Mt Rosa Lodge | Boutique Vineyard Accommodation — Hotel in South Island

Mt. Rosa Lodge|||Our seven-night stay at Mt. Rose Lodge with Michelle & Stuart was one of the highlights of our ten-week trip through New Zealand. Arriving after a long drive, we were warmly welcomed and given a tour of the property. The lodge itself is nestled in Central Otago's Gibbston Valley, where the Kawarau River flows, on an elevated site. From its unique vantage point, you have a spectacular view of the valley, the surrounding mountains and, of course, this being Central Otago, Pinot Noir vines (but not only) as far as the eye can see. ||When you get up in the morning, before breakfast, and in late afternoon, after a return from excursions, there is something truly soothing but also awe-inspiring to have this immense landscape before you. We could not tire of sitting on the terrace and looking out into the valley below... Speaking of breakfast, we looked very much forward to that morning "event" at the Lodge. Everything is fresh local items (juice, yogurts, fresh fruit, butter, "viennoiseries"), including Stuart's famous muesli and homemade scones. With Stuart as barista, the coffee is perfect...Michelle bakes her own bread (and will show you how she does it) and will prepare a bespoke hot breakfast dish of your choice! Fantastic! The lodgings are superb. We stayed in the luxuriously-appointed Queenstown Suite. You can tell that Michelle has invested her interior design and decoration talent to wonderfuil results. The attention to detail, top quality amenities and overall coziness made the suite a haven of relaxation after a day visiting... ||Michelle & Stuart are wonderful, attentive and generous hosts. They instantly make you feel at home, relaxed and comfortable. Nothing was too much trouble! We connected with them very quickly, as they are well-travelled, creating interesting conversations on countries visited, cities where we've lived and the challenges of expat life. Even before our arrival, Michelle & Stuart made useful suggestions to improve our itinerary as we approached Gibbston, but once here, we could count on them for valuable recommendations in the nearby Queenstown area (restaurants, wineries, cafés, sights). They know personnally many of the winery and restaurant managers in the area, and this helps get you that perfect table or special wine tasting! As we left the Lodge after our stay and began to drive north on South Island, we were fortunate to be able to count on their continued assistance in picking a route, a café or a winery. ||So about wines at Mt. Rose Lodge... Michelle & Stuart have their own private vineyard, a "parcelle" of Pinot Noir, and we understand that they are just finishing harvest for 2024 as we write this. We had the pleasure of tasting the 2021 "Bella Rosa", the name of their Pinot. Pinot Noir from Central Otago is unique in depth, character and finesse, and "La Bella Rosa" is up there with the best. Stuart speaks enthusiastically about his 1000 vines of Pinot Noir, its annual cycle and evolution, its challenges, and the pride and satisfaction that comes with turning the grapes into great wine. We learned a lot about all this from him, as we walked through the vines just under the Lodge. As winemakers (with a little help from friends), Michelle & Stuart can also make solid recommendations on visits to surrounding wineries, many that are within walking or cycling distance. If you are "into" wine, Mt. Rose Lodge is an ideal stop in Central Otago. And the pleasure of sitting on the terrace with a glass of wine, overlooking the valley, was hard to beat. ||If you are into amateur astrophysics or simply love stargazing, get Michelle & Stuart to organize an evening with Professor Brian, a Nobel-winning astrophysicist who lives just down the road from the Lodge. With the help of his sophisticated viweing equipment or just by looking at the starry night sky of Central Otago, Professor Boyle will take you on a fascinating journey through galaxies, nebula and star systems, and answer all the questions you never thought you had. Oh, and did we say that Professor Boyle produces his own Pinot Noir, which we had a chance to sample during this night session? A real "must-do" experience!||In essence, Michelle and Stuart are a perfect team and compliment each other so well. They are passionate and you can tell that they really care about their guests having the best experience. If you are considering a visit to South island and to Central Otago, we strongly recommend to spend some time at Mt. Rosa Lodge with Michelle and Stuart. We hope to...

