Firstly, this is now Econo Lodge Canterbury Court. Same location, same red sign albeit with the slightly changed name.

Stayed here because it was within walking distance of the railway station - maybe up to 1.5km (about 0.9 miles), and because it was the cheapest option when redeeming points from a loyalty system in New Zealand called Fly Buys.

As it was the cheapest option and because "Econo" in the title I was expecting it to be quite small and basic. But what we got was a normal motel room, little kitchen area, reasonably sized bathroom (with everything stocked incl. shampoo, flannel), good selection of TV channels incl. 2 sports and 1 movies, even magazines to read. Overall much bigger, better condition, and more little things included than I ever expected.

Location was good for us. It's not the closest to the centre of town, but promixity to city centre isn't important in Christchurch now since the earthquakes. It's fairly close to CBS Canterbury Arena and the Addington horseracing track. Most rooms are well back from the road so it's very quiet.

A small supermarket is only about 100 meters away, with a McDonalds no more than a further 100m beyond that. Two service stations within easy walking distance. A bit further away but still walkable is an area with a couple of pubs/restaurants, and a couple of takeaway places e.g. pizza hut.

All in all this was a winner for us - much better than I imagined and even though we had no car we could still get to and from the nearby shops and the railway station easily enough.