Chateau Marlborough Blenheim Hotel Review is is part of the TPOL Down Under Trip Report.
Getting There: Taxi. There’s no reason to rent a car. The town is tiny and wine tasting should be done via bike tour (see Wine Tours by Bike NZ: A Must for Wine Enthusiasts).
I landed in Blenheim with nowhere to stay. I tried the Google Maps ‘Hotels Near Me’ trick, and once again it was cheaper than the other searches (see Aura Hotel Melbourne: Flinders, Flinders, Flinders!). The query popped up with the Chateau Marlborough which had a photo of a fancy entrance and a price of $100 a night. Like before, I tried to book using garbage T-Mobile’s data and got nowhere.
Since there was only one taxi in the tiny airport, I figured I would take it and deal with booking when I had WiFi.
Checking In
After making the reservation, the front desk said it would take a few minutes for it to show up in their system. Instead of waiting around, I took advantage of the $20NZD voucher and went to the pool for happy hour.
Pool Patio
Back left from the pool is a nice seating area where I had many bottles over the three nights I stayed.
Service
The hotel has great service. They booked the wine tour, the taxi to the airport, and recommended the Wine Station and Raizada Indian restaurant. Notably, they weren’t overly enthusiastic about Hans as a dining option (see Hans Herzog Vineyard: Yes to Wine, Pass on Food.)
Room
I booked an executive suite. It had a big living room that I did not use with a view of the pool.
Bedroom
I do not recommend the executive suite in the summer. It is better to book a single room because the a/c was not in the bedroom.
Bathroom
Good soaps, good water pressure.
Breakfast
Breakfast wasn’t included and I chose to apply my voucher to wine.
Wine
The happy hour sauvignon blanc was great. On the last night, I went with a bold pinot noir called Fickle Mistress. It was another great choice.
Location
The hotel is walking distance to everything in the town.
Overall
This is a great place to stay in Blenheim.
