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Dunedin · Hotel shortlist

The best hotels in the city centre, Dunedin

Gerald Whitfield

Gerald Whitfield The American northeast and Canada

Updated 1 September 2026 · 95 Dunedin hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Dunedin, out of the 95 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.970909 down to 4.6.

Studio Apt w/ Private Balcony Overlooking Downtown Main St is the one I would book myself.

Studio Apt w/ Private Balcony Overlooking Downtown Main St

Highest rated of the five

Studio Apt w/ Private Balcony Overlooking Downtown Main St

★★★★★4.970909 from 396 reviews

Studio Apt w/ Private Balcony Overlooking Downtown Main St comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.970909 from 396 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is found under city centre and around $286 a night on the dates we checked.

95 hotels in Dunedin qualified for this list and five made it. Meranova Guest inn is the one I would book if the first is full.

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All five, ranked

  1. Studio Apt w/ Private Balcony Overlooking Downtown Main St1

    Studio Apt w/ Private Balcony Overlooking Downtown Main St

    ★★★★★4.970909 from 396 reviews

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    • Meranova Guest inn2

      Meranova Guest inn

      ★★★★★4.9 from 217 reviews

      • Pool
      • Parking
      • Kitchen
      • Air conditioning
      • Accessible

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    • Opal Sol Resort3

      Opal Sol Resort

      ★★★★★4.7 from 776 reviews

      • Pool
      • Spa
      • Gym
      • Restaurant
      • Bar
      • Parking

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    • Opal Sands Resort4

      Opal Sands Resort

      ★★★★★4.6 from 5,310 reviews

      • Pool
      • Spa
      • Gym
      • Restaurant
      • Bar
      • Parking

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    • Ivory Sands Beach Suites5

      Ivory Sands Beach Suites

      ★★★★★5 from 211 reviews

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      How this list was put together

      95 Dunedin hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

      Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

      The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

      What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

      Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

      Gerald Whitfield

      Gerald Whitfield The American northeast and Canada

      Volunteers three days a week and travels the rest. Maritime museums and working boatyards in 19 countries, mostly by ferry and train, talking to the shipwrights in every one.

      Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.