Firstly lets be clear, this hotel is several kilometres from Lyttleton and Christchurch city. We took a cab the first day from the airport and it was expensive. Second day we caught the local bus to Lyttleton, paused for a refreshment at a charming bar and then took a cab to the hotel. Much cheaper option. So we would recommend having a car of your own. The hotel is a refurbed old wooden hotel. We had fantastic views across the green water of the Bay from a balcony. Percet for drinking our champagne. It has been done up with taste and is clean and modern with a shared breakfast room. There are 2 shared bathrooms and no ensuites which may put some people off but we found it fine as the hotel is quite small and they provide fluffy white robes for any foray into the hall.
The host is very welcoming and looks after you well. The only place to eat really is the hotel, as apart from a chocolate cafe over the road there is no other shop in Governors Bay. That's its charm! Luckily the restaurant is excellent. We had a Valentines Day special menu. There is a good selection of local wine as well.
There are some lovely walks in the area - around the edge of the Bay. We walked to Christchurch one day, the locals thought we were mad as its over fifteen km, but it was a fantastic way to see a wide range of scenery and to see first had the terrible damage the earthquakes had done to the outer suburbs.

The rooms are not ensuited. But if you are comfortable with this, the Governors Bay Hotel is a great tip. It is very clean, the staff is familiar and you have direct access to the Bar and Restaurant which serves really good food. We were there for four nights to be close to Christchurch. From Govenors Bay to Christchurch it's just a 20 minutes drive by car. The View is great, even in the night.

The rooms are equipped with Wireless Internet, a Flatscreen TV, a washbasin and a queen-size bed. You also have access to the balcony with its great view to the Governors Bay. The Hotel has two separate showers and two toilets. There is also a Laundry with a dryer for your clothes and a parking lot for your car. You can have a continental breakfast in a small room on the floor wich is equipped with coffee-making-facilities or outside on the balcony.

Give it a try!

Really enjoyed our stay over. Real sense of history and character but still well maintained and neat. Room was nicely done and very cosy (1 metre more of space to get past bed would be great but more an irritation than showstopper). Balcony is really nice and you are sure to chat to your neighbours at some point which adds to the appeal. Had a great meal downstairs, excellent wine list and good menu. Pub looks like good local spot, probably get quite rowdy at times but we had no problems. Breakfast room nicely stocked for light breakfast. All round, a good experience.