New Zealand Accommodation Definitions

Author: John Jepson

Source: ezinearticles.com



Accommodation

Travelling to New Zealand offers up opportunities to indulge in a number of once in a lifetime experiences, from skydiving above New Zealand's dramatic scenery to flyfishing or huge trout in gin clear water. With so many fantastic New Zealand attractions to fill your day with, it's very important to make sure you can find the right New Zealand accommodation to help you get a good nights sleep.

Whether you're looking for a touch of New Zealand luxury, or more inclined towards backpacker hostels, you'll easily find the right New Zealand accommodation for your needs when planning your New Zealand travel adventure.

With a smile around every corner, New Zealand is home to some of the world's best hosts, and they're all highly qualified in helping you make the most of your stay in their 'slice of paradise'. So whatever type of great New Zealand accommodation you choose, you can rest assured that your New Zealand travel experience will create lasting memories!

From the holiday park to hotels, here is a list of the different types of New Zealand accommodation you can find...

Apartments

If you're looking for New Zealand accommodation and are at all unsure about what you can expect from a New Zealand apartment, this should help.

Apartments in New Zealand offer guests the comforts of being at home while travelling. They can accommodate group sizes of up to 6 people with 1, 2 or 3 separate bedrooms closed off from living areas. Apartments are separated into different areas for kitchen, living and dining normally with an open plan feel. It is normal to find a live in or onsite manager at a New Zealand apartment complex. Apartments generally provide free onsite parking unless you're staying at a central city apartment. Apartment kitchens generally provide tea and coffee making facilities and come fully equipped with all the utensils you would expect to find at home, however cooking facilities can often be limited to a microwave and a hotplate.

Bed and Breakfast

Are you planning a New Zealand vacation and want to know what to expect from a New Zealand Bed and Breakfast? Here is some help for you.

Often referred to as a B&B, Bed and Breakfast accommodation is generally run from a large family home providing private guest rooms and a substantial breakfast in the morning. Bed and Breakfast accommodation is either run as a primary or a secondary source of income where the property owners are also the staff. Multiple night stays at a Bed and Breakfast are possible but sometimes guests will be expected to vacate their rooms during the day. Due to the majority of Bed and Breakfasts having a small number of rooms it is advisable to book well in advance.

Farm Stay

Are you interested in experiencing a farm stay during your New Zealand travels but are unsure about what it is? This should help.

Farming in New Zealand is huge and features strongly in many Kiwi traditions. To book yourself in to a New Zealand farm stay is to open yourself up to experiencing some rural New Zealand countryside living. New Zealand farm stay accommodation can range from self contained accommodation to staying within a family home. There are a wide variety of New Zealand farms ranging from kiwifruit to deer. Farm stay accommodation is a great way to meet the locals and to experience the lifestyle of a New Zealand farmer, as well as being able to enjoy some of New Zealand's commanding scenery.

Hotel

Are you wanting to come over to New Zealand and stay in a Hotel, but not sure about what New Zealand hotels offer. Here is some helpful information for you.

New Zealand has a range of hotels from popular world class establishments to small country pubs and boutique hotels. Larger hotels will come with multiple rooms which vary in size and type, smaller boutique hotels come with less rooms but are generally very stylish and unique and country pub hotels have clean and pleasant facilities often in modernised historic buildings which vary in price according to their level of luxury. New Zealand also hosts some large international chains which are found in the major centres or popular tourist destinations.

As a general rule hotels have bar and restaurant facilities and additional extras often include a swimming pool and gymnasium. Common features in the rooms are a telephone, an alarm clock, a television and internet connectivity. Some hotels also have a mini-bar with snack foods and drinks and there may be facilities for making hot drinks.

Motel

One of the most popular accommodation types in New Zealand are motels. Here is some information that you should find helpful regarding motels.

New Zealand motels offer clean and cosy self-contained accommodation with all the comforts of home. A motel studio is a one room unit where guests sleep in the lounge area, this is the smallest size motel unit. You can then get one, two and three bedroom units which have separate bedrooms in addition to a lounge area, which sometimes has additional bedding facilities. Motels are equipped with a fully equipped kitchen and a private bathroom and most generally have a phone, television, made-up beds with all linen supplied and car parking.

Prices are mid range but depend on the overall facilities offered and the unit type. Most units have a fully equipped kitchen and separate bathroom as well as a phone and TV. Large motel complexes are often similar to hotels in their service and features: ie, swimming pool, spa, sauna, laundry facilities, etc.

Motels offer very competitive pricing which is based on the level of quality. Speaking of quality, most motels in New Zealand should have a Qualmark rating which will indicate what to expect of each establishment.

Hostels

New Zealand has hundreds of backpacker hostels and lodges throughout the country. So here is some information about them.

Hostels provide budget conscious, social accommodation which allows guests to rent a bed as opposed to a room, this is sometimes a bunk bed in a dormitory. Guests will also share a bathroom, lounge, usually a kitchen and generally a recreation room. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and private rooms may also be available. Hostels will generally provide linen for you beds so sleeping bags are not a necessity, but it is always safe to check with the hostel you will be staying with. New Zealand hostels will generally also provide laundry facilities.

Hostels are primarily geared towards younger travellers, and are great places to party, meet new people from around the globe and share information on places to go and see. Most hostel operators in New Zealand will also gladly help you with your travel plans, and many hostels have long-term residents who they employ as desk clerks or housekeeping staff in exchange for free accommodation.

In New Zealand you will most often find hostels in tourism hotspots, however, there are hostels all over, and some can even be found in unique and isolated locations.

