After a day of dangling by the ankles and buying commemorative T-shirts visitors to New Zealand need somewhere welcoming to rest and recuperate. The search for the perfect motel can be more challenging and nerve-wracking than bungee-jumping . On behalf of all those of you who will hit the road this summer in search of motel Shangri-La, I've forwarded the following guidelines to every motelier in N.Z.
1. Building a motel to look like a Swiss chalet or a Tudor manor (especially if it’s beside the beach and in N.Z.) just doesn't make sense. Neither does naming it El Dorado or Lorna Doone.
2. Concrete block might be cheap and stain resistant but it’s ugly. Painting it peach or operating-theatre green doesn’t make it beautiful. Not even a framed photo of a kitten in a basket prettifies it. Better to aim for industrial chic and leave it unadorned.
3. Please emerge from your lair when guests ring the reception bell. A motel seemingly devoid of human habitation is unnerving.