Guest reviews Wharekauhau Country Estate, Wairarapa

by kiwiana7902014 Auckland, New Zealand

A slice of luxury

The lodge is worthy of its luxury reputation. The buildings are beautifully designed and maintained, the decor is elegant and tasteful. The cottage suites are private, have panoramic views of the natural landscape and are spacious. We enjoyed the wine pairing although the dinner menu was a little over fussy. We can recommend the sheltered tennis court, the indoor heated pool and wandering the beautifully landscaped garden spaces. Service is professional and warm.

by kiwisojourn2020

Overwhelmingly disappointing!

I was so excited to have the opportunity to stay at Wharekauhau recently. However, what a huge disappointed it proved to be! Our room was dusty and dirty, with previous occupant's hairs, dust, and old soap splatters in the bathroom, shortbread crumbs left on the table, and a general stale and musty air about it. I brought this to the hotel's attention, but nobody seemed to care particularly and no effort was made to spruce up the room during our stay. The staff were excellent although one member of the restaurant staff was extremely rude and chippy in a way I have never experienced in a hotel of this supposed standard. On the plus side, the location is spectacular and the grounds were beautiful. Also - the spa treatment I had was first class! For the price (and I have been fortunate enough to stay in some fabulous lodges and hotels throughout NZ and the rest of the world) I found the whole experience extremely overpriced for the service we received. Maybe Wharekauhau thinks it does not have to go the "extra mile" with predominantly NZ guest at this time?

by LaingTravelator Christchurch, New Zealand

Five star plus

This place is pure luxury. Our cottage was gorgeous I wished we could have stayed longer than our two days. The service is outstanding. One of the best I have experienced. The views were outstanding. The dinning experiences were very good and certainly accommodated different dietary requirements or whims! Thank you for such a wonderful stay.

by WellyOne Wellington, New Zealand

Belated birthday treat

Nice location. Friendly staff. Food was very underwhelming. No choices or options as it was a set 4 course menu. Drinks charged as extra at dinner which was surprising. Not as luxury as expected for the price. Facilities a bit tired and dated. Could do with some maintenance in the pool area as roof was mouldy. Not as wonderful as we had hoped for. We didn’t feel that it lived up to the reputation as an iconic NZ luxury lodge. Disappointing really. Great scenery.

by EllieBellie27 Wellington, New Zealand

Wonderful visit with friends

A group of friends (3 couples) took advantage of a special winter offer to stay on a Saturday night. We were blessed with good weather and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. As to be expected the service was exceptional and the food catered to all dietary requirements. We were made to feel very welcome and taken to our adjoining cottages with incredible views over the coast and adjoining farmland. There were so many lambs! The cottages were beautifully appointed, I found the bed very comfortable. Fantastic selection of teas in the mini kitchen. My only complaint about the cottage was the the water pressure for the bath/shower was incredibly slow. The indoor swimming pool was sufficiently large to do some lengths and a reasonable temperature. The walks around the property were well signed, however the ocean walk was closed, I think the steps to the beach were being repaired. The evening meal was wonderful, lots of courses with beautifully presented food. Our party enjoyed the different flavoured gins on offer - so many of them! We had our meal in an upstairs room with a very well stocked bourban bar, though we did not try these. The waiters were very well informed and chatted at length with us about the estate and mentioned some of its more famous guests. Breakfast was very good with a wide range of choices. The signature dish was great. Although a bit picky it would have been good to have been offered more than one coffee, and the lack of a side plate at the start meant that we were using out saucers as plates for the cheese scones. Overall a wonderful stay, I would definitely return if there was another special offer.