The classy cover of A Place To Stay – Hotels of New Zealand by Shelley-Maree Cassidy and Grant Sheehan evokes what we’re all looking for, at least in some measure, in our travels: absolute calm.

The visual tone of the book reeks of look don’t touch (‘cause you can’t afford it) accommodation, and the reality inside matches with a list of dream stays dotted throughout New Zealand that must cost a fortune.

But talking dollars is diving too quickly into detail. First, take in the stunning (overused but entirely appropriate word in this context) photography by Grant Sheehan. With his soft-light images, he takes us inside each hotel, his intimate approach drawing you in as though you are actually standing in the bedroom, library, lobby or on the front balcony.

Sheehan has been careful not to shoot each property in template, rather he lets the location and styling of each property dictate which angle or vantage point best describes a it – it could be the mountain behind, the bay in front or the detail of the front door or mantlepiece. The only uncomfortable touch is the clinical nature of bedrooms turned down to within an inch of their life, and therefore showing no life. But this isn’t Sheehan’s fault –what hotel operator is going to let into the public domain photos of slept in beds, wine glasses on side table, towels on floor, half naked people slothing around within? That’s the reality you’ll have to project onto these abodes yourself – but that’s not hard. Warm lighting does take the edge off, as do fires lit where possible, lights on and flowers freshly spruced.

Impressively, publishers Phantom House have let Cassidy and Sheehan’s visitations breath in both word and image. There are grand vistas and accompanying descriptions of the environments surrounding each accommodation. No mere snippets here. And let’s face it, you’re being taken on a tour of the best places to stay in one of the more sublime places on earth when it comes to geography, the page space is warranted.

Cassidy covers history where important, features, specialties, layouts and furnishings. But more importantly, she brings to life the same things you might take note of if you were staying there – the smells, the food, the stories of your hosts, the comments of those staying, the feelings that each place inspires – in essence the small things. With each property written up in feature style, A Place To Stay – Hotels of New Zealand is an easy pick-up, put-down, pick-up again at you leisure guide, worth having on the bookshelf even if you’re not planning on visiting New Zealand.

Make no mistake, this is a book to tempt you, rather than help you make a dollars and cents decision. There are no prices or data type information (room numbers etc), just location, phone, email and website. But this is a positive, for it lets you relax into each property as Cassidy takes you through them.

The book covers 21 unique hotels, covering the grand and opulent to the small and sleek. There’s no backpacker sleepovers contained, for sure, but show me a true traveller, one who appreciates the beauty in all, who wouldn’t accept a night or three in one of these places. As to which backpacker can afford it, well, that’s another matter entirely…

For my money it’s The Lazy Fish Retreat in Marlborough Sounds; Awaroa Lodge in Abel Tasman National Park; Danseys Pass Coach Inn in Danseys Pass and Takaro Lodge in Te Anau that I’ll be dreaming about, whisking you of as they do into the heart of New Zealand.