Holiday Parks

Scattered throughout New Zealand are hundreds of camp grounds and holiday parks, so here is some information on what to expect.

Holiday parks aka camping grounds are found in towns and rural areas of New Zealand, often near natural or man-made attractions such as beaches. Holiday parks are family orientated and generally come with playgrounds and recreational facilities. Some holiday parks also have swimming pools and spas. Accommodation in holiday parks ranges from cabins, permanent caravans, self-contained tourist flats and motel units. Holiday parks also have powered and non-powered sites for tents, caravans and camper vans, and it is always good to check the size of your camping site before you book. Facilities to expect are communal areas for cooking and dining, shared showers, toilets and laundries.

Holiday park prices range from very cheap to a higher cost for the cabins and tourist flats or units.

Luxury

New Zealand has a variety of luxury accommodation, so here is some information that will help make sure you know what you are getting yourself into.

Luxury accommodations in New Zealand are of a very high standard and offer the discerning traveller an exceptionally high level of quality, service and luxury. Each luxury accommodation will offer you something unique and distinctively New Zealand. Helpful to know is that most luxury accommodation will be Qualmark certified at a 5 star rating. Luxury accommodation ranges from exclusive resorts offering golf, fishing or wilderness adventures to secluded beach or lakefront lodges. Worth noting is that lodges in New Zealand are usually located in spectacular rural settings. Further luxury accommodation can be discovered in stylish urban hotels in distinctive buildings, either heritage or contemporary.

All luxury accommodation will offer superb facilities, exceptional food and an extremely high level of professionalism and service. Prices will reflect the quality of your stay.

Self Contained

New Zealand has self-contained accommodation options all over. Here is what to expect.

Self-contained accommodation is exactly that, self-contained. This type of accommodation is designed so that you have all the comforts of home. Your own home away from home with all the privacy you need and desire. Motels, cottages, apartments, holiday homes and baches can, depending what they offer, also be classed as self-contained. Some self-contained accommodations will also have the option of being daily serviced and their will always be a responsible person on hand for you comfort and information.

You will generally have from one to three bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen including a refrigerator (minus the food, although some basics may be included, such as coffee, tea, sugar and milk), a full lounge and laundry. Additional extras that you can usually expect are television, radio, phone, iron and internet connectivity and linen. Some self-contained accommodations offer a swimming pool and/or spa, gymnasium and recreational facilities.

Eco

New Zealand is a pretty environmentaly conscious nation, so its is within reason to expect that there are eco accommodation providers out there.

Well, actually, New Zealand does offer a wide choice of eco-friendly and nature accommodation located in the heart of the country's natural environment, meaning that eco-friendly accommodation is more likely to be found in the rural setting. However, in the more urban setting, unique eco-friendly accommodation can sometimes be found. Eco accommodation can be meditative retreats where yoga and other relaxing activities are available to treat body, soul and spirit. Eco accommodation can also be in locations where nature and wildlife conservation and preservation are a high ideal to the operators.

This type of accommodation can include cottages, holiday parks, motels, farmstays, bed and breakfasts and luxury so it is generally a good idea to contact the operators to discover what you will have available.

Cottage

New Zealand has some very unique and special cottage accommodation available for it's visitors. Here is what you can expect when you stay at a cottage.

Okay, so cottages in New Zealand are generally also classed as self-contained. This means that in New Zealand you should expect that cottages also come with the comforts of home. The special thing about cottages, however, is generally their location. You will generally find cottages in a rural or town setting and their location will be rustic, special or unique. Quite often cottages will be located in vineyards, on farms or in natural surroundings.

Like self-contained accommodation the number of bedrooms will vary from about one to three, you will have kitchen facilities, laundry facilities, a lounge, showers and toilet. Extra facilities to expect will generally be television, DVD player, phone, internet connectivity, radio, towels and linen and off-street parking. Additional extras may include a range of things including full servicing, spa and sauna, outdoor barbeque area, verandahs and various recreational equipment. These will depend on each operator, however.

Generally cottages are very private and peaceful places to stay and can be ideal for that special getaway. Cottages are also usually very uniquely designed and placed.

Heritage

So New Zealand isn't a very old nation, but we do have some cool heritage accommodation options. Here is some information for you.

If you so desire you can enjoy the old-world charm of New Zealand yesteryear in boutique and heritage accommodation, choosing from either rural homesteads, grand old hotels, character and heritage homes, art deco villas or small, intimate Kiwi accommodation. Basically heritage accommodation is any accommodation that has historic significance. So you can expect the grandeur of past architecture.

What to expect in terms of rooms and facilities will depend entirely on what accommodation type the heritage operator identifies. For example, some heritages providers offer bed and breakfast accommodation, some hotel and some cottage.

So if you love those fantastic historic sites and revel in antiquity than check out our Kiwi heritage sites.

Something different

Tired of the standard accommodation options available to you. Let us tell you about some of the variety out there.

New Zealand is proud of its uniqueness and the things that make it so special. So as you travel New Zealand you will stumble across places to stay that really are different. From staying in a boot to experiencing a sleep in a wagon to escaping technology and electricity you may never know what to expect. The best advice we can give you is to search for yourself and don't be afraid to give it a go. You will definitely find some pretty special places.

http://www.onzamap.co.nz ONZAMAP Ltd is a new web service that is taking a different look at promoting New Zealand as a holiday destination. Through interaction with current and past travellers of New Zealand, as well as the operators of New Zealand's tourism businesses, ONZAMAP Ltd will be providing an easy to use, up to date account of what makes New Zealand unmissable for the International traveller.