The Best Hotels Near The Marlborough Boutique Hotel & Vineyard, by the Record
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A former convent that was physically moved from Blenheim and replanted among sixteen acres of vines, which explains the stained glass and the ceilings that a purpose-built wine country hotel would never bother with. Ten rooms named in Te Reo Māori after native trees and birds look out over the estate. The kitchen follows the seasons and the garden. Staff tend to know your coffee order before breakfast ends.
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The hotel shares its name with the actual bay, which is either poetic or a mild administrative headache, depending on whether you're the ferry captain. There are no roads in or out, so a golf cart meets you on arrival, and that's essentially the last time infrastructure intrudes. A remote Marlborough Sounds resort with apartment-style rooms, a deck over the water, and dolphins nearby if you want them.
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A giant Alice in Wonderland flower sculpture greets you in the lobby, which sets the tone for this design hotel on Wellington's liveliest street. The Edwardian facade hints at restraint the interior ignores entirely: expect jewel-toned rooms with hand-painted headboards, a floor-to-ceiling red restaurant, and high tea served in an emerald parlor modeled on a Parisian conservatory. Cuba Street's galleries and bars are right outside.