Manawa Ridge

From the moment we arrived we were spoilt rotten by William and Carla. This place is truly a beautiful hidden gem. The food was amazing and I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much, the wine was superb, ever detail in this place was absolutely amazing and I loved how you showed us the photos of it being built by your own hands. Stunning views as we ate our lunch and drank our wine up in the tower. Also a must is a walk and backpack with water and food at the Homunga Bay. The music is so relaxing as well as whole experience. Thank you Bo also for singing for us and you are such a beautiful dog ❤️ we enjoyed the spa with amazing views of the countryside and were privallaged to see the other rooms. Such an amazing 2 nights away will hopefully be back in summer

This is a stunning property high in the hills with amazing views and very comfortable rooms. The outside baths are superb. It's a good place to chill out and recover - you won't feel like leaving for day trips. Being isolated up in the hills, you are kind of stuck with having their dinner. It was nice, it was fine, but it was not fine dining by any means. The portions were also a little meagre and no seconds were offered. Similarly at breakfast, the granola was nice but we were each given maybe a tablespoon and had to ask for more a couple of times. The ricotta pancakes were excellent. Coffee is awful. A tiny automatic machine making coffee low on taste but high in caffeine. The towels start to smell a bit when wet - presumably washed too cold with eco laundry powder. Astonishingly after leaving towels on the floor one morning, we found them not replaced but just hung up on the hooks to dry. Still, I would go back again for the views and the baths and beds.

We thoroughly enjoyed our three night stay at Manawa Ridge. Willem and Carla are wonderfully warm and inviting hosts. Their home is incredible - beautifully designed and situated on a hilltop with unbelievable views of the surrounding countryside and distant ocean. Carla's beautiful stone carvings can be found throughout. We stayed in the Rivendell Suite, large and beautifully decorated with an outdoor (covered) spa bath lined with stones. Dinners and breakfasts were exceptional, made with delicious and fresh ingredients and cooked perfectly by our hosts. (My husband is still talking about Willem's home made sausage.). We cannot say enough wonderful things. On things to do in Coromandel ... During our three-day stay, the weather went from great to awful. Day 1: Hiked 4 hours to Wahai Beach. Highly recommend this - one of our best hikes in NZ. Willem very nicely drove us to the start so we could have our car waiting at the beach when we finished the hike. Day 2: Weather started to deteriorate so we drove north, missed the morning rain and did the hike to Cathedral Cove. Also recommend this. Day 3: Worse weather we've ever experienced, with gale force winds and driving rain. Zero visibility. We stayed in the Turret room at Manawa Ridge and hung out all day using wifi. Nice being able to use the spa bath outside (it is covered) even though the rain was relentless. If there had been good weather, we would have biked the rail trail. So, plenty to do in the area. All in, gorgeous and wonderful. A great way to end our long holiday in NZ! Many thanks from Andy & Mira.