Last November, I spent a week exploring New Zealand – not nearly enough time, if you ask me. While there, I used Queenstown for my base of explorations and was hosted for one night at the Hotel St Moritz, right in town. The Hotel St Moritz is part of the MGallery Collection by Sofitel (one of my favorite luxury hotel chains), so I knew I’d be getting impeccable service. The property overlooks Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain range (you can really see why so many films are produced out here) and is a very convenient walking distance from most of the attractions in town.
The view of the Hotel St Moritz while on the TSS Earnslaw
We stayed in a One Bedroom Alpine Lake View Suite with Balcony, a 581 sq ft oasis facing the lake. The suite featured a bedroom with one king bed, a living room space and dining area with kitchenette, and an ensuite bathroom with a large glass walk-in shower and separate bath, all with Molten Brown toiletries. Not to mention, the lovely little balcony with a view of Lake Wakatipu. One of the little quirks about the property that I also love is the hot tub gardens. They have two traditional cedar hot tubs that guests can enjoy and soak in the New Zealand atmosphere.
View from the hot tub gardens
If you have the time and funds, I highly recommend booking their special Memorable Moment Experience heli picnic. For $750 for two people, you get to fly by private charter helicopter to “The Ledge” on Cecil Peak for a half hour picnic prepared by Lombardi Restaurant. I unfortunately did not get to experience this myself, but I’ve seen the photos and it seems like a fantastic opportunity, especially for my fellow photography fans. It’s a unique experience available only to guests at the Hotel St Moritz.
The road to the main entrance
The lobby of the Hotel St Moritz
The view from the balcony of Lake Wakatipu
The lovely living room area of the suite
Hanging out in the bedroom with ensuite bathroom
Thanks to the Hotel St Moritz for hosting me. As always, my opinions are my own.
![Toboggan on a street? Only in Madeira, Portugal! 🇵🇹
Madeira was the first stop on my 8-day Captivating Canary Islands cruise with @windstarcruises [hosted]. 🛳️
Luckily, we were docked there over night, so I had plenty of time to explore the port city of Funchal, including with a tuk tuk tour and this exhilarating toboggan ride.
This is the only place in the world you can toboggan on land without snow or guiding rails! You ride down in traditional wicker basket sledges with two runners, hitting up to 30 km/hr as you travel down from Monte.
The toboggans date back to the early 19th century where they were used as a means of transport by the local residents who wanted to travel quickly from the village of Monte to the city of Funchal. And nowadays, they’re definitely a blast for thrill seekers!
👉 SAVE this for your bucket list! Would you ride the toboggans? Let me know in the comments!
#madeira #madeiraportugal #madeiraisland #windstarcruises #cruiseblogger #RSJSCruises #cruisetravel / things to do in Madeira / Madeira cruise itinerary / top tourist attractions in Madeira / what to do at port in Funchal](https://readysetjetset.net/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
