May
22
2009
By Charlie Scott
The Queenstown hotel scene is like a dessert buffet. It's hard to know where to start and even harder to know where to stop.
The hunt is especially daunting, because you just know that with so much choice there's bound to be something extraordinary. And there is: Eichardt's Private Hotel. You can look and sample all you want, but you simply will not find a better small hotel in town - or the country, for that matter.
Eichardt's is the sort of hotel rarity that really shouldn't exist in the first place. It has too few rooms. The location is too prime. Basically, it's too gorgeous to share with strangers. Thankfully the owners share a different point of view. Each of the five suites (yup, just five) has a cozy sleeping nook and a comfortable living area. Decor is low-key, yet impeccably stylish and ever-so-slightly witty. It has much more the feel of private home, with an art and antique filled living room.
There is no lobby per se, just a desk at the bottom of the staircase leading up to the suites. As you'd expect, you can always find someone at or near that desk who will do their utmost to make you genuinely happy. This is not a place of put-on luxury or mock service. Then again, with rates starting at $900 USD a night, I suppose it ought not to be.
www.eichardtshotel.co.nz