Based on reviews from various websites, I made reservations at the Aurum on Stanley St. I had a one-bedroom apartment suite for 3 nights. I stayed at all kinds of accomodations throughout NZ (mostly south island) and Australia - the Aurum was hands down my favorite, for the quality and the price.

Check-in: Can be a bit crazy since everyone arrives on the same shuttle bus, but if you move fast and hit the counter first, you won't have to wait in line behind all the others! I had no problems checking in quickly, although it sounded like a couple next to me was confused about the rates they had booked for.

The Apartment Suite: fantastic - the kitchen had a mini fridge, nice stove/oven (although I didn't plan to cook), sink, small appliances, etc. I had a washer and dryer in the suite which was so much nicer than having to use a shared laundry facility and waste time waiting for your things. The living area was nice, in fact I was so comfortable just watching tv that I fell asleep on the couch on the first night. The dining area is 3 walls of windows (check the pics!), one of which is a sliding door leading to the big balcony. The bedroom was nice, it also had glass doors leading to the balcony. And there were sliding doors you could close to block off the living area, or leave it open and watch tv from the bed - which was super comfortable and after sleeping in it the second night, I regretted sleeping on the couch on my first night! The bathroom was also nice - clean and new. The whole suite felt refreshingly open, especially with the windows and balcony. With the cool early summer weather, you can open both doors leading to the balcony and bundle up under blankets.

The View: no complaints, it was fabulous - although I could only see a small 'tip' of Lake Wakatipu, that little piece was gorgeous, and there were great views of mountains and hills all around. Be aware though, its not on the lakeshore, so there's a street and a bunch of motels/inns across the street as part of your view.

Location: yes it's on a hill, so you will huff a bit on the return walk, but the exercise is good for you and you are in an adventure-sport resort town after all. Its very close to the center of town and the lake. There's also a shortcut if you go down Stanley St.

Issues: internet was very expensive (in total I was charged $84.03 NZD - there are extra fees if you exceed the stated bandwidth limit) and the lan cable wasn't long enough to reach all the way to the dining table so I couldnt enjoy the view from there while using a laptop. There was an issue with the button to flush the toilet; someone stopped by to fix it and said it wasn't really broken; I didn't want to have to change suites so I was just careful during my stay when I flushed it. Some of the window blinds were torn up, but I had them pulled up the entire time so it didn't matter. Also the blanket I used had stains. But I considered these minor compared to the overall experience.

I spent a lot of time in the suite, did not hang out in the dining room or public areas of the hotel , and didn't have room service or housekeeping service, so can't comment on those. Absolutely no noise issues from the adjacent suite or from the street.

Overall, it was a great experience. I will definitely stay here the next time in Queenstown. The cost for 3 nights was $380, not including the internet fees.