Drifting Sands Beachfront Retreat - Hokitika — Hotel in South Island

Claire is an amazing host with a wonderful eye for design. No detail is overlooked in her wonderland. The beds are super comfy and include a heated mattress, a real treat in the winter! My favorite part of my stay was taking a bath in the outdoor tub in the garden, complete with gorgeous sunset views and a bonfire on the beach with the other guests after!

I loved cooking dinner in the well equipped kitchen and eating family style at the dinner table with the other guests. After dinner we played games in front of the fireplace in the cozy living room and a group of us walked to the glow worm dell, only a 10 minute walk from the house. The breakfast that Claire prepared was delicious! A variety of freshly baked homemade bread and jams, my favorite combo was the cinnamon/date bread with her lemon honey butter! Claire also gave us a super useful PDF booklet that she made which includes all of her favorite spots/recommendations on the South Island.

The house is in a great location with the beach just a 30 second walk away through the garden. I highly recommend checking out the Hokitika Gorge, the water is a stunning turquoise, Lake Kanerie is definitely worth checking out as well. Also, make sure you carve yourself a piece of jade if you have time... you're in Jade country afteral!I recommend carving at bones and stones. I can't wait to return to amazing wonderland in the...

Fantastic experience! The host was very flexible with check-in, which we much appreciated. Room was super clean and house decorations were pleasing. Good location between town and the glowworms, plus directly on the beach. Breakfast was home-made toast and jams which were delicious, albeit simple. The other guests were respectful and we had no issues with the shared bathroom, which was our only concern when reserving the room. host drove us to the airport for free which was very well received....

Drifting sands was one of the warmest and most welcoming places we stayed in. The rooms are cozy, the common areas lovingly decorated, the kitchen is tidy, extremely well stocked (really good pans;)) and the atmosphere is simply amazing. The hostess was the icing on the cake - friendly, funny, helpful and surprisingly entertaining - just mention the magical mystery tour;) The showers could use a bit more power, but that's nitpicking. Wish every place was like this... or at least...