This was a pretty standard motel/hotel setup, seemed fairly 'out in the burbs' but then you could not stay anywhere closer to the CBD as it was still closed post-earthquake. The real plus of this place is its restaurant- I'd book into the motel just to have somewhere to crash after a great dinner, breakfast, or lunch! We were there prior to a contiki as I am sure many other reviewers have noted, but it was a mix of families and youths too.

Stayed there for 4 nights mid July with some family. The rooms were pretty average but definately dated. The bathroom was very average, cold, small and really dated. The Tv had no remote and there wasn't even a rubbish bin in the room.

No electric blankets on the four single beds which meant we had to keep the fan heater on all night just to stay warm and if you are familiar with Christchurch you know it can get real cold at night. The beds however were nice and comfortable because they were pretty soft.

The receptionist seemed pretty freindly and they helped with questions that I had so I was happy with that although the 24hr reception is a bit of a have as we needed to book some travel tickets at 11.00pm at night (internet access in reception forum) and they told us we couldn't use it and we would have to come back at 6.00am in the morning, this hastened a quick trip into town to look for a internet cafe.

The location is good, you are only a minute or two away from central city by car and a leasurely 10 minute walk.

There is an onsite reasturant that we didn't get to utilize although it did look quite good (or at least the menu did).

This hotel stood out for us in our New Zealand tour as the only place in 3 weeks where we met rude and unhelpful receptionists. When we booked in she chatted on the phone, barely spoke to us as she gave us keys etc and when we asked for two keys said that there wasn't two for that room as they don't always get them back and there was nothing she could do. Great staying in a room where you are not sure if someone else has a key to it! When we tried to book a taxi to the train station the next day, we asked for advise on how long it would take to get there so we could estimate a pick up time - this receptionist thought is was funny that she didn't know where the station was, then said we had better allow 1/2 hour and when she booked the taxi didn't even ask them to confirm how long it would take. We were at the station very early as it only takes 10 minutes!!! The room was basic but clean. Parking is terrible there especially at busy times which it was. Glad we only had to park one night as we returned the hire car the next day. I would stay there again as its close enough to the city centre to walk in, in about 20 mins but it would be despite the staff.

Bealey's Hotel was booked as accommodation as part of our New Zealand tour and we stayed there a total of three nights (2 nights before and one night during). Unfortunately it was also the least pleasant hotels we stayed at.

The hallways smelled funny and were unheated and rooms didn't have built in heaters either. We were given two tiny space heaters to use although one of ours was broken. Since it was middle of winter this made for some cold nights. The window in our bathroom didn't close all the way so we made do by keeping the bathroom door closed and putting towels at the base of the door to block the cold air.

The rooms themselves resemble college dorm rooms and are generally in poor repair with damaged furniture, peeling linoleum and musty bedding. We also ran into issues with the room keys not working in the lock. Staff were generally pleasant, but the property itself is not in good shape. The hotel is located a good 15 - 20 minute walk from Cathedral Square, although we were able to catch the free Christchurch shuttle bus from half way.

Would not recommend this for a stay in Christchurch. We spoke to other people on our tour who booked their own hotel before the tour and were able to find better hotel in a better location for only a slightly higher cost.