Our trip to New Zealand was a last minute decision so finding accommodation in peak season, that also suited our needs, wasn’t easy. We splurged on our Queenstown stay and booked a two bedroom apartment at Hilton Lakeview Residences which provided the additional space we need as a travelling family. While there I checked out the accessible accommodation at the DoubleTree by Hilton which is located in the same complex. I’m sharing both styles of accommodation because we know our readers have varying needs. We hope this is helpful to anyone looking for accessible accommodation in Queenstown.
The Hilton complex, which is home to both DoubleTree by Hilton Queenstown and the Hilton Lakeview Residences, is about a five minute drive from Queenstown airport and about 15 minutes from central Queenstown. The two properties share recreation and restaurant facilities.
DOUBLETREE BY HILTON QUEENSTOWN
The lake location was a definite drawcard for booking this property. We had a hire car and used Queenstown as our base for exploring the many beautiful towns within an easy day trip from our hotel, so we weren’t looking to stay in central Queenstown.
DoubleTree by Hilton Queenstown offers five accessible rooms and has three undercover accessible parking bays. As we visited in peak season I was lucky to have the opportunity to take a look at one of the accessible rooms as everywhere was heavily booked.
I was impressed by the modern facilities with a few extra comforts perfect for travellers looking to self-cater some meals.
The accessible room is a good size with a lounge area, kitchenette and bedroom which can be made more private with a sliding door.
We are always drawn to accommodation which provides kitchen facilities to save time and money. The accessible accommodation at DoubleTree by Hilton is well equipped with microwave, kettle and mini-fridge and an oven/grill. Cupboards in the kitchen are high so I suggest requesting items be left in a lowered position if you will find this a challenge.
It’s nice to have other areas to relax other than the bedroom so the lounge with television hits the mark in this room.
A sliding door provides access from the bedroom to the bathroom which is equipped with a shower chair, grab rails and lever taps.
The toilet height is 44cm to the pan and 47cm to the seat.
Other accessible room features include a double-peep hole for the front door and a call button.
Unfortunately the accessible room I inspected did not offer a view of the lake and mountains.
The hotel has a movie cinema offers two screenings daily.
Guests of DoubleTree by Hilton have access to the indoor pool which is located in the complex across the resort in the main building. The hotel’s restaurants and apartments are also located in this building.
There is no pool hoist.
You can read more about this property on the DoubleTree by Hilton Queenstown on their website.
HILTON LAKEVIEW RESIDENCES – 2 BEDROOM APARTMENT
We found ourselves feeling right at home in our two bedroom apartment in the Hilton Lakeview Residences. As I’ve mentioned before, we need additional space to allow for Braeden’s disturbed nights and we look for properties with a bath as that’s his preference.
The Hilton Lakeside Residences are spacious and elegant open-plan one and two bedroom residences with apartment style facilities. We stayed in a two bedroom apartment with two bathrooms.
We often self-cater for ease so we appreciated having a large kitchenette and plenty of space to spread out in the afternoons and evenings.
Space in the bedroom wasn’t plentiful but we could make it work. The main bedroom has an ensuite bathroom.
Braeden doesn’t allow us much time for lounging in bed enjoying the view but I appreciated the fact there was one.
The ensuite bathroom features a bath, shower and toilet.
The second bedroom offered a little more space for circulation.
The second bathroom was equipped with shower and toilet.
We all enjoyed the extensive breakfast buffet, especially the made to order omelets.
A water taxi offers guests access to Queenstown but guests need to be able to negotiate steps to use the ferry service. We didn’t use the water taxi service, preferring the car but I should warn, parking in Queenstown is not easy.
Tip – join the Hilton Honors loyalty program for free WIFI.
You can read more about the Hilton Lakeside Residences on their website.
While in Queenstown we had fun at Skyline Queenstown and you can read our review here. We also loved having a drink at Below Zero Ice Bar and wrote a review to share access information here.
If you head to Franz Josef we had an accessible stay at Jag Escape Franz Alpine Retreat.
The highlight of our time in Franz Josef was a helicopter flight to Franz Josef Glacier where Braeden used a sit-ski on the glacier. You can read all about that here.
