Lakefront Luxury

Images supplied by Eichardt's Private Hotel.

A few months ago the very stylish Eichardt’s Private Hotel in Queenstown opened the purpose-built Eichardt’s Lakefront Cottage just a few paces away from the main hotel on the Lake Wakatipu waterfront. The four two-bedroom suites (available in a number of different configurations) have been lavished in that same superb attention to detail that acclaimed New Zealand interior designer, Virginia Fisher is known for. (Fisher incidentally, was recently named one of the top five hotel interior designers worldwide by Time Magazine). She’s brushed the airy, split-level cottage suites with a fresh, creamy-gold palette; and with sunny skylights, electric shutters, well-equipped kitchens and simple but elegant furnishings, there’s more of a comfortable home-away-from-home feel as opposed to the distinctly opulent style of Eichardt’s itself. If you click on Eichardt's Private Hotel in the label line below, you'll be able to peek into the interior of the main hotel. www.eichardts.co.nz

And This Is The View..............

Image supplied by Eichardt's Private Hotel

...........Looking from Eichardt's Lakefront Cottage across the foreshore of Lake Wakatipu to Steamer Wharf and the 1912 vintage steamship, TSS Earnslaw, which makes daily cruises across the lake to Walter Peak Station. The food and wine of course, are optional but let’s face it, who’s going to say no? www.eichardts.co.nz

Meet the People - 30

Another in the Series Meet the People – Ordinary and Extraordinary New Zealanders Doing Interesting Things – Victoria Shaw is the general manager of the 5-star, private luxury hotel, Eichardt’s in Queenstown. So… does that mean she lives a life of luxury? “Yeah right! I always smile when people say they are going to build, buy or open a lodge so they can enjoy an idyllic lifestyle,” says Victoria. “I love what I do and you have to be passionate to stay in this business as long as I have – and yes, it can be glamorous. You get to attend some amazing events, you meet fascinating people, you eat great food and drink superb wine; but you also work long hours. You work when everyone else is on holiday (“I’ve had one Christmas off in 20 years); you deal with some difficult customers and you sacrifice friends and family. But I wouldn’t trade if for the world. I’m not sure any other industry could provide me with the satisfaction I’ve had to date,” she adds. Victoria was thrust into the tourism industry at an early age – just seven to be precise. That’s when her dad – “a true blue Kiwi farmer” - moved the family to a remote sheep station at the end of a No Exit gravel road, 40 kilometres south of Featherston on the rugged Palliser coastline. Her mother, in need of external stimulation, started marketing one of the farm’s empty cottages. That extended to opening the family home to farmstay guests and when Victoria was nine, they hosted their first international guests. That heralded the beginning of the now internationally recognised luxury property, Wharekauhau. It was all hands on deck for the family and Victoria spent most school holidays working in the lodge. Later, after completing her Business Studies degree, she returned to the lodge “for one more summer.” She stayed seven years, completing her chef training and later taking over as general manager. She moved to Queenstown to re-develop Eichardt’s (which her parents had subsequently purchased), after the 1999 floods. “Queenstown is a special place. It’s full of opportunity and people here really understand tourism. And then there is the natural beauty, the jetboating, fishing, walking……if you love the outdoors, Queenstown is a great place to be.” www.eichardtshotel.co.nz For others in this series click on Meet the People in the label line below this post.

The Luxury X-Factor

Eichardt's Private Hotel, Queenstown. Images Supplied.

As the writer of the New York-produced travel guide, Frommers New Zealand, I am frequently asked what my favourite place to stay in New Zealand is. It’s a hard question to answer because there are several and at the top-end luxury level, every candidate, every luxury lodge has its own character and style; and they all sit in such dramatic landscapes it’s hard to play favourites. That said, one I keep coming back to, one that FOR ME, has something a little special, is Eichardt's Private Hotel in Queenstown. It’s small – just five suites; it’s classy; and it’s smack in the middle of the action – right on the waterfront in an historic building at the end of the mall. I have lasting memories of a luxurious possum fur-covered bed fit of a king, a huge marble bathroom and a beautiful interior with a friendly, intimate, home-like scale - it’s like being a pampered guest in a very posh home rather than staying in an impersonal hotel room – and yes, even some of the best hotel rooms can still feel impersonal. Eichardt's is all the better for its smaller size and the fact that it is so beautiflly embellished with antiques, art and collectibles makes it a visual feast as well. That always wins me over. www.eichardtshotel.co.nz