Fun Farm Stay — Hotel in Franklin

i'd read the first review which seemed really bad, but my friend was gona get married at nearby Braca and the family wanted a farmstay so Fun Farmstay was the best choice - therefore i decided to get in touch with them. best decision ever because Ross (the owner) explained to me the situation for my family and i to set the right expectations and our stay was very pleasant and enjoyable. we stayed there for 3 days, 2 nights in mid november 2017.||||firstly, understand that the guest accommodation is on the ground floor of their 2 storey property which Ross had build a couple of decades ago and added on stuff as and when. there are 2 bedrooms separated with a living room and patio out to the pool. there's a fridge which he uses at the guest living room and there's 1 toilet which is also the bathroom and laundry room, if you want to use the washer just ask Ross. one bed room has 2 queen beds, the other room has 1 queen and 1 single beds. we were 4 pax and very comfy in that living arrangement. there's some random stuff placed around like boxes, but it's not like it's a storeroom. the elderly owners do their best to keep it neat, but it's not a hotel, so set expectations right. there are electric blankets to keep warm (it was mid Nov but freezing for us who are from the tropics :P) so that was good! but it can get very cold going to the toilet in the mornings or at nights.||||secondly, in terms of food, Ross' wife (i'm sorry i forgot her name!) is the main chef and she's a great chef. Just don't be shy in letting Ross & his wife know about your needs - what you eat, don't eat. they were so accommodating honestly. my mum was down with a very bad cold and cough and feeling really lousy so Ross' wife made soup specially for my mum and it was so good! we pinched some of my mum's soup :P my aunt is lactose intolerant and we told Ross about it beforehand. for the final dinner, they grilled amazing lamb chops (SO GOOD). but be punctual for meal times because Ross and his wife go out of their way to make it on time for us. meals are included in the stay.||||thirdly in terms of activities, Ross is such an outdoorsy person and loves his horses. he kept encouraging us to go for walks and offered horse riding lessons - WHICH WAS THE BEST PART. my cousin absolutely loved it, and Ross knows his horses really well and how to train the rider and control the horse. i cannot tell you how awesome this was. and it's all included in the cost of the stay. we also fed the lambs and took the alpacas for a "walk" and had many funny photograph moments. it was amazing. ||||fourthly, the communication with Ross was very good, and he is very responsive. he was concerned that we had different expectations and was very communicative and honest and up front about his humble farm. for this i'm very appreciative. we emailed mostly, especially because my family wanted to see how the living quarters were like after seeing the first poor review. Ross took photos of the place we were staying in and emailed it over. the day before we exchanged numbers and fixed a time for my family to arrive. we couldn't find the place so Ross drove out to the nearby petrol station to pick us up. Ross even sent my mum and aunt to the airport when we departed so my cousin and i could continue with our holiday.||||all in all, this is not a hotel, it's an elderly couple having a desire to share their humble farm and home with guests because they love interacting with people from all walks of life. they're both very direct and open people, just communicate what you need with them and they'll go all out to get it done. so enjoy the farm stay!!!||||thanks Ross & Wife, my family and i are still reminiscing about the horse...

Let me start by saying that this place was by a long mile the worst accommodation we have seen in New Zealand., and we have traveled around a lot. Not a single promise made at their website was accurate, so it goes without saying that we strongly advice anybody against staying at Fun Farmstays.||Where to begin?||One of their claims is that they "have a large modern house". We arrived at the farm and were directed by Ross (one of the hosts) who guided us into the house. There was nothing "modern" about the house at all. Everything was quite shabby and poorly maintained. The corridor leading to the lounge was full of clutter (an old treadmill with stacks of stuff on top of it between other things). The downstairs lounge had a dirty couch, a computer desk covered with folders and magazines, plus heaps of other things laying around, probably the least inviting place to sit, relax and enjoy your getaway. The "bathroom" by the rooms was more of a laundry room with a dirty, dark shower and toilet at the back. When we arrived it had clearly not been cleaned, there were 3 toothbrushes on the tabletop and a wet towel on the floor. No hand towel or soap on site!||The bedrooms were as disappointing as the rest of the place. Dark, smelly and old. There was no room for unpacking as the drawers and other storage spaces were full of the owner's stuff. Beds are probably as old as the property and the sheets didn't even match the colour of the pillowcases. The worst part was the pool pump roaring in one of the cupboards IN THE ROOM! I assume it was going to be turned off at some point, but still, not very welcoming to get to your room to hear a pool pump going. It felt like you were arriving to someones house unannounced and they had in an emergency accommodated you in their garden shed. ||Probably one of the worst claims they make is the "delicious home-cooked meals, creating quite a storm at meal times with sumptuous kiwi roasts with all the trimmings". We sat down for lunch and we were served oily corn fritters, undressed green salad, old bread and stodgy, spicy scones that were truly uneatable. Very far from the promised " hearty kiwi fare" on their website. ||We were so disgusted by the quality and condition of this place, and the clear lack of interest in providing semi-decent quality food that we decided to leave, completely ruining our weekend away.||At the very least, this people should take a serious look at the statements they make on their website and ensure that they don't make claims that they can't live up to. New Zealand is packed with amazing places to stay and hosts that really make an effort to make you feel welcomed and show you a good time, and this is definitely one of those. Make a wise choice, stay away from Fun Farmstays!||Oh, one more thing, family friendly? the whole place was a hazard fest and half of the things on the playground were broken, Plus, his people knew there was a family with 2 little girls coming, and couldn't even be bothered to think that they might have not liked hot chilly packed scones and probably would have liked a few more options. A...

Staying at Rosss was a fun farm stay experience as the name suggests. We went as a family with our son and daughter, 6 year old twins. The kids loved the farm stay and its was the favorite part of the trip. They got to handle many animals including feeding the chickens, riding a pony and chasing other farm animals. They had fun running around outside and in the pool. They also had fun with Rosss grandson who stopped by for a bit. ||I think the key is the expectation that its a farm stay and staying at Ross`s house, not a hotel. So, if you want a hotel with all the amenities, its probably not the place. This is a great homey atmosphere on the farm and a different experience, especially for us and other city folk. The cooking was also great and they were accommodative to our tastes and health preferences. We stayed two nights and felt that worked...