Stay Report: Thistle Guest House (Christchurch, New Zealand - April 2013)

Stay Report: Thistle Guest House, Christchurch
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photo courtesy of Thistle Guest House (NZ)

Christchurch suffered through a devastating earthquake in 2011.  The earthquake devastated a great part of the city, with a majority of the destruction being centered in and around the city center.  Because of the destruction, as well as the focus on rebuilding, there were not many places to stay available in Christchurch.  The only places available were B&B’s, and one of the best reviewed places was the Thistle Guest House so I decided to book my stay here.

The Thistle Guest House is a small B&B that offers home-style accommodation in a warm and friendly environment.  The B&B is run by a husband and wife team who live on the property, and they are the ones who pick you up from the airport (pick-up is included in the rate, but drop-off is not).  The place is small with approximately 10 rooms in all.  Some of the rooms have a bathroom in them, while others share a bathroom.  There is a communal kitchen to cook and store stuff as well as a parking lot if you are driving.  The hotel is located close to downtown – about a 10-15 minute bus ride away.  The hotel is conveniently located to various bus stops and about a 3 minute walk is a shopping area with some restaurants and a grocery store.  

photo courtesy of Thistle Guest House (NZ)

One of the amenities the hotel provides is airport pick-up.  This is a nice amenity as it takes the worry off of the arriving customer.   I had communicated my flight details prior to my arrival, but it still took some time (and calling) for the airport pick-up to take place.  It takes about 30-45 minutes (longer with traffic) to get from the airport tot the hotel, and that provides a nice time to chat with the owner of the B&B.  From the outside, the B&B looks like a regular house on the street.  

You enter the house through the front door and enter into the ‘lobby’ area where is a check-in desk as well as a console for maps and information.  I had coordinated everything with the owners through email, and they were very responsive and accommodating, so everything had been settled prior to my arrival.  To the right of the lobby is a sitting room with books and couches.   Beyond the lobby is a hallway, with the kitchen in front and then down the hallway rooms and stairs.

photo courtesy of Thistle Guest House (NZ)

My room was at the end of this hallway, on the first floor.  Since I wanted a room that contained a bathroom, my options were limited to two rooms and by the time I booked only one room was available.  Overall, the room looked like a regular room in someone’s house – with some amenities.   You entered the room on one side of the square, and straight ahead on the right was the entrance to the bathroom – which contained a toilet, a sink, and a shower (with hot water).  The queen-size bed was against the back wall and on either side of the beds were night stands.  Against the side wall was a set of drawers, and in front of the bed was a fridge with coffee/tea kettle on top of it, another set of drawers, and a TV in the corner that had cable.

The B&B also offered a lot of amenities including free wifi (which was decent speed); a large full-size kitchen and access to pots, pans, dishes, and any leftover food that previous guest had left to share; as well as laundry facility.  Overall, it was a nice and pleasant stay in the Thistle Guest House which provided a nice clean and comfortable room, a decent price, good location and nice amenities.