Girls Getaway to Queenstown
Hosted by Crowne Plaza Queenstown
March 10th, 2020
I flew down to New Zealand’s capital of adventure to meet up with my wonderfully-talented, beautiful friend Tara of Silly Little Kiwi on what would be our last holiday before the country-wide lockdown. More on that below.
Big thanks to the lovely staff at Crowne Plaza Queenstown for hosting our stay.
It’s no secret that I love Queenstown. Ryan, Lia and I have been countless times, always landing with grins from ear to ear. As New Zealand’s adventure playground, it attracts over 3 million visitors a year! (disclaimer and sad to say, but this is a pre-covid times number).
For months I was trying to figure out how to plan a girl’s trip sans baby, and finally the stars aligned when Tara said she was flying over for a multi-week NZ holiday. We decided to meet up in Queenstown with the intention of hiking, relaxing and catching up in one of our favourite cities in the country.
After our big reunion in the airport, Tara and I headed to the Crowne Plaza Queenstown to check in.
We were greeted by their lovely staff and taken to one of their Lakeside Rooms. Not only is this hotel in the perfect location to Queenstown’s downtown, its balconies look over Lake Wakatipu, the country’s third largest lake.
From the balcony, you can spend hours watching visitors enjoy all the offerings of this adrenaline-junkie town. If you look up, you’ll see paragliders, hang gliders, and sky divers soaring through the air. If you look at the lake, it is teeming with jetboats, cruises, jetskis, hydro-attacks (a submersible boat experience) and parasailers. On the boardwalk, families are strolling, couples are holding hands and tourists are taking photos of birds (ha). And we were about to spend three full days exploring some old favourites and experiencing a few new adventures thanks to the activities offered with this Crowne Plaza Queenstown room.
Looking out from the Lakeview room at Crowne Plaza Queenstown
After squealing over our new digs, we headed out for a scenic drive to Glenorchy spending time at the country’s iconic red barn and almost blowing away on the lakeside pier.
Later that day we cruised back to Queenstown via Bob’s Cove to climb to a new view of Lake Wakatipu. We’d drove slow and pulled over often including at this lakeside rec area where I caught the golden sun gleaming off the mountain.
Skippers Canyon jetboat
The next day was one for the books. Thanks to Crowne Plaza Queenstown, Tara and I tried out a few of their Lakeside Activities. After stuffing our faces at the breakfast bar, we hopped on a bus heading to Skipper’s Canyon.
If you’ve been to New Zealand, you’ll know it’s famous for the jetboat. A kiwi-engineered speed boat that is basically an extra-large jetski. It’s fast, fun and spins you around like a carnival ride.
For the first time in my five years of living here, I finally had the opportunity to experience it. The bus ride took us through one of my favourite places in QT, Coronet Peak. The windy road leads up to one of the local ski fields providing stunning views of the Remarkables mountain range and the valley below. Near the top is the turn off for Skipper’s Canyon, a wild 4WD road that curves through the mountains. We ooo’d and aaahhh’d over beautiful rock formations during the slow journey down until reaching our boat launch where we excitedly hopped on our jetboat.
As a person who loves a good thrill, the Skipper’s Canyon Jet Boat tour did not disappoint. Tara and I shouted like kids on a roller coaster. A bit of fresh mountain air, mixed with river spray and an adrenaline-seeking activity was better than any cup of coffee. We finished the trip with a post-hang at their little lodge overlooking the dramatic Skipper’s Canyon.
Appellation wine tours
Post-jetboat we headed into town to grab a bite from my favourite QT cafe, Bespoke Kitchen, then headed back to Crowne Plaza Queenstown to relax before our next lakeside activity, wine tasting.
Our wonderfully kind and knowledgable guide, Debbie of Appellation Wine Tours picked us up from the hotel and we headed out of town to three incredibly unique wineries: Kinross, Gibbston Valley and Rockburn.
Central Otago is famous for its wine and we happily sipped whites and reds while learning the history of the region and about its grapes. We gabbed over (cheese) and wine with the other ladies in our group, toured a wine cave and had many good laughs along the way. I highly recommend Debbie and Appellation tours if you’re keen to experience a few wineries without worrying about driving :)
Wine tasting at Kinross
Wine cave at Gibbston Valley
Blush cheeked and sleepy, we returned to Crowne Plaza Queenstown and chatted about our day. We dove into some Italian food across from the hotel (Farelli’s Trattoria) and climbed into bed early, grateful for our day out indulging in some of Queenstown’s finest activities.
Our stay at Crowne Plaza Queenstown was the perfect place to come home to after our day of adventures. After another restful sleep, we enjoyed one last breakfast and checked out of this perfectly-located haven in Queenstown.
Breakfast with a view - Crowne Plaza Queenstown
A few more honourable mentions from our girls getaway
Our trip wasn’t over yet and after checking out of the Crowne, we drove over to our next destination, a spa at Onsen Hot Pools. This lavish day spa offers private hot pool sessions overlooking Queenstown’s fabulous mountains. Choose a soak and pamper session, or simply experience the hour soak like us which includes a choice of snack and beverage.
*tip: if you want to get a shot similar to this, make sure to book the Original Onsen, their new outdoor pools don’t have the indoor space needed to frame the view. We didn’t realize this, but the wonderful staff sorted us out graciously.
Another note-worthy stop is a little trip to Arrowtown, an historic gold mining village with novelty sweets shops and quaint bars and cafes. Go for a nature walk by the river, visit this old police station, and if possible visit in Autumn for a whirlwind of brightly-coloured foliage. Check out our trip from May 2018, just weeks before Lia bean arrived, when we experienced the mind-blowing fall colours.
Flying with Glenorchy Air was an absolute treat. We flew over Queenstown and down through the Fiordland passing Mount Tutoko and arriving to the lush, dense woodlands of Milford Sound. Landing between the mountains while waterfalls flowed from both sides is a memory I’ll never forget. If you love your scenic views, get in the air to see this magnificent part of the world.
And that about wraps up our little Girls Getaway to Queenstown, if you have any questions about our stay, trip or activities, feel free to email me or leave a comment.
If you haven’t been to Queenstown yet, I urged you to plan the trip and save some extra cash to experience one of their thrill-seeking experiences. Blog on my Queenstown Favourites is coming soon, until then thanks for reading, I appreciate it always.
Love, Tor
