Mahu Whenua Private Luxury Villa — Hotel in South Island

We absolutely loved our stay at Mahu Whenua. We were there for three nights as part of our honeymoon in NZ, and it was the most special hotel we have ever stayed at. Anna, Liz, Emily, Janet, Krita, Kira and everyone who works at Mahu went so above and beyond and truly made the experience.

There are so many aspects to love about this special hotel. It’s very small and has an intimate feel amongst the community of staff and other guests. Every night before dinner, all of the guests would gather for cocktails and canapes, and we met so many interesting travelers from all over the world. The rooms and the property are stunning. We stayed in the Weka suite which overlooked the incredible stables and horses, and the room was beautifully decorated and so comfortable. The property is massive. They have their own mountains and creeks and fields, and we had so much fun exploring it all on their electric bikes. They have done a great job honoring the native plants and animals, and we were so impressed by the team’s commitment to sustainability.

Finally, the service and the food were unbeatable. Every meal was absolutely amazing, and the crew of people working was so great. They were thoughtful and funny and went above and beyond in every way.

The only thing we did not love was the additional activity add-ons. They were a bit overpriced for what they were, and the leaders were not as incredible as the core Mahu crew.

We cannot recommend this hotel enough. We really hope to return...

We stayed 3 nights at Mahu Whenua. The positives were - stunning views, comfortable and spacious suites, attentive hosts, eg fresh hot cookies out of the oven, offering to curate the lodge music to my taste on my birthday and being able to feed the horses. ||The helihike we did was a highlight. the helicopter literally landed on the front lawn, we got a personalised 2 hour hike of the ridge lines on private property with no one else in site for kilometres then dropped back via helicopter to the lodge - very cool. This was not included in the price and was an extra cost.||At the price point of Mahu Whenua, I would have expected more inclusions (eg unlimited beer, wine and minibar, free daily curated activities). As it stands, the included alcohol was limited to one glass per person per day. There were no included scheduled activities. All curated activities (beyond a self guided walk / e-bike on the property) were at an extra cost. Given there are only 10 guests at a time, it would have been great to offer at least one included daily activity that didn’t cost hundreds to thousands of dollars extra. The food was good but conservative, the desserts were the highlight and canapés the let down. They catered to everyone’s requirements well. I’ve stayed at a few other luxury lodges in Australia and this fell short of the standard provided at other comparably priced...

Wow, where do I start? The staff were so friendly and accommodating they met all of our needs with enthusiasm—and we had a lot! We had a situation that required extra special care and everyone helped with compassion and exuberance. I’ll jokingly say we barely noticed our room’s interior for the first several minutes because we stricken by the magnificent views of vistas and horse pastures from our HUGE windows. But once we did we were impressed. From the warm radiant floor heating to the two-headed shower, to plush bathrobes and thick duvets to well placed light switches, every aspect of our room was obviously carefully chosen with comfort in mind. There is also a well designed kitchen and laundry area with quality appliances. And the food. The FOOD!! Wow, did the chef cover some ground while we were there! We had Thai, Indian, and Mediterranean inspired dishes along with seafood and every meal was cooked and seasoned to perfection. Oh—DO NOT MISS THE CANAPÉS!! it happens at 6:30. It is a real treat. The grounds are simply beautiful with breathtaking views at every turn. If you like horses, walk down to the stables—they’re fantastic! There are a couple nice walks right from the property so you can burn off that cookie you had—after dessert. Thank you everyone for treating us so...