Dovecote House

Marvelous bed and breakfast. The hosts are extremely welcoming and good fun. Beautiful old house backing on to a lovely and fairly secluded bay. A lot of care and attention goes into the operation here, from the furnishings to the fantastic food and booze offerings. You probably need a car as this place is a little removed from the centre, but it's pretty much 30 minutes to both airport and CBD. Would certainly return.

Charming B&B! Area is lovely (although it was raining during our stay so we didn’t get as much of a chance to enjoy the location as we would have liked… but it IS breathtaking.) On the bay, lovely walk to town … couldn’t have asked for a more peaceful spot! Hosts are wonderful people … homemade bread and jams, fruit, yogurt and assorted cereals for breakfast… would recommend Dovecote to everyone!

Wow, such and awsum little place, full of character and history, very quiet location, comfy beds, outdoor area for drinks and dining, exceptional service, dinner and breakfast. Will definitely be back to stay. Thank you Nathan for fun time.

Positives: I liked the house, situation and friendly owners. It was quiet and thick curtains made for a dark room for good sleep. Breakfast homemade items were nice. Negatives: I found the bedroom to be small, awkward to move around or put things out of the way. There was an issue with bathroom, so we had to use downstairs. Appreciated, but older people going downstairs a couple of times at night is precarious. Victorian touches (silverware...) are lovely but need to be practical too. Owners have made a great attempt but need to refine some things.

We booked the two upstairs rooms for one night and had the use of the guest lounge there too. A short but very sweet stay! The house and garden are delightfully quaint and homely and our interactions with Nathan and Tim were very pleasant. We bought dinner at the nearby town and ate at the waterfront just a short walk from the house.

Dovecote house was the final stay of our NZ holiday and we enjoyed every minute there. A wonderful house, a beautiful garden and a thoroughly relaxing atmosphere. Nathan and Tim (and the cats) were excellent hosts and made us feel at home from the beginning. Thanks again for the dinner and great conversation at the table. We were sorry to leave in the morning and would love to stay there again, if we were to come back to New Zealand ... :)

We loved staying with Nathan and Tim. We so enjoyed our breakfasts especially the apricots and the evening meal we shared together was fabulous. Their home and garden is enchanting and a place of calm and peaceful tranquility. We are so happy we found this special place...thank you guys

My husband and I stayed at Dovecote House 2 days. What a lucky find for us! The owners made us feel at home and welcome to share. Nathan is a fabulous chef. Extra meals are available upon request for a very reasonable amount. He makes all the jams and preserves to share and also to take home. The 100 year old house and beautiful gardens must be explored! They provide pick up and drop off to the airport for a very small fee. If we lived closer we would stay every month just to enjoy the company and food!

This place is beautiful, comfy, lived-in, old-fashioned home with beautiful decorations and so many custom and artistic touches that will make you find yourself with hundreds of photos to sort through by the time you leave. The garden is breathtaking, designed and maintained by the B&B host with a degree in horticulture. The location is spectacular, with its gate opening onto a paved footpath that takes you directly to the beach. The food is wonderful -- be sure to let your hosts know things you prefer or have always wanted to try! The current chief resident is the cutest kitten you've ever seen. But most important of all is that the hosts are delightfully friendly, very accommodating, delightful people: ready to give you all the space you need or to hang out, if that's what you want to do. Whether for a stress-reduction weekend, a couples retreat (complete with a hot tub and an on-location massage), or a place to work in solitude (bring your laptop and enjoy their nice Wi-Fi in their gorgeous guest lounge) -- this is the place you want to stay if you are planning a visit to Auckland. Seriously: you are going to catch yourself referring to it as "home." I travel *a lot* -- so when I say that this was the best B&B stay I've ever experienced, this is really saying something. This was exactly the "home away from home" experience that I needed just before a business meeting.