Mt. Rosa Lodge|||Our seven-night stay at Mt. Rose Lodge with Michelle & Stuart was one of the highlights of our ten-week trip through New Zealand. Arriving after a long drive, we were warmly welcomed and given a tour of the property. The lodge itself is nestled in Central Otago's Gibbston Valley, where the Kawarau River flows, on an elevated site. From its unique vantage point, you have a spectacular view of the valley, the surrounding mountains and, of course, this being Central Otago, Pinot Noir vines (but not only) as far as the eye can see. ||When you get up in the morning, before breakfast, and in late afternoon, after a return from excursions, there is something truly soothing but also awe-inspiring to have this immense landscape before you. We could not tire of sitting on the terrace and looking out into the valley below... Speaking of breakfast, we looked very much forward to that morning "event" at the Lodge. Everything is fresh local items (juice, yogurts, fresh fruit, butter, "viennoiseries"), including Stuart's famous muesli and homemade scones. With Stuart as barista, the coffee is perfect...Michelle bakes her own bread (and will show you how she does it) and will prepare a bespoke hot breakfast dish of your choice! Fantastic! The lodgings are superb. We stayed in the luxuriously-appointed Queenstown Suite. You can tell that Michelle has invested her interior design and decoration talent to wonderfuil results. The attention to detail, top quality amenities and overall coziness made the suite a haven of relaxation after a day visiting... ||Michelle & Stuart are wonderful, attentive and generous hosts. They instantly make you feel at home, relaxed and comfortable. Nothing was too much trouble! We connected with them very quickly, as they are well-travelled, creating interesting conversations on countries visited, cities where we've lived and the challenges of expat life. Even before our arrival, Michelle & Stuart made useful suggestions to improve our itinerary as we approached Gibbston, but once here, we could count on them for valuable recommendations in the nearby Queenstown area (restaurants, wineries, cafés, sights). They know personnally many of the winery and restaurant managers in the area, and this helps get you that perfect table or special wine tasting! As we left the Lodge after our stay and began to drive north on South Island, we were fortunate to be able to count on their continued assistance in picking a route, a café or a winery. ||So about wines at Mt. Rose Lodge... Michelle & Stuart have their own private vineyard, a "parcelle" of Pinot Noir, and we understand that they are just finishing harvest for 2024 as we write this. We had the pleasure of tasting the 2021 "Bella Rosa", the name of their Pinot. Pinot Noir from Central Otago is unique in depth, character and finesse, and "La Bella Rosa" is up there with the best. Stuart speaks enthusiastically about his 1000 vines of Pinot Noir, its annual cycle and evolution, its challenges, and the pride and satisfaction that comes with turning the grapes into great wine. We learned a lot about all this from him, as we walked through the vines just under the Lodge. As winemakers (with a little help from friends), Michelle & Stuart can also make solid recommendations on visits to surrounding wineries, many that are within walking or cycling distance. If you are "into" wine, Mt. Rose Lodge is an ideal stop in Central Otago. And the pleasure of sitting on the terrace with a glass of wine, overlooking the valley, was hard to beat. ||If you are into amateur astrophysics or simply love stargazing, get Michelle & Stuart to organize an evening with Professor Brian, a Nobel-winning astrophysicist who lives just down the road from the Lodge. With the help of his sophisticated viweing equipment or just by looking at the starry night sky of Central Otago, Professor Boyle will take you on a fascinating journey through galaxies, nebula and star systems, and answer all the questions you never thought you had. Oh, and did we say that Professor Boyle produces his own Pinot Noir, which we had a chance to sample during this night session? A real "must-do" experience!||In essence, Michelle and Stuart are a perfect team and compliment each other so well. They are passionate and you can tell that they really care about their guests having the best experience. If you are considering a visit to South island and to Central Otago, we strongly recommend to spend some time at Mt. Rosa Lodge with Michelle and Stuart. We hope to...

Mount Rosa Lodge – wow! We would love to keep it a secret but that would be selfish. A stunning location, beautiful accommodation and the perfect hosts in Stuart and Michelle. On the lower slopes of Mount Rosa, every room affords glorious views down the Gibbston Valley and over Mount Rosa Lodge’s private vineyard. The entire place is beautifully decorated reflecting Michelle’s interior design skills – think elegant, modern, tasteful with a roaring fire. The rooms are wonderful with the most comfortable beds, spacious sitting areas and well-appointed bathrooms – everything is spotlessly clean. Michelle and Stuart could not have made us more welcome. The breakfasts were glorious with highlights being Michelle’s own sourdough, Stuart’s signature flat white coffee (other coffees are available) and homemade scones to name but a few. They were more than happy to introduce us to their own pinot noir – La Bella Rosa (a recent vintage scored 96 points) and to walk us through the private vineyard where it all began. It is fascinating to listen to Stuart discuss the vines, the grapes, the harvest, etc – a real learning journey for us. The nights are also special. Standing on the pétanque court looking up at the dark skies watching the Aurora and the Milky Way with your own eyes. If this is of interest then an evening stargazing with the famous astronomer Professor Brian Boyle, another Gibbston Valley local, is a must. If you can tear yourself away then Stuart and Michelle will recommend and, if you wish, organise a whole host of expeditions, vineyards, restaurants, trips, etc all within easy reach. Don’t miss the tour in the “Fiat Bambinos” – an absolute joy! Stuart and Michelle drove us in these delightful, vintage cars to an excellent wine tasting and lunch at “Mora” and then on to a tour of the historic Arrowtown (goldmining, gin tasting, independent shops, excellent restaurants, music festivals, etc). Queenstown is close by with so many top quality restaurants, bars, shops and walks that we barely got through a fraction of them. For the more adventurous, we loved e-biking the Gibbston Valley Trail to and from Arrowtown, the Lower Shotover jet boat, hiking in Wanaka (don’t miss Cardrona hotel and the gin distillery enroute), the luge and gondola rides in Queenstown and the original A J Hackett bungee jump (that last one was only the kids – 23 and 25!). The helicopter ride to Milford Sound with a stopover on top of a glacier was unforgettable. At the end of 10 days we still had so much left to do. The perfect excuse for us to return soon to Mount Rosa Lodge. The “holiday of a lifetime” –...