52. Find a creative blend of old and new at Fable Dunedin

Live up luxury in New Zealand with its architectural masterpieces in the wildest of locations and five-star retreats with serious eco credentials: here is No. 52 of our 101 Reasons To Stop Dreaming About New Zealand And Go.

This five-star boutique hotel offers a stay in the heart of Dunedin/Ōtepoti as steeped in heritage and character as the city itself (one of New Zealand’s first three cities, built on old gold rush riches, the name Dunedin is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word for Edinburgh).

Fable Dunedin building at dusk (Image: Tessa Chrisp).

Originally opened in 1862 as Wains Hotel of Dunedin, Fable Dunedin is housed in one of the city’s most historic hotel sites. Having recently undergone an impeccable renovation, it boasts 50 luxe rooms and suites that blend Victorian charm and contemporary design; vibrant local art hangs on moulded panel walls and the specially commissioned tartan blankets that adorn each bed pay tribute to the city’s Scottish heritage.

Luxe bedroom at Fable Dunedin (Image: Tessa Chrisp).

Guests are welcomed on arrival by a concierge in top hat and tails and quickly transported to the 21^st century by way of some super-smart touches. Case in point, room service and an interactive hotel compendium all integrated into a tablet. Bespoke extras include a signature Fable scent and sustainable Marihi Aotearoa amenities.

Fable Dunedin’s junior suite (Image: Tessa Chrisp).

One of the highlights of a stay here is an evening whiled away in The Press Club restaurant and bar, named in tribute to the eponymous band of editors and reporters from local newspapers (the free-thinking poet Thomas Bracken who penned the country’s national anthem among them), who set up a suite in the hotel as a library and meeting place in the 1870s. Here you’ll find a food menu skewed towards all that is local and an extensive whisky menu, all to be savoured while admiring the moody, textural surrounds and Christian Lacroix carpet.

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