Family Accommodation

Accommodation in New Zealand

New Zealand offers fantastic variety in accommodation styles. Check out our descriptions below to give you an idea of the type of accommodation that will suit your family.

Apartment

Increasingly popular, holiday apartment accommodation tends to be modern and often very luxurious. We believe apartments offer great value to the family – you’re set up with one, two or more bedrooms, living area and fully-equipped kitchen. Extras can include such amenities as dvd or surround-sound stereo, laundry, swimming pool, patio, bbq area, baby furniture and daily servicing. Most holiday apartment owners welcome families and you’ll find the ones listed here have been set up to accommodate families in comfort and with maximum convenience.

Motel

Motels used to be very simple, all-in-one rooms with a drive-up front door (hence ‘motor hotel’ – ‘motel’). NZ motels do still provide these ‘studio’ rooms, but most also now provide apartment style accommodation in the form of one or more bedroom units with kitchen. We’ve ensured that all motels listed here do have family units. (Studios are cheaper however, and most have pull-out sofa beds or cots available for children). A feature of any motel will be ample parking, usually with your dedicated space at or near your front door and generally you'll find WiFi, often free. You’ll also often find extras such as newspapers, breakfast available, playground, swimming pool and SKY or Freeview TV. All our motels have baby furniture available and many welcome pets (by arrangement). Another advantage of motels is that you’ll always find a reception on-site and can usually organise sightseeing, transport and childminding.

Hotel

Hotels make things easy for families by having everything at your fingertips. Room service, restaurant and bar on-site plus extras such as spa, pool or gym can make life that much more comfortable. Many hotels offer babysitting services and some even have children’s clubs. Single hotel rooms may offer sofa or rollaway beds, but our listed hotels also have interconnected rooms available, to give family visitors that much more space. Look out for incentives such as kids under a certain age dining or staying for free.  

Farmstay

A real Kiwi experience, this is a wonderful way to experience friendly kiwi hospitality. Our family farmstays tend to offer self-contained accommodation such as a holiday cottage or apartment, next door or on the land of your host family. This gives you a bit of freedom and privacy, whilst still experiencing a slice of life on a Kiwi farm. Farms may be large, working cattle and sheep farms, alpaca farms or ‘hobby farms’ with friendly animals wandering about. Most farms offer breakfast, often with home grown produce, and other great extras may include farm tour, sheep shearing demonstration, quad bike rides, horse riding, interacting with farmyard animals and plenty of space to run about! 

Bed & Breakfast

A popular option for couples and independent travellers, Kiwi B&Bs can also be an ideal family choice. Those listed will have a variety of room types to suit you and the kids. Breakfast is usually a choice of continental (eg: cereals, toast, croissants, fruit, fruit juice, tea/coffee) or cooked. Bed and Breakfast style accommodation tends to be a very individual choice and our options include house in the city, manor house, and farms. 

Holiday Park or Campsite 

The kiwi favourite holiday style – holiday parks are great value and offer a huge range of amenities. They double as motor camps, campgrounds or campsites but offer more than just tent or campervan sites. Most Kiwi parks include a range of accommodation from powered or unpowered sites for your van, to motel units, tourist flats or group lodges. Other extra goodies may include adventure playground, swimming or toddlers’ pool, trampoline, beach access, bike or kayak hire, on-site shop and activity booking service. 

Holiday House, Bach or Crib

Your home away from home – kiwi holiday houses come in all shapes and sizes and you’ll find choices throughout NZ. Often owners will require a minimum stay, which may be two or three nights. Your holiday house will be equipped with full kitchens, bedding, and generally everything you’ll need but your clothes!