Blackfern cottage

Location: 50 Ongarue Village Road, Ongarue, nz

Star Rating: 8.2 Stars

Property Type: Apartments

About this Property

Policies

Check-in: 02:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Check-out: 10:00 AM

Amenities & Facilities

• Offsite parking discounted rates available
• Non-smoking rooms
• Air conditioning
• Terrace
• BBQ facilities
• Packed lunches
• Non-smoking throughout
• Shared lounge/TV area
• Shuttle service (additional charge)
• Shared kitchen
• Outdoor furniture
• Staff adhere to local safety protocols
• Guest rooms disinfected between stays
• Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
• Physical distancing rules followed
• Hand sanitizer in guest room and key areas
• Cashless payment available
• Fire extinguishers
• Contactless check-in/check-out
• Invoice provided
• Guests can opt-out any cleaning services during stay
• Smoke alarms
• Shared stationery like menus, pens are removed
• Guest room sealed after cleaning
• CCTV outside property
• 24-hour security
• Television in common areas
• Offsite parking discounted rates available
• Japanese garden
• Covered parking
• Fishing nearby
• Snow sports gear
• Accessible shuttle
• No accessible shuttle

Rooms Available

• Double Room with Private External Bathroom

  The unit offers 1 bed.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Private bathroom

• Queen Room

  The unit offers 1 bed.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

• Twin Room with Private External Bathroom

  The unit has 2 beds.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Private bathroom

