If you’re planning a trip to New Zealand, the Friars Guide is indispensable. In fact I’ve yet to see another guide of its kind anywhere else in the world. For a country as stunningly gorgeous as New Zealand, this guide does it justice in showing you a fantastic selection of places to stay.
So what is it? The Friar’s Guide is a guide to luxurious accommodation in New Zealand for the discerning traveller. This means NO large impersonal hotel chains (although NZ has a few which are good value and pretty darn decent), but a variety of the most wonderful inns, cottages, b&b’s, lodges, homestays and boutique hotels – all of of them uniquely charming and in the most idyllic places. The book’s authors have strict standards, so the properties have to be very high in quality, as well as “character”.
When we were routing our way around the country during our honeymoon, this guide was a godsend. Not that we could afford to stay in a Friar’s Guide hotel during all of our 6 weeks (places range from at least NZ$200 up a night and many go up to a steep N$500 or even more!), but we did select a few places and treated ourselves – which was well worth it!