This beautiful old restored home with all the modern conveniences is set in a vineyard a short walk from town. We stayed in a room that was in the main house. The owners and other guests were attending a birthday party, so we pretty much had the house to ourselves. Our hosts showed us around, gave us the keys and told us to make free use of the facilities, including the kitchen. Off street parking is available.

Our room was well-appointed with some of the best pillows and the most comfortable bed in NZ. The bathroom was modern and stocked with full toiletries. Breakfast was continental with a cooked option, served outside on the deck.

We did not see much of our hosts as they were engaged elsewhere, but they were very helpful with recommendations for dinner and directions to wineries. They did come back once at night to check on us and took us outside to see the stars, as it was a clear night.

We highly recommend the The Old Manse as a place to stay if you are visiting the area.

This is a wonderfully situated propoerty just perfect for exploring the Wairarapa and the Martiborough winelands. Sandra and John are very gracious hosts and are the epitomy of friendly Kiwis. Each evening they hosted all of their guest to drinks & nibbles and provided lots of useful advice. We can't wait to go back

Each year we stay at The old Manse with Friends....5 couples.....Sandra and John , the owners attend to every detail....happy hours with wonderful canopes, and delicious silver service breakfast. Sandra and John will arrange dining experiences around Martinborough as well as providing transport if necessary. The bedrooms are stunning with attention to every detail. Lounge and kitchen facilites are beautiful....but more importantly the hosts are exceptional.......wining next to the vineyard is a real treat....roll on March 2010.

I am sorry that the previous reviewer was not happy. We had a lovely stay at The Old Manse. Sndra and John were very hospitable and very helpful. There were no problems about using the kitchen and they afforded us lots of privacy.
We were going to dine at one of the vineyards and it was more than just a walk. John very kindly offered to drive us there and said that the vineyard would see us home. We didnt take him up on this as I dont drink very much, if at all (my husband found that a great benefit when touring vineyards!). My only possible negative is that I would not want to stay there more than one or two nights as there is no real hanging space.