Annandale

Comentarios destacados

• Melanie569

  24 marzo 2019
  Sublime perfection

  We stayed at Annandales Seascape studio home in January 2019. The location on an large working sheep farm on Banks peninsula south of Christchurch is stunning.Seascape is a modern dwelling tucked into a hillside on a private rocky cove. It is 45 minutes from the farms entry. The location is peace and beauty. The staff will arrange activities, and provide food daily. We hiked along the coast and deserted tracks from our doorstep in all directions, with only sheep and birds in sight. No question , splurge worthy .

  

• AJFfinch

  26 abril 2019
  Not great value for money.

  We spent three nights at Shepherds Cottage and thoroughly enjoyed our stay: The staff were very friendly and the reception experience (including a guided tour of the kitchen garden) was excellent. Location was exactly as expected remote with stunning views and great walks. Shepherds Cottage was lovely, well furnished (though a couple of comfy chairs in front of the fire would have been preferable so the slightly uncomfortable bench) and we loved having a roaring log fire on the one evening that required it. Food, too, was very good of a high standard and showing imagination and flair on the part of the chef. But was it good value for money? We think not. We have had poor value for money at inexpensive venues and experienced excellent value for money at very expensive ones, but Annandale fell short on the VFM test. We knew that we would leave our car at the gate and be driven (about half an hour) to Shepherds Cottage and had we stayed for the minimum 2 nights probably would not have expected need of additional transport, but since we were there for three nights we decided to take a trip to visit Akaroa on day three and were charged $140 (about £72) for the return taxi journey between our car and the cottage. I can appreciate that they have to legislate against the taxi service being abused, but you would think that additional nights would warrant one additional ferry to reception (after all, you are hostage to their taxi fares). That smacked of greed and made us analyse the VFM ratio a little more closely: After-all, at $1500 per night you should expect perfection (and that is what their website promises). We reported that the blue tooth speaker was faulty, but it wasnt repaired or replaced. We asked for additional milk (the breakfast milk bottle is miserly considering that it has to last until the following morning and you can hardly pop out to the shops) this was delivered on day two but forgotten again on day three. My wife is 54 (not an unusual height) but the complimentary mountain bikes supplied wouldnt adjust to anywhere near a suitable saddle height, so were useless. Considering that the primary leisure pursuit at Annandale is to walk and explore the estate, we werent provided with a map on arrival (because their printer was malfunctioning) and then were given a wholly inadequate low resolution A4 copy of a map which didnt really help us to make the most of walking on the estate although we thoroughly enjoyed our coastal walk, a decent map would have significantly enhanced the experience. Were not serial complainers (our other TripAdvisor reviews demonstrate this) and these might seem like petty criticisms (there were a few more minor irritations, too), but that $1500 per night price tag (and that additional transfer charge) suggests that Annandale should deliver perfection and makes me less inclined to turn a blind eye to its shortcomings. Although we enjoyed our stay Annandale, it is overpriced for what is delivered hence the average rating.

  

• LilyfromSydney

  28 abril 2019
  Great getaway for a few nights

  My partner and I spent 3 nights at Shepherd's cottage in April and it was a lovely stay. The cottage is set in seclusion with views over the bay and animals roaming the grounds and is the perfect place to relax away from city life. The house is self contained with all the amenities you are likely to need for a couple of days away. The food is delivered each day and is restaurant quality, easy to prepare and also showcases some lovely local produce (including what we were told were vegetables grown in their own garden). My only negative around the food was that I did mention that I did not like fish and we got salmon on the first night so make sure you are clear about your dietary requirements, in particular if you have allergies). The house itself is rustic and feels warm and cosy when you enter. We were generally very comfortable throughout our stay and had a great night sleep each night we were there however the lounge in sitting room is need of an upgrade. We found it very hard to sit there comfortably for a period of time and as you are likely to be in the house for a lot of your stay (as there is nowhere to go!) this was a bit disappointing. The house has books and games and also has wifi which was handy The grounds around the house are great for walks, though it was hard to decipher where the walking tracks were from the maps provided. We ended up just walking along the road and then stumbled across one which went in the direction we wanted to go. It's great to see all the cows and sheep but it's also probably a good idea to keep an eye out and make sure you don't end up with the bulls. The views from the Shepherd's cottage are absolutely stunning and looking out into the night sky was one of the highlights of our stay. A great place to unwind and relax for a few days

  

• Truman2008

  10 octubre 2019
  Spectacular and extraordinary

  My family and I had the pleasure of staying at the Homestead. It is utterly amazing. This was the most special family vacation we have ever experienced. The home and gardens are utterly incredible. We stayed for two nights and didn't want to leave. Our young children were as enchanted as we were by the magnificent gardens. In a lifetime of travel, this is the most spectacular place I have ever seen. Every luxury and detail was available. The gym and pool are amazing. The gym has top quality Life Fitness machines. The food is the best and all of it is organic and delicious. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed a cooking class with a teriffic world class chef. The staff went above and beyond to cater to our every need. The scenery and views are breathtaking. This is an absolute jewel and we are already contemplating a return visit.

  

• lrmacnyland

  12 enero 2020
  Out of this world beautiful.

  Worldclass architecture, every comfort, and a nice concept to get the food delivered and one heats it up (very good food, too). A beach to swim from, and a glorious hottub. A few minor fixes will make this new property altogether perfect: adding reading lights by beds and sofas, removing strip lighting in ceiling (too harsh), a few more electrical outlets. Nice to see a small patch of planted native bush: otherwise the land is scraped down to the bone, with plenty of erosion. A kinder management, fencing off steep cliffs and gullies, and planting native trees, would make this station far more beautiful without productivity loss, and give visitors more birds to see. It is gloomy to see such rundown, overexploited land (of course much of NZ is rundown, but staying on a station really brings it home).