DoubleTree Hilton Hotel: A Very Beautiful Place to Stay in Christchurch
The Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Christchurch was very elegant. I stayed there during my visit to the city (you can also read my review about The George Hotel). The first thing I saw was the sign of the hotel in the garden. It was surrounded by trees and bushes.
I arrived at the hotel after dark. The whole place was brightly lit up and it looked very inviting. The architecture was interesting and unique.
I hurried inside through the wooden double doors to get out of the cold. There were a few cars parked near the entrance and I knew the hotel must be popular with tourists.
The hotel had put up signs so the guests would know which way to go. I followed the instructions and walked to the reception area.
Two comfortable armchairs and a coffee table had been placed near a fireplace. Guests could sit down and warm up near the fire after coming inside from the cold. I could see a pool of water right outside the window.
The whole reception area was decorated very beautifully. There were black and white tiles on the floor and wooden rafters near the ceiling.
Another seating area had a few sofas. It was big enough for five or six people to sit and chat. There was another fireplace with a fire there. The reception had big glass windows so the guests could look out at the garden.
I walked up to the reception desk to check-in to my room.
There were all kinds of magazines, newspapers and brochures at the desk. They would be very helpful if guests wanted to know more about Christchurch and the surrounding areas.
On one end, there was an elevator which guests could use to get to their rooms. Beside the elevator were two large potted plants and a staircase.
I took pictures of the reception as I waited. Since it was night, I couldn’t see the view outside the big windows.
A water dispenser stood on one side, as you can see in the image above. There were some sketches that hung on the walls.
The hotel even got options for hot tea. The flavor of that day was jasmine green tea and guests could pour a cup for themselves.
And in case they wanted a cool drink, the hotel had also provided blueberry iced tea in a jar. Paper cups could be used to drink the tea.
The water dispenser had options for warm and cold water. It was right next to a big sofa so guests could sit down and drink.
I looked at the sketch on the wall above the water dispenser. It was a design of the hotel gardens.
One of the things I liked best was the giant Connect Four game and the huge Jenga blocks that had been kept in the corner. I was sure both children and adults would love playing with them!
I enjoy the water feature outside the windows and the sculptures that have been placed along one wall. But soon, I was given a room and it was time to check it out.
The bathroom was quite big and very modern. Glass walls separated the shower from the rest of the bathroom so the water wouldn’t spill outside.
There was a large mirror behind the sink. The bathroom was well-lit and it would be a good place to get dressed and to do make-up.
The Double Tree Hilton had provided their guests with liquid soap and hand and body cream. It was a nice fig flavor and had a lovely scent.
There were also a couple of shower caps so my hair would not get wet while showering.
Hand towels and a box of tissues had been neatly folded and left beside the sink, within easy reach.
I peeped under the sink and found a hair dryer inside a bag on one of the shelves.
Not only did the bathroom have a shower area, it even had a separate bathtub. There were towels folded on the racks above the tub. I stepped out of the bathroom to look at the room that I had been given.
Right beside the bathroom was a closet. It was small but it had all the necessary things, like an iron and extra blankets.
Along with two fluffy bathrobes, a few extra clothes hangers had been provided for me to hang my clothes up. An ironing board had been folded and kept at the back of the closet, in case I wanted to iron my clothes.
At the bottom of the closet were a small heater and a pair of bedroom slippers.
The Double Tree Hilton had a laundry service. A list of prices was attached to the wall of the closet, along with a big paper bag.
The room had two double beds and it was a little small and cramped. The curtains had already been drawn to keep the room warm.
Opposite the beds was a desk with a large screen TV above it. There was a comfortable chair and a coffee table in front of the big windows.
A long mirror had been hung opposite the windows for people to get dressed in the room.
On the bedside table, a telephone and an intercom system had been kept so that guests could call the staff easily. A little card lay beside it and it had a code I could use to get the internet password.
There was even an in-room guide with other codes that I could use to order in-room dining or to find out more about the hotel and gardens. The TV remote lay beside the guide.
There was a narrow cupboard beside the TV.
I opened the cupboard and found the mini bar inside.
The mini fridge was on the top shelf.
When I pulled open the door, I saw that it was mostly empty. The only things inside were a few small cartons of milk.
Below the fridge was the locker. As you can see in the image above, it had instructions about how to use it.
A pull-out drawer at the bottom held an electric kettle, mugs and glasses.
I looked at the sachets of tea and coffee. There were a lot of different flavors of tea, along with sugar sachets.
The next morning, I decided to explore the gardens and the rest of the hotel a little.
The name of the hotel was Chateau in the Park (I had dinner at the Garden Court Brasserie here.) and the architecture actually did make it look like a French chateau. I could see that the hotel had three floors and a sloping roof.
The walk in the gardens was really beautiful, even though it was winter. Some of the trees had lost all their leaves and there weren’t a lot of flowers. But there were a lot of ferns and evergreen plants.
In one corner, there was a cute little gazebo with four chairs inside. It would be a nice place for a small group of guests to sit and have tea or chat with each other.
Since it was still quite early, all the rooms still had their curtains drawn over their windows. I walked along a stone garden path that curved around the hotel.
At the back of the hotel, there was a big lawn. The hotel staff had set up a patio with tables, chairs and garden umbrellas beside the lawn. It would be a wonderful place to eat a meal during winter afternoons or summer evenings.
There were some rhododendron trees near the back of the hotel. Some of them had even started blooming and I could see a few red flowers.
I went back towards the front of the hotel. I was very curious about the water feature that I had seen from the reception the previous night. I peeped out of the windows at the reception and saw that there was a big pool outside.
All the buildings surrounding the pool had large windows. Guests could look at the pool from all angles. It looked very welcoming and pretty.
There were tiny fountains in the pool. Flowers and ferns were growing in the center. The water looked very, very blue.
A narrow bridge connected the reception with the other buildings, like the restaurant and dining areas. The bridge had glass on all sides. That way, the hotel guests could admire the pool without being in danger of falling into the water.
The hotel had built flower beds in the center of the pool and planted all kinds of lily flowers there. Even though they weren’t fully blooming, I could imagine how pretty they would look in spring and summer.
I walked all around the pool and decided to take photos from all sides. It was one of the prettiest places in the whole hotel. I was very glad that I had decided to stay at the Double Tree Hilton in Christchurch.
