Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa

Perched as it is on the edge of Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by the Remarkable mountains, Queenstown is the ideal focal point from which to experience New Zealand’s diversity of landscapes. As a haven for ruddy outdoorsy types and backpackers cruising through on the cheap, the city isn’t lacking in vibrant nightlife, and avoiding the all-night party scene in favor of laid-back sophistication used to mean finding a hotel or villa outside of town. But a few recent additions have established toeholds of luxury in the heart of the city, one elegant example being the Sofitel Queenstown Hotel & Spa.

As always, the Sofitel name carries with it a certain refinement, a Parisian put-togetherness. With 82 guest rooms, two restaurants, a lounge, and a spa, the hotel is large enough to accommodate a wide range of travelers, from grown-up ski bums to honeymooners to hikers. Most of the rooms offer private balconies, and all are equipped with the modern conveniences of wi-fi, pillow menus, and espresso machines. There’s nothing radical or avant-garde about the design, but everything from the king beds to the rain-shower bathrooms is just right.

The Nue Lounge, a champagne and martini bar that also features a selection of local wines, ensures that the hotel cultivates its own brand of nightlife for guests and discerning Queenstown residents. The Vie restaurant best embodies the hotel’s attitude of urban sophistication tinged with rustic living, as it overlooks a landscaped garden complete with a waterfall. And it's not for nothing that they mention the spa in their hotel’s official name; with treatments and interventions that span the distance from the beauty salons of Paris to the Maori mud baths of Rotorua, it's a spa that’s worth setting aside some time for.