Hotel St Moritz, Queenstown

Visitors to New Zealand might find themselves (understandably) eager to get out of town and into the wild — the success of the small-lodge phenomenon is proof of that. But Queenstown is no ordinary town. It may feel urban by comparison with the rest of New Zealand, but its location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, surrounded by mountain peaks, makes it a four-season adventure destination. Which probably has something to do with why the Hotel St. Moritz feels like equal parts alpine lodge and city boutique.

As such it’s considerably more stylish than the run of the Queenstown hotels. The name is a conscious reference to the Swiss alpine town, and there’s plenty of ski-lodge influence visible throughout. But there’s a strong current of European sophistication as well, for those who like a little urbane style with their rustic comfort.

There’s a gym in the basement alongside the massage and sauna facilities, but it’s hard to imagine it seeing much use — one would imagine most of Queenstown’s visitors are here to get their workout in the great outdoors. Perhaps more important is the restaurant, the Italian-themed Lombardi — and even more than that, this being New Zealand and all, is the associated Lombardi Bar, where guests and locals bend elbows with views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables.