Criterion Hotel

Built in 1877, this hotel building was designed in the Victorian Italianate style by Ōamaru architects, Forrester and Lemon. The hotel was closed when the district went “dry” in 1906, the bar reopening for business in 1998.

The Criterion Hotel has been reopened to the public since November 2020 and offers eight upstairs rooms, together with a breakfast room. Downstairs, you can also stop for a delicious meal at their restaurant, serving classic British comfort food.

If you’ve ever wondered what stepping into the Victorian era was like without having to pretend to like turtle soup, the dining room at The Criterion will give you a good idea. The hotel has also a temperance room reflecting the time of prohibition in Ōamaru where you can partake of non-alcoholic beverages. There’s an immaculate Gentleman’s Lounge, where, yes, women are allowed, plush with carpeted floors and leather chesterfield sofas.

These are the only rooms located in the heart of the historical precinct, the perfect place for tourists to stay in order to visit more of Oamaru’s attractions.