So, you’re finally coming to Queenstown. Good choice! Whether it's the mountains, the lake, the food scene or the promise of throwing yourself off something high, this little town at the bottom of the world has a special something that will leave you with some fantastic memories.

If Queenstown is the adventure-mad extrovert of the two lakes, Wanaka is its quieter, equally stunning sibling, the kind of place where you can spend the morning on an alpine hike and the afternoon lying beside a lake framed by mountains, all without needing to fight a crowd for either.

There are two ways to experience Queenstown. You can race around trying to squeeze every attraction, activity and photo stop into a few days… or you can slow things down a little and enjoy the places that make people fall in love with Queenstown in the first place.

If you're planning a trip to Queenstown, chances are you've spent a bit of time comparing hotels, and honestly, we get it. Queenstown has no shortage of flashy hotels with mountain-view rooftop bars and all the trimmings. But before you lock in that hotel booking, let us make the case for something a little different: a holiday home.