted green. It is fairly pared back in terms of what is in the room; there were no tea and coffee facilities, no fridge, no table and chairs, and fairly minimal floorspace. But, it felt commensurate with the price. My main gripe was with the exposed pipes on the ceiling, which made a fair amount of rattling noise, and the noise from the common areas. If you’re a light sleeper, take ear plugs.
The details
Dorm rooms from $50; private rooms from $150
Tussock Hill Vineyard Retreat
The view from a trail above the vineyard
The vineyard restaurant
If you’re unbothered about seeing the centre of Christchurch, Tussock Hill is a great option. Located in the Port Hills between the city and Lyttleton Harbour, only a 15 minute drive from the centre, the small organic vineyard offers views back across town and all the way to the mountains in the distance. There are two studios on the property, overlooking the vines.
The rooms are fairly basic, but comfortable, with natural furnishings like wool carpet, and bedding of linen and cotton. I also liked the Bluetooth speaker set up, which was a nice touch. And the room comes with a complimentary bottle of the vineyard’s wine, best enjoyed in the outdoor bathtubs, side by side on the deck (they didn’t have a view, looking instead into a patch of trees).
We didn’t have the best weather during our stay, but if you were lucky enough to get a clear evening, the studio is perfectly positioned to catch the sunset. Or, if you want to roam a little further afield, walking tracks lead off up the Port Hills from directly behind the property.
Come prepared to self-cater in the evening; the on-site restaurant (which was awarded one Michelin star) is only open for lunch from Wednesday to Sunday. I visited for a late lunch and loved the views from the light-filled restaurant. Being able to enjoy a vineyard lunch and then wander down to the studio was a delight.
The details
Rates from $324 (lunch at the vineyard restaurant is extra, but the room does come with a complimentary bottle of wine)
Author bio
I’m a freelance travel writer from New Zealand with bylines in National Geographic Travel, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and more. These days, most of my writing is for this website — I’m making it my mission to be the most trustworthy source of information for your trip to New Zealand. I don’t accept sponsorships, I pay for almost everything myself, and I spend months travelling New Zealand each year, all to deliver the best insider travel intel on this country.
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