Review: New Zealand & Fiji Vacation, New Zealand South Island Tour, Queen Charlotte Track Hike, Food & Wine

We would've stayed in very different lodging. We hated being far removed from town (which was the case for a large portion of our trip), and it was frustrating to stay in fancy lodges or B&Bs when most days we arrived late and left early. We would've been much happier in cheaper motels or less fancy B&Bs in the center of town. We also would've spent less time in the car.

TRAVEL COMPANY COMMENTS:

Hi Leah,
 
I’ve very sorry that you weren’t happy with my recommendations.  I don’t know what you mean by your hotels not being in town though, on most of your stops you were right in the middle of town, and the few times you weren’t there were good reasons for it.  New Zealand is not a place that you spend much time in cities; it’s a driving destination where you go from place to place experiencing the incredible scenery and having amazing adventures.  While there are many possible routes through New Zealand there are only a few best ones and a big part of my service is knowing how to connect those dots.  That’s just not information you can get from the internet (though many people try and almost all fail).  You have to have done it yourself over and over finding the best way which requires that you’ve done all the other ways as well.  That’s work that I’ve put in and in fact am in New Zealand as I write this once again reviewing all the hotels I work with from one end of the country to the other.   The touring routes don’t change, but the hotels do.
 
No doubt I focus on the better hotels and lodges which is what most of my clients want.  I don’t do budget and Zicasso’s emphasis is on luxury.  Nevertheless, I look for value and over the years have put together a list of hotels and lodges that consistently deliver but at the best possible price.  That list is not stagnant but ever evolving.  It’s easy to find nice places to stay if money is no object.  I put you in nice places to stay that were not expensive.  I could have put you in inferior places for the same money but how would that be better?