Poshtel Oamaru: A 5-Star Art Hotel in the Centre of Town
Since I was going to be staying at Oamaru, I had booked the boutique hotel Poshtel. I knew that it was an art hotel and that it was nicely decorated. It was near the centre of town so it was ideally located.
The hotel had large, double wooden doors at the entrance. I pushed through the doors and went inside.
Lobby
The first thing that I saw in the lobby was the lamps hanging from the ceiling. They were made from cane and they made the whole place look warm. There were large photograph prints on the walls behind the front counter.
There was a table made from enormous slabs of woods and high stools all around it for people to sit. A wooden sculpture had been kept in the middle of the room and there were bright red chairs placed on one side.
I could see a bar at one end of the room. The lobby was quite a large place and it was filled with interesting furniture.
I walked all around the lobby, taking photographs. There were hanging lamps and standing lamps all around the room. The wooden floor looked a little rough but well maintained. There were large windows along one wall and they were covered by sheer curtains.
The wooden sculpture in the middle of the lobby was odd but interesting (and in case you want to see more interesting sculptures here in Oamaru, you can go to the Buggy Robot Gallery). There were also some paintings and a large screen TV on a wall.
I could see enormous fish heads hanging from the wall. It looked like the owners of the hotel had collected a lot of strange items and used them to decorate the lobby.
One shelf was filled with old shoes and the shelf above it had sculptures of ducks.
I liked the pair of antlers that had been used as a hat stand. A few different kinds of hats and caps hung from the antlers.
The leather sofas in the centre of the room looked very old and comfortable. There were a lot of wooden tables all around the space. It made everything look warm and cozy.
The coffee table looked almost like a hand cart. It had wheels on all sides and could be rolled around. There was a good quality carpet on the floor under the coffee table.
There were glass cabinets filled with old photos, shoes, guns and wooden blocks. A set of bronze scales had been placed on top of the cabinet.
A pair of fish heads and a harness was hanging from the walls. Books had been kept here and there on the tables.
The Poshtel lobby also had a very unique looking typewriter in one corner.
A board in the lobby gave a list of tourist places around Oamaru. Visitors could go to the steampunk museum (or you can just go to the Miss Purple Studio) or the Oamaru public gardens. There were even some must visit restaurants on the list.
Room 1
Soon I was given my room so I headed that way. I booked two rooms. I checked out the first one.
As you can see in the image above, the first thing I saw in the room was a board with all the logos, patches and positions of the Royal New Zealand Navy.
I quickly looked around the rest of the room. It was quite a medium size space. There was a bed and an armchair.
Portraits and sketches of ships hung on the walls. I could see that there was a navy theme in this room. A thick blanket had been neatly folded at the foot of the bed and there was a radiator close by.
There was even a strange wooden item hanging from the wall beside the bed.
The room had heavy curtains that had been drawn over the windows to keep out the cold.
There were bedside tables on either side of the bed. And each had a reading light. Guests could switch off the main lights in the room and just keep their bedside lamp on.
Poshtel had also left a note about the history of the building along with some mints on the bed.
I really liked the sketch of the ship above the bed.
The switches for the bedside lamps were within easy reach.
The hotel had left some ear plugs for the use of the guests on the bedside table.
There was a large screen TV on the wall opposite the bed. Above it was an old black and white photo of a yacht.
I checked the closet. I found a small table fan tucked away under the closet. There was also an old wooden whiskey case that was used as a recycling bin. It was really cool.
The radiator could be used to warm the room to the perfect temperature. Right beside it was a place to hang up suit jackets or coats.
I had booked a non-smoking room.
The hotel had provided a bathrobe and an extra clothes hanger. They hung from some antler shaped hooks on the wall.
All the other necessities were kept in the closet.
There was a box of tissues, extra bath towels, a kettle, glasses, cups and mugs and also a cute pink locker.
The mini bar was on the bottom shelf. It included tea and coffee sachets and cookies along with a coffee maker.
The hotel had placed a list of rules and regulations next to the mini bar.
I had options for coffee, hot chocolate, English breakfast tea (speaking of this, you can read my breakfast experience here on this article) and chamomile tea.
I was also pleased that they had provided some cookies.
The refrigerator was at the very bottom of the closet.
I opened the fridge and found a carton of milk along with two glass bottles full of water.
Room 2
Then I decided to go to the second room which has different theme. But the bed had a lovely headboard.
Again, the hotel had provided a thick blanket and mints along with a history of the hotel building.
This room had a different kind of theme. There were plaques on the wall that said ‘London’ and ‘Calais’. A bathrobe and extra clothes hangers hung from another antler shaped hook on the wall.
The TV was tucked into a corner, right opposite the bed. A coffee machine, a kettle, some tea and coffee sachets, cups, mugs, glasses and cookies had all been arranged on a shelf under the TV.
Under that shelf, there was a place for the mini fridge and for another bright pink colored locker.
I liked the bright cushions and blankets that had been provided in each of the rooms.
Then I went into the bathroom. The bathroom had an interesting mosaic floor.
The towels had all been placed on a towel warmer. There were bottles of hand and body wash and lotion on the edge of the washbasin. Right under the basin was a shelf where extra towels and toilet paper had been stored.
I checked out the shower area. It was tucked into a corner but it was still quite spacious. There was a convenient hand shower. Bottles of shampoo, conditioner and hand and body wash were neatly lined up on a rack beside the shower. There was even a bench.
