A Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaChristchurch City Centre accommodation with a beautiful homely feel and sustainability as it’s core principles? You’d be right for wondering if such a place exists. It does and Eco Villa is that and oh so much more.

Set right across from the Cardboard Cathedral, a stones throw from bars, restaurants and city centre shopping Eco Villa came into my feed last year when I was pregnant and wandering the internet.

Looking for somewhere beautiful to stay in Christchurch Eco Villa popped out as friendly, homely and beautiful place to settle for the evening with baby.

A Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco Villa A Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaDoing all the right things in terms of promoting healthy, good-for-the-earth systems, a veggie garden to rival anything I had ever seen before and right in the centre of town I hopped on to their social media train lickety split and booked in with family in tow.

Having a small one alongside us for the ride was absolutely no problem (as I often worry about taking a baby to accommodation), Nisha (owner) was friendly, available for any questions we may have had and ‘baby’; not a problem!

A Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaA Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaA Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaA Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaFrom the minute you check in (as in there is no real process like other hotels), turn up with your code (emailed prior) and let yourself in. You can choose whether to say “hello” to owners Nisha and Evan or choose not to and go about your business. Room name and info are already in your email so there’s no wondering what to do next; Settle into your cozy room and sink into relaxation-ville or head downstairs and meander around the home from home.

A Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaA Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaA Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaDownstairs we ambled into the large kitchen with baskets and a fridge for your things i(f you need) and the welcome sight of a huge toy box in the cozy front room. I remarked to Nisha that this was a wonderful addition to the place. We had brought a few things but exhausted (plane rides are no longer relaxing) it was so wonderful to get there and have stuff to occupy the small one.

Also remarked: high speed wifi for work (and cartoons serious business), heating and cooling is centrally controlled (more later), recycling and composting is part of the whole process. Lovely easy signage for popping everything you need into the right bins and waste baskets. There is a ‘free food’ cupboard, breakfast (an extra) is absolutely delicious (I’m all about the breakfast) with an impressive selection of homemade nut and and soy milks, yoghurts, homemade muesli’s and banana bread (absolutely do not miss the banana bread). There’s a also a meeting room that can be set up for your cocktail party, meeting with the queen or just to watch movies with your bestie.

A Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaA Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaA Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaCold-Feet-Itis? Hot water bottles a plenty. AND (my husband whooped) a selection of pillows in the bedrooms. If you’re like us we argue as to who should have a certain usually too hard pillows in hotels. But not here! A dream to find a selection and no arguments that night.

Wandering around the property there are nooks and crannies filled with additional extras. ‘Help yourself’ veggie patch, a secret hidden double outdoor bath with candles for that romantic adage (I said to myself I would get down there, I lied and fell asleep at a rock n roll 6.45pm). A gorgeous outdoor deck with seating for all those Summer al fresco evenings. An additional little kitchen upstairs right down the hall from the bedroom so we could make our cup of tea in the middle of the night when baby wakes morning when we awoke from peaceful slumber.

A Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco Villa A Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco Villa A Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaA Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco Villa There is heart and soul throughout Eco Villa. A huge infusion of something magical and different. Nisha and Evan (owners) are armed with knowledge 1) about the area and 2) about the processes and systems they want to implement for the future. This is not just somewhere to stay this is somewhere that is a work in progress, something that will grow, keep getting better, while all the time educating you about your stay and what is happening all around you. A gorgeous delicious addition to a city who is reinventing itself all the time. Working out who it wants to be now. Who and what it wants to be for the future.

Systems that are throughout the house are cleverly signposted in lovely info sheets in the rooms with explanations of how much water you use and what happens to it when you use it.

A Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaA Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco Villa A Christchurch Hotel with a difference at Eco VillaWhen I go away (on the rare occasion nowadays) I want to stay somewhere with history, purpose, care and love soaking through its walls. I won’t settle for the grey box anymore. And neither should you.

Go see Eco Villa. Take the time to sit and listen and ask questions. You’ll be so so glad you did.

Eco Villa
251 Hereford Street
Christchurch

03 595 1364

or book here!


I was invited to stay in Eco Villa but as always, if I didn’t think you’d like it I wouldn’t write about it.