Queenstown is a special place you find yourself thinking of ways to get back to as quickly as possible. Fill up on the mountain air and take in those epic views.

Stay …
Looking out onto Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by mountain after stunning mountain Sherwood Queenstown is the only place. Once upon a time it was a link in a chain of 80s mock-Tudor motor inns. Now though it still retains the original façade, it’s become the new home of a uniquely different kind of lodging.

Sherwood’s eco-friendly approach and wellness ideology filter through every part of this lakeside gem from the recyclable and sustainable design to its biodynamic garden, from which the produce is farmed and served to you from the (incredible) kitchen. Stylish and cool, you definitely get the sense that Sherwood is the place to be for both the clued-in traveller and local alike.

Daily yoga, pilates, meditation, Ayurvedic massage and an on-site sauna are on offer as well as a revolving door of live music, film, writers and artists in residence. The food really is the best in town, the staff feel like old friends and the locally sourced products - like the New Zealand fine wool monogrammed blankets and Manuka honey body wash - are the subtle details that really count.

See …
Everything you can. Hire a car and drive the road alongside Lake Wakatipu, through Glenorchy, down to Paradise (literally and metaphorically). Stop in at Glenorchy Animal Experience to get up close and personal with some very cute alpacas and learn about New Zealand wool farming before heading back to Sherwood to watch the sun set behind the mountains from your balcony. We didn’t get to Milford Sound but that’s where I’ll be racing back to.

Take …
We went at the beginning of summer, so think clear sunny days and cold nights. Light layers, cute ankle boots teamed with easy dresses over jeans and an oversized woollen sweater to throw on as night sets in. Oh, and don’t forget your camera. Queenstown is basically one giant panorama. 

Taste …
Here’s my recommendation: Sherwood for every meal. Breakfast, brunch and dinner are served by the open kitchen and looking out through the floor to ceiling windows over Lake Wakatipu and the mountains. Head chef Ainsley Rose Thompson is a wholefood specialist and her seasonal menu focuses on natural produce combined in inventive yet humble ways – considered, healthy food without the pretence. The kitchen either makes or locally sources the added ingredients like almond milk, homemade pickles and sauerkraut as well as growing their own fresh fruit and vegetables giving all plates beautiful fresh flavour. We also loved the wine list mapped out like a star constellation that you follow to pick your drop.