Black Cottage Boutique Acommodation

We stayed with friends to celebrate my husband's 50th birthday. Our main purpose for the rental was to stay somewhere comfortable that was close-ish to home (Central Hawkes Bay), so we could escape domestic life & kids for 4 nights & days! The location was perfect for our purposes (25 mins drive from home). The level of comfort was outstanding. The beds were especially comfy. We loved the luxury & the rustic charm - so thoroughly designed & decorated with beautiful little touches. Very tasteful & aesthetic. The birdsong (especially the Tui), hot tub, patio bar & the oak tree & river views were highlights. Being so close to the village was very handy. Nearly every attention to detail was thought of. Reading the book (photo story) of the history of the property was fascinating - what a labour of love! We have beautiful memories of friendship, laughter, fun, and merriment to treasure forever from our stay here in the early days of 2026.

There are only little nit-picky bits, really. Candles, maybe? For romance (although maybe the hosts don't want candle wax getting on precious furniture?). Cocktail glasses, maybe? (there's an impressive range of glasses: red wine, white wine, shot glasses, tumblers, beer glasses - but no cocktail glasses). We brought our own cocktail glasses etc. because we knew we'd be mixing cocktails & didn't expect there to be any available. If there had been, there would've been an impressive complete set of glasses! There were 3-4 rolls of toilet paper in each bathroom. We ran out on the last day. Maybe a couple more rolls per bathroom or stored somewhere? We cooked & baked all our own meals (including baking a birthday cake for Mr. 50) & the kitchen wasn't really set up for this (probably more suited to guests who mostly wine & dine in the village). There's plenty of bowls, plates, cutlery, BBQ gear, glasses, a frying pan, pots, a cheese grater, platters & nibbles bowls, coffee cups & saucers & bigger coffee mugs, a coffee plunger, a Nespresso machine & milk frothing machine, which we really enjoyed (however, there were only 6 pods available so not enough for all of us to have a coffee each morning). Also, no teapot. I brought my own cake tin, presuming there wouldn't be one there (there wasn't), which is fine. However, we were surprised to note there was no sieve to drain our Gnocchi, no wooden spoon to mix ingredients, no big bowl to mix the cake in - just a big salad bowl & a too-small glass bowl, no egg-beater or hand-held kitchen whizz or processor to whip cream, no measuring cups or spoons, only 2 tea-towels (so they both got soaked very quickly), and we had to boil the Gnocchi in two batches because there was no pot/saucepan big enough to fit it all in one.

Great location, fantastic accommodation with top quality fixtures and fittings. The kitchen was fully equipped with excellent quality utensils in good condition. The hot tub was super and so were the hosts!

Nothing we didn’t like

Fantastic location!

Location was even better than expected - easy, level walk to town and oh so close. The property was big and had everything required for an amazing break. Kitchen had multiples of the basics needed - crockery, cutlery and all the different wine glasses known to man. Also had those little things we didn't expect like olive oil, cheese knives, platters, cleaning products paper towel and cling wrap - essential when you are preparing food and often have to supply yourself - many thanks. Loved the spa after a busy day and the outdoor verandahs. Really felt like our home during the stay.

Nothing is the overall response to what we didn't like, but if I had to find a single dislike (very difficult to do and also very personal) but not everyone likes a firm pillow when sleeping - so a little variety maybe.

Beautifully renovated and styled, beds were comfortable and kitchen well equipped. Lovely outdoor area, sheltered from the wind.

It’s on a very busy road which is noisy but the house is sound proofed. The steps into the lounge and second bedroom could have a railing for older people. The kitchen table is high with stools and we would have preferred a normal sized table & chairs for ease of getting in and out of.

The whole decor was stunning, very comfortable.

Can't think of anything.

Great location, easy walking distance to the centre of Havelock North. The cottage had a lovely ambience. It had everything you needed for your stay and more. Beds were extremely comfortable and the showers were fantastic. Full cooking facilities if you wanted to use them. Spa pool on rear deck overlooked the stream. Access was easy via a door lock. We would certainly stay here again.

There was nothing we didn't like.

Everything Location Layout

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