Top New Zealand luxury destinations recognised

New Zealand’s luxury tourism sector has received another vote of approval from international travellers with two exclusive properties awarded top world rankings.
The five-star Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa has been voted the 'World's Best Hotel Spa' in the 2011 Travel + Leisure magazine's ‘World's Best’ awards readers' survey.

Readers also voted The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs - in the Bay of Islands, Northland - the top ‘Lodge / Resort’ in Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific. The Lodge was ranked No. 11 on the world list of ‘Top 100 Hotels Overall’.

The 16th annual survey by Travel + Leisure judged hotels on their rooms and facilities, location, service, restaurants / food, and value. Hotel-spas were judged on ambience, treatments, service and value.

Sofitel Queenstown
The Sofitel Queenstown Hotel and Spa is in the heart of the South Island alpine resort and adventure capital and, when it opened in 2007, it was Queenstown’s first five-star hotel.

The latest survey puts the sophisticated retreat ahead of some of the world’s most notable hotels - ranking above the Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans (2nd), the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok (8th), and the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris (9th).

The Queenstown property scored 98.93 out of a possible 100 points.

Sofitel general manager Wouter De Graaf says hotel staff are "ecstatic" over the accolade.

"To be recognised as the world's very best against thousands of other hotel-spas is a phenomenal achievement. It goes to prove that, despite what might be considered a remote location at the bottom of the world in Queenstown, our spa service is so exceptional that we still come out sitting at the very top of it," De Graaf said.

The Lodge, Kauri Cliffs
And the 2011 Travel + Leisure award is another to add to an impressive list for The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs in Matauri Bay, in New Zealand’s northern North Island.

The luxury lodge is one of the most awarded luxury golf and spa resort hotels in New Zealand and is also a member of Relais & Chateaux, a collection of the finest hotels and gourmet restaurants in the world.

As well as the latest Travel + Leisure accolade, The Lodge has also topped this year’s Condé Nast Gold List as No. 1 Lodge / Resort in the Australia Pacific region.

The dramatic Bay of Islands property was also recognised by Travel + Leisure in their T+L 500 last year and ‘World’s Best Hotels’ in 2009.

Kauri Cliffs managing director Jay Robertson says the latest award is a wonderful testament to the continued excellence of the lodge’s team.

Jay is the son of New Yorkers Josie and Julian Robertson who developed The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs and sister properties - The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, Hawke’s Bay in the North Island, and the recently opened Matakauri Lodge, near Queenstown in the South Island. All are members of the Relais & Chateaux collection.

More information

NZ lodges in 2011 world’s best