Orari Boutique Hotel

The hotel is situated in the centre of Christchurch, so it is very convenient to walk to any attraction in the city. The staff is very friendly and the rooms are beautiful with the spirit of old English cottages.

The only inconvenience is due to the age of the building: the private bathroom is not situated in the room but across the hallway. So you have to exit your room in order to go the bathroom.

We absolutely LOVED the location. Walking distance to everything we wanted to see! Room was very spacious. Marcella (Marcy) was so helpful and friendly. Fun evening wine gathering with other guests.

We had several large suitcases because we'd been traveling for a month. Needed to use the elevator to take them up to the second floor, which was great. Had a very early airport departure on our last day and it turned out the elevator was not usable until 8 a.m., the time we needed to be at the airport. Didn't relish carrying them downstairs! Breakfast was kind of meh; morning staff (not Marcy) was quite put off that we came down earlier than breakfast was served. Turned out that it was our misunderstanding, but that staff member had us leaving with a bad taste in our mouths. Everything else was outstanding!

Our arrival in Christchurch coincided with the Electric Avenue music festival - unbeknownst to us. This made getting to the Orari by car a bit more challenging, especially as we were NZ driving newbies!! However, we were welcomed by our hostess who made us feel at home, and we were immediately shown to our room and to the free parking space on site (phew!). The Orari B&B is right across the street from the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū and an easy walk to the picturesque CBD, so we didn't have to drive anywhere. At 5pm a happy hour glass of local wine is served, giving us the opportunity to meet fellow guests in the delightfully appointed public rooms. For us this was a great way to meet fellow travelers and swap stories, experiences, etc. Our upstairs room - accessible by stairs only although there is a lift/elevator for luggage - (Superior Queen Room 6) was spacious and well laid out. A breakfast of cereals, yogurt, fruits, meats/cheeses, freshly-made toast and coffee/tea was served in the dining room - definitely a good way to start the day! The house has an interesting history and is decorated with many old photographs and local art work. We enjoyed our one-night stay in this lovely house and would recommend it.

Nothing!

Orari is a beautiful older property, full of character, and with all the home comforts. The staff were friendly and welcoming, the room was spacious, the bed really comfortable, and the bathroom was spotlessly clean. It was so nice to meet the other guests during ‘happy hour.’ Breakfast was described as continental, but had a great variety, and plenty of it! There was off street parking, and it was just a short walk into the centre. We were very happy to have chosen to stay there and would highly recommend Orari to anyone visiting Christchurch.

Nothing.

It was absolutely lovely, can't fault anything. A gorgeous villa transformed into a comfortable boutique hotel with a relaxed, homely feel. Perfect location walking distance to the central district of Christchurch (Riverside Market etc). Off street parking at the back. Friendly, helpful staff who offered us umbrellas when the weather turned wet. The room was very comfortable and clean. Breakfast was very civilised in the lovely dining room with everyone eating together so a bit of a guest house vibe. It was also great value for money. Really just what we needed for our final night in the South Island (especially after a bad experience in Queenstown the night before). I would definitely go back and highly recommend this place.

Very comfortable historic house located across the road from the wonderful art gallery. The gardens were looking their best at this time - late October. I loved the complimentary evening drinks, the delicious breakfast and having a coffee machine in my room. Really friendly staff - and I really appreciated that they left out bread etc for me to have an earlier breakfast before my 730 departure. Great walkable location.

I had room 3 on the ground floor. It was a small nuisance having a bathroom across the hallway - even though it was for my dedicated use. And there’s some traffic noise which disturbed me a bit (I’m a light sleeper so it would likely not be an issue for most guests).

What a wonderful stay we have had. Staff are helpful and friendly, breakfast buffet in the dining room was really good too. The property is in the perfect location for walking to the town, restaurants, Quake exhibition etc. The Botanical gardens is to one side of the property and the art gallery on the other. Bus stop to the airport just a few minutes walk and extremely frequent. A wonderful property to stay in and we would have no hesitation in recommending it to others. Thank you to all the staff who made us so welcome.

Nothing to dislike

It was beautiful. We were arriving late so they sent us a perfectly clear set of easy instructions about getting into the property after hours. We had a lovely warm comfortable room with everything we could need. The house has thick carpet so it's quiet. Breakfast was in the lovely sitting room and was a high quality continental spread with toast and tea/coffee bought to your table. We left our luggage at the office for the day and returned later before our flight home. A very lovely property with a lovely host and in a brilliant location - right across the road from the excellent Art Gallery. Highly recommended. Its a class act.

Nothing. It's delightful.

The Orari is delightful, with lovely light, bright interiors and a wonderful atmosphere. It brings countryside hospitality into the centre of the city, a rare quality indeed. The staff are outstanding, ever ready with advice, guidance and conversation. We had an enormous room with a most comfortable bed. The outstanding feature of the Orari is its location, only 5 minutes' walk from the city centre, 4 from the Botanic Gardens and 2 from the City Art Gallery. This could not be bettered, and certainly not at this price.

Nothing.

The breakfast was great. Well presented and staff very obliging. Location perfect, about an 8 to 10 minute walk from city centre. Very nice old house with a great atmosphere.

Very minor points... The only cooked option on the breakfast menu (aside from toast) was boiled eggs. Nothing wrong at all with boiled eggs at all, but would have been much better with meaty options. Floor was creaky upstairs, and the water pipes were noisy, but these are minor quibbles and go with the territory staying in a historic house. All overshadowed by the qualities of the facility and staff.