Sleeping on a Cloud

Scenic Circle Southern Cross, Dunedin. Images supplied by Scenic Circle Hotels.

I’ve lost count of the number of hotel beds I’ve slept in – (in my role as a hotel reviewer she quickly adds) – and I’ve sometimes wished I could take the beds home with me. The team at our very own, 100% New Zealand-owned Scenic Circle Hotels therefore, get three cheers from me. They don’t exactly let you walk out with the beds but, after an $8-million refurbishment of their flagship Dunedin property, The Southern Cross, over 200 of their special 7cm thick feather and wool mattress overlays have sold to guests staying at the hotel. They also feature one of those delightful things called a pillow menu – something I have yet to come to terms with ..… if only because I am very loyal to my own pillow and because I think a pillow menu should come in partnership with a chocolate menu so you can order both your favourite pillow and the sort of chocolate treat you want laid on it at turn-down time. But I digress….. cloud-soft bed-things are not all that’s been going on at the Southern Cross. Dunedin’s oldest and largest hotel, designed by prominent Italian architect, Louis Boldini was once considered the finest in the Southern Hemisphere. Much more recently, Christchurch’s Dalman Architects have brought the old beauty into the 21st century, showering 'her' in rich fabrics, ornate gilt-framed mirrors and crystal chandeliers. It’s a comeback for opulence and refinement in partnership with technology and your pick of goose feather, wool, hypo-allergenic, standard, tri or chamber style pillows. http://www.scenic-circle.co.nz/ http://www.dalman.co.nz/