THE LUXURY TRAVEL
MAGAZINE FOR INDEPENDENT
TRAVELLERS

The Rippinvale Retreat is a Heritage & Character Inn. It is a new property on a historic piece of land, constructed in an ecologically sustainable manner using mud blocks, designed to be both modern and luxurious while blending with its environment. It is nestled in a large wooded garden, with magnificent alpine views -- a two-minute drive from town, but a world away.

Helen, a former community school dentist and current B&B proprietor, designer, horticulturalist and massage therapist has infused every corner of the house, cottage suites and garden with a special. Her husband, John, a former commercial pilot, is on hand for everything, including private fly-fishing instruction and trips, hunting excursions and photographic safaris. Together the team is unstoppable; Kiwi hospitality at its best.

The property is designed for wandering. Enter the gravel drive and have Helen take you on a tour of the gardens bursting with cornflowers, hostas, camellias, rhododendrons and topiary evergreens. Pass the grass tennis court, rowan trees and the outdoor Jacuzzi, continue under the trellis of iceberg roses to the rose garden itself, past the peach, quince, plum, pear and apple trees and the outdoor sculptures. By the time you get to the garden pond surrounded with irises and water buttercups, you will be in love with the property before even seeing your suite.

Accommodations are unlike most B&Bs as the cottages are self-contained units that are attached to the house, but entirely separate. Breakfast will be served in your suite and a bottle of white wine will be waiting in your fridge for cocktail hour. It's not that Helen and John are anti-social, but their goal is to create an environment where they are accessible to guests, whilst allowing them their privacy. Each suite has its own terrace, enveloped by cabbage palms, flax, ribbonwood and a variety of herbs.

Bed linens are Egyptian cotton, duvets are goose down, mattresses are pillowtop. Pillow throws are a warm golden color matching the raw silk draperies that are so voluminous, that despite the informal ambiance of the Retreat, you will want to wrap yourself in them and go off to a ball or sit on the throne of some distant monarch. Chocolates and your breakfast menu await you on your bed, a brownie or homemade cookie treat and fresh fruit from the garden will be resting on the countertop of your kitchenette. The sitting area is spacious with couch, table and four chairs. The en-suite bathroom has a shower (no bath) and is spacious and modern, with a heated towel rack, fluffy towels, over-sized robe and lovely natural products by Blue Earth. The shampoo and conditioner have jojoba and rosemary; the moisturizer is aloe vera and rosehip.

Breakfast consists of multiple courses, each one a meal in itself, so don't plan on eating lunch. John comes with the tray of china, Helen with the first courses of poached pear, fresh yogurt drizzled with honey, fresh squeezed orange juice and creamy bircher muesli with grated apples and almonds. Condiments include fresh raspberry and rose confit and grapefruit and lemon marmalade to accompany your home-baked breads. There are then five choices for a hot breakfast, but I strongly suggest the French Toast with bananas, blueberries and maple syrup. It will be like no ‘French’ toast you ever tasted and far more beautifully presented than any I've seen, but if they called it ‘Kiwi’ Toast it would probably cause confusion.

If you are not immediately heading off down the road to the thermal springs for which Hamner Springs is noted, or to many of the other activities, like forest walks, mountain biking, horse trekking, bungy jumping or quad biking to name a few, I would suggest one of Helen's massages. She has a private massage room in the main house. The rosebud on the massage table must be symbolic of the way your body and mind relaxes and opens up – a perfect way to start your experience (or recover from all that bungy jumping, I suppose). While the luxury lodges won't like me saying so, this Heritage Inn experience is every bit as luxurious, for a fraction of the price and more home-spun and comforting at that.

Activities are many and include forest walks, mountain biking, horse trekking, bungy jumping, quad bikes and kayaking. The highlight of the Hamner Springs area, however, is the Therman Pools and Spas. There are three open-air sulphur pools, nine open-air thermal pools, six private thermal pools, two private saunas and 2 steam rooms, a 25 meter freshwater heated pool, a large family activity pool with two waterslides and a picnic area and café with bar facilities. There are also treatment rooms, but a completely new spa facility will open in July 2007.