The Best Places to Drink and Stay in Christchurch

A 33-room hotel housed inside a Gothic Revival building that once held Christchurch's astronomy and physics departments, now part of the Arts Centre precinct. Rooms vary widely: some have skylights over freestanding baths, others look onto the courtyard. All the furniture was made in Canterbury. The top suite sits in an attic with a roll-top tub under an overhead skylight, and a lounge downstairs keeps books and tea on hand for guests who find all that heritage a bit much.

A 53-room boutique hotel sitting on the edge of Hagley Park, The George is Christchurch doing quietly confident city style rather than the rustic lodge routine. Rooms look out over greenery, e-bikes are available for a lap of the park, and the in-house bistro runs afternoon tea and pre-theatre menus for guests who've actually planned their evenings. Small enough to feel personal, central enough to make the city walkable.

Named for London's most self-satisfied neighborhood and planted firmly in post-earthquake Christchurch, The Mayfair is a 67-room boutique hotel on Victoria Street where Hagley Park and a good stretch of independent restaurants are all walkable. The interiors are contemporary without going cold, and the on-site Majestic bar runs from brunch through cocktails and small plates as the day shifts. Part of Millennium's Leng's Collection, and selected by the Michelin Guide.