The Marlborough

Style

Countryside convent convert

Setting

Vineyard-flanked estate

Set beside a working vineyard in New Zealand’s most famous wine region, The Marlborough is a boutique hotel that beckons to oenophiles and outdoorsy-types alike. Inside this slate-hued clapboard stay, which once housed an early 20th-century convent, you’ll find 10 unique rooms, a cosy library and a farm-fresh restaurant. Make your way outside for dips in the pool, competitive-as-you’d-like tennis matches and as many wine tastings as you can handle. Head beyond the grounds for day hikes through the region’s dramatic landscape and sea kayaking through the Marlborough Sounds, then in the evenings, unwind on the veranda with your newfound favourite vintage. We recommend you get thee to this former nunnery immediately.

Facilities

Rooms

Ten, including six suites.

Checkout

11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 2pm.

More Details

Buffet breakfast is included in the room rates.

Also

The Lodge Room on the ground floor is wheelchair accessible and has a fully adapted bathroom. All common areas on the ground floor, including the veranda, are wheelchair-accessible with ramp entry to the Lodge.

Hotel Closed

The hotel closes for winter in July.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

At the Hotel

Kitchen garden, vineyard, charged laundry service and free WiFi throughout. In rooms: TV, WiFi, Nespresso coffee machines, tea-making kit, minibar, free bottled water, Ashley & Co bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

One of the top-floor suites has the original stained glass windows, which fill the room with colour when the sun hits. Within each category, individual rooms are named after trees and birds in Te Reo, the Maori language.

Poolside

A brick-paved area surrounds the family-friendly swimming pool, which is heated from October to April. There’s a small clapboard pool house stocked with towels, sun cream and water, and drinks and snacks can be served straight to the poolside sunloungers or the tables arranged on the lawn just beyond the pool terrace.

Packing Tips

Bring outdoorsy apparel to make the most of Marlborough’s dramatic landscape, something bright and breezy for evening meals and an extra case for all that wine you’ll want to cart home.

Also

Culinarily curious? Chef-led cooking demonstrations can be arranged from NZ$95 a person, for a minimum of two guests.

Children

Over-fives are welcome; younger guests may only stay if booking the property for exclusive use. There are bikes to borrow and a tennis court and pool onsite.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

For a romantic tête-à-tête with garden views, snag a seat by the windows. Ask for a seat at the chef’s bench if you like your dinner with a show.

Dress Code

Take a cue from the gardens (and the original artwork that lines the walls) with a floral print or pop of colour.

Hotel Restaurant

Garden-view Harvest Restaurant, helmed by chef Wieland Matzig, is open for lunch and dinner. The ever-changing menu of of à la carte dishes, from sharing plates to morish mains, makes use of what’s in season directly from the grounds. Dishes include the likes of Mibrasa braised Lumina lamb shoulder, hand-speared Malborough kingfish, and dry aged beef tenderloin. As you’d expect, there’s an ample selection of local, regional and international wines, and other tipples too. Breakfast is served in the dining room, which has tall ceilings, large bay windows, and a vineyard-view veranda. The buffet spread includes fresh and poached fruit, muesli, cereals, yoghurt, smoked salmon, cheeses, freshly baked bread and muffins, cooked-to-order eggs and sides of bacon, tomato, mushrooms. There’s also freshly squeezed juice, aromatic coffee and a selection of teas.

Hotel Bar

There’s no separate bar, but you can take your drink of choice and curl up with a good book in the Library. If you’re feeling social, make your way to the Great Room, or head out to the outdoor fireplace to really air out that bottle of wine.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served from 7.30am (or earlier, on request), an à la carte menu is served from 5pm each evening and Harvest Restaurant is open from noon to 9.30pm.

Room Service

None, but all items in your well-stocked minibar –, including red and white wine, soft drinks, beer, savoury snacks and chocolate – are free.

Planes

Blenheim Airport is 10 minutes away by car. Transfers can be arranged for NZ$75 each way for two guests and a fee for additional guests. The next closest airport is Nelson.

Trains

Blenheim train station is 15 minutes away by car.

Automobiles

There’s a car park onsite, and the hotel is a laid-back 25-minute drive from Picton.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Private wine tastings of the region’s finest can be arranged in the onsite wine shack during summer months. Delicate trails criss-cross the sprawling flower- and fruit-tree-filled gardens, where many of the restaurant’s ingredients are grown; ask nicely and the head gardener will give you a guided tour. Fancy a friendly match? Head to the grass tennis courts (a selection of racquets hangs at the ready) or strike up a game of boules or croquet with your other half.

The Marlborough region is surrounded by mountains, most of which are part of nature preserves – including the famous Queen Charlotte Track – and open to the public for hiking and mountain biking (the hotel can arrange self-guided and guided tours). If you’d rather glide along on water, there’s kayaking on Wairau Lagoon or through the waterways of the Marlborough Sounds. Tarquin Cruises departs from Picton Marina and cruise for half a day through the Queen Charlotte Sound; add gourmet goodies and local wine to make an event out of it. Prefer a bird’s eye view? Helicopter tours can be arranged, too.

Plane spotters may want to peruse the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre in Blenheim; Sir Peter Jackson (of Hobbit fame) has amassed an impressive collection of vintage aircraft.

If it’s vineyard tours (and wine tastings, of course) that you’re after, you’ll be spoilt for choice. There are over 100 wine makers in the region, and most can be visited on either public or private tours; you’ll also have the option to meet many of the winemakers, or head out on half- or full-day cellar-door tastings. Stuck for where to start? We’d go for Cloudy Bay Vineyards in Blenheim. While there, you can also sample Cloudy Bay clams, freshly pressed olive oil, local cheeses and Manuka honey on a gourmet food tour.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .