Century Park Motor Lodge

Set five minutes' walk from Nelson's town centre and within an hour's drive of Tahunanui Beach and the sub-tropical shoreline of Abel Tasman National Park, Century Park Motor Lodge works as a fixed point for a coastline that stretches from golden sand to alpine lake. The building dates to 2009 and holds fourteen self-contained suites, each with a kitchenette finished in quartz stone and an Italian-tiled bathroom, eleven with spa baths. Rooms are double-glazed and fully insulated, with a smart TV, free Netflix and a balcony or patio for guests to sit out on. Two electric vehicle chargers stand in the car park, alongside free parking under CCTV. Nelson itself sits at the centre of a region noted for its sunshine hours, and the lodge puts guests within reach of the coast at Tahunanui, the wetlands of Farewell Spit and the granodiorite boulders of the Boulder Bank breakwater nearby. It is a compact stay. Staff arrange transport and tours to the water and hills beyond the city, from wine routes to lake cruises on Rotoiti and Rotoroa. Restaurants, cafés and the Saturday market sit within easy walking distance, and Nelson Cathedral is a short stroll from the door. Check-in runs from 2pm to 7pm daily, with laundry facilities on site for longer stops between coastal days.