You should stay here. Really.
We've stayed at Cypress Inn, Doris Day's place in Carmel, which was off the Richter for character and charm. There's a wonderful little place we stayed at in Orange called Cotehele which is about a thousand years old and comfy as anything. Truly magic place especially in Winter under snow. We had one of our anniversary holidays at Hatherly Birrell Collection in Lonny* which amps up heritage, art and style.
But.....
The Dairy is better.
For a start it's in Queenstown, and nowhere on Earth is there anything as spectacular as the little town on Lake Whykikamoocow under the Remarkables. I'm so glad Gen Y didn't find the 'Remarks' or they would be called 'The Like, Awsomes'
Second it is authentic. It used to be a Dairy until a couple of blokes did it up and turned it into a boutique hotel. Its got history and class. To burn.
Third, its now run by two of the nicest people you will ever meet even if one of them is a Kiwi. Hi Bevan! BTW, how did you get so lucky as to marry a gorgeous Aussie like Kim? CarnthaWallabies.
Nothing is a problem. Every whim is their command. Alex the Elvis impersonator is on hand to bring the best brekky in the southern hemisphere.** He can tell you where to ski and where to get a Rhinestone jumpsuit.
The view from our room was better than TV. We just sat and looked out the window. After a day's skiing we would fall into the hot tub and Kim would bring us champagne flutes and an ice bucket. Fresh towels and robes provided.
The location is perfect. Walking distance to ski field buses, and the middle of town is a two minute roll down the hill, but its still quiet enough that you can't hear the Irish and Pommy backpackers at two in the morning, a problem in others Hotels, or so I heard on a chairlift.
The brekky is touted as a feature on other review sites and rightly so. It is drop dead fantastic and it means you don't need lunch - which for me is extraordinary. I don't know what they have done to their pigs in the Shaky Isles but my God they make super bacon! And Elvis is always happy to load a few more rashers on board. With a smile and a chat. A very cool guy indeed. With a car that has been diagnosed as a 'ticking time bomb' which he drives to the ski fields. Brave man, I assure you. Driving to The Remarkables is like a double black run for experts only!
Afternoon tea in front of a cracking open fire is wonderful. Little home made cakes and scones, or so Keeno tells me - I was having a nap at that time of day. Or Skiing.
Thats the thing about this place, its just so friendly. Everyone is blissed out, just enjoying the town and the hospitality. I reckon that The Dairy is the new benchmark for hospitality.
The rooms are great, the bathrooms are spotless and the hot water is strong and endless. I tested it. Wi Fi is amazingly quick and trouble free.
I heard our American friends Brittany and Andrew thank Bevan and Kim for helping with their heli hiking, bungy jumping, jet boating, and glacier flights. Our Brazilian neighbours could be seen wandering around the Library and just staring into the distance. Bevan recommended some places to eat, most of which I had already found on Yilp***, with the notable exceptions of Belle Cucina and Eichardts. That Eichardt recommendation in itself earned him hero status with me. At least until the World Cup. What a place!
We will be back.
*Launceston, Tasmania
**We down under are very fond of being the best at anything in the Southern Hemisphere. It means we have beaten Chile. And the bottom province of Equatorial Guinea. And Namibia.
***'Yelp' in New Zealand...ish (?) read more