Guest Reviews

• Susan (8/5): -
• Mark (8/5): - Location to the timber trail
• Phillip (7/5): -
• Roger (6/5): Charming shared cottage - Beautiful location, charming 3 bdrm cottage, nicely renovated. Property owner failed to mention beforehand that someone else was also booked to stay at the cottage that night. The other guest arrived late, had limited english and relied on us to translate and explain the situation, after phoning the owner. In future we would recommend clearly informing guests of multiple bookings, as unexpectedly sharing with complete strangers is not everyone’s idea a of good time. ( families, single women etc ) Despite this avoidable surprise, we really enjoyed the cottage and facilities.
• Martin (7/5): Short stay before the Timber trail this spot is ideal.. - Location was great for the start of the timber trail. Accommodation had everything we needed. Beds were super comfy. The place is a shared facility but we were the only ones there so lucked out. Super quiet location and a chilled night before the trail ride. Had a couple of teething issues getting into the property (lock code didnt work but backup pin on door pad did) and couldn't get the internet to work but was no stress for us as didnt need it. Mobile coverage worked for us to cover off the gap.
• Nicole (10/5): - Very cool external ensuite. Lovely character throughout the home. Could not get the T. V to work.
• Megan (9/5): The cottage was very clean and very peaceful. - Breakfast was not supplied. A few basic food items eg cooking oil could have been supplied as there are no shops in the vicinity.
• Andrew (8/5): - Good base to tackle Timber Trail
• Neil (7/5): Good - Location was very convenient for the Timber Trail and was why we booked it. We arrived in the dark and found it very hard to locate the property. We found number 52 and assumed that the cottage next to it was 50 even though the sign indicated a differently named cottage. Because there were no lights on in the street nothing green stood out ie the green lock box, and we were looking for something muich smaller. A sign indicating number 50 would have been helpful that was easy to find, or on your text mesdsage indicating what side of the street etc. If it was daylight all would have bveen ok, but becaue it was dark it was difficult. Thanks to the neighbour who came to our rescue.
• Lindy (8/5): Very good - Great location and comfortable Had everything we needed Bathrooms are a bit dated
• Paul (7/5): Good -
• Peter (6/5): Very convenient stay but overpriced. - A clean place, good kitchen, but does not deserve the “apartment” description. We would have enjoyed even less if others were staying, sharing the facilities. No shower soap, cheap lightbulbs and some not working. Not easy to find place when get there.
• Robert (9/5): very enjoyable -
• Andrew (8/5): Get sport - Host was available to assist
• Greg (8/5): Very good -
• Paul (5/5): Passable - We came down to cycle the timber trail so that was a very easy 5minute drive away to the bike shuttle in the morning. Dark sky, so good star gazing and a fine view of the lunar eclipse. Well equipped kitchen. Railway very close although no trains overnight on our second night. There were 2 the first night. The outside shower and toilet were under a veranda but would be draughty and damp on a stormy night.
• David (5/5): Great location, very clean and tidy just a few things not available or working. - Great location, very clean and tidy would stay again. No water supply to the kitchen (including water filter). No toaster. No soaps in the shower No hot water in the morning for a shower ( maybe gas had run out)
• Stephanie (5/5): An average property that is not good value for money - The location was ideal for the start of the Timber trail ride. The cottage was quite clean and reasonably comfortable. We did not like the external bathrooms or the fact that they lacked a door to outside. We did not like the fact that it was not made clear that the cottage was shared accommodation. Whilst access was straight forward, it was not very secure having three sets of keys in a box outside the front fence of the property.There was no wifi or toaster. We felt the property was very expensive for what it was.
• Stephen (9/5): Superb -
• Kay (9/5): Clean, comfortable, great location. - Location to start the Timber Trail The Signage to identify that we had arrived at the correct property was difficult to locate / see.
• Jos (7/5): A little place in the country. - It was a lovely cottage. Clean and comfortable. It was in a little town with nothing else around but a few other places. The train line ran behind the property and it was lovely seeing the trains go by. Only 2 in the time we were there. It was disconcerting that there was not a key for our bedroom. The front door keys were left in a box out the front and we were given a code. When we picked out key up from the box there was another key which made me think someone else was going to stay in the house. Which is fine but we couldn’t lock our bedroom door. So when we went out we took a lot of things with us. Cameras laptops etc. if we could have locked the door we would have left them behind. We spoke once to a nice lady who told us we could arrive a bit earlier as our cycle ride finished earlier. When I tried to ring and message again to ask if anyone else was joining us in the house I didn’t hear anything. So all night long I was listening for any movements in the house. We slept with the bedroom door open as we only had a door open wing to the outside and no window for ventilation. It would have been ok if we knew who else was coming in. It was also disconcerting thinking there is a spare key in a box on the street which could have been broken into. At the risk of sounding paranoid - it is just helpful to have some info. Otherwise lovely place. Nice and neat. Comfortable beds. Maybe some washing powder to use would be helpful as nowhere to buy supplies nearby. Or maybe even a heads up to bring some.
• Petra (9/5): Excellent cottage just off the Timber Trail, ideal to loop around northern side roads - Superb kitchen and bath/shower. Lovely outdoor front portico to enjoy a coffee, take in surroundings. Rural location with very quiet local road. Super clean, and very well maintained. Interesting cycling memorabilia on the walls too. The combination lock is tricky. And difficult to find the cottage at night, with little roadside signage to help locate it. A light on a motion sensor at the key lockup would help a lot.
• Heena (6/5): Great for the timber trail . - Very well located for the timber trail . Clean with clean good quality sheets and bedding . I think the description of the property is problematic. The black fern cottage is basically a house with three bedrooms and you share that house with three other people/ families . Of the three bedrooms , one bedroom does not have an ensuite ( queen ) . The other two have a strange arrangement where a shower and toilet have been built outside the room which doors opening into it . They have called these apartments or units but they are just three bedrooms in a shared house . As has been said in other reviews the doors to these bedrooms have no numbers or names . We arrived and found ourselves needing to take the " twin room " as the double one we had booked had someone in it ! The twin room has NO windows. (I checked the photo in the advertisement and it shows a window- but the room does not have one ! ) Just a set of french doors that are also the entrance to outside shower and toilet , so if you want to use the facilities and want to close the door the other person is sitting in a windowless room with no fan . The outside shower has no door , so a passerby ( in the property ) could easily see you if they chose to poke their head in . We walked around the outside and would quite easily poked our head into the other persons room but fortunately saw some shoes outside and walked away . The twin room also had no AC/ heating if needed . Remember to bring food , snacks , milk etc . The property does not provide milk so if you need milk for your tea the closest store is 23 kms away . I got no reply to my messages when I messaged through booking .com . about having to take the wrong room . We pushed the twin beds together to try and make a single bed but the beds were at different levels so did not work .
• Astrid (9/5): Very convenient to Timbertrail , lovely renovated old cottage. - no breakfast We found it difficult to find the property. Google map leads you to a different spot , which is very confusing. also didnt realize, that we were sharing the cottage with other people. TV reception was very poor no response from Host when contacted
• Xu (4/5): Not quite valuable and only for timber trail riders - quiet and natural It might be good if you just want a timber trail ride :) but unfortunately we thought it was a nice hotel No Wifi at all, no service (or self service) and need to collect the rubbish by yourself So… yea, it is not a hotel at all, but at a price of $200 :/ Lots of dead insects in the bath tube And remember to take some food or be ready to find any restaurant 25km away
• Tamara (10/5): Fantastic stay! - Perfectly located for the Timber Trail mtb ride. Cottage was really nice and our room had a a nice outdoor sitting area. Nothing
• Lyndell (8/5): Very good - This is the quirkiest place I’ve ever stayed at. A place to share with friends to fully enjoy the experience.
• Jacqueline (7/5): Great overnight spot to stay before Timber trail - Mattresses very comfortable and room over all lovely and nice decor and good size room The one pillow was bit too hard for us and as only one on the bed. Little option to change it But that is our preference of softer pillow others probaly like stiffer pillows Due to us getting lost ( our fault ) was very dark when we arrived and drove by big green box as we were looking on other side of Rd 😬 But maybe a reflector or something on the green box so it stands out in the darkness might be of help but had really good communication from Rachel as to code ect to open box for key 👍
• John (10/5): Most enjoyable - Clear message. I would like to know that key pad entry in the initial advertisements. It would not put me off. All good and clear.
• Daniel (8/5): Very good -
• Pascal (10/5): Top - Good place to stay, before or after the timber Trail. The owner gave us a late check out.
• Coralie (10/5): Lovely renovated cottage close to the Timber Trail. - Lovely clean renovated cottage, handy to the Timber Trail shuttle meeting point for our mountain biking trip. A little hard to see the cottage as we arrived in the dark.
• Deb (8/5): Perfect for what we wanted, once we found it! - Cosy and clean Hard to find. Google maps took us to the wrong place. Better direction would helpful
• Renate (9/5): Superb -
• Gabriella (10/5): Exceptional - great spot close to the carpark to get onto the timber trail. House was lovely, comfortable.
• Mary (10/5): Exceptional -
• Cindy (10/5): Cute cottage to end Timber Trail adventure - What a great place! Located at the end of the timber trail, the beds were comfortable, big kitchen area and a sauna and hot tub. Free washer/dryer available. Second night I was the only guest so they allowed me to switch a room with a patio. Nothing
• Pollmuller (8/5): Cosy Comforts - Nestled conveniently near the Timber Trail's starting point, this traditional cottage offered all the comforts needed for a one-night stay. Its cozy charm and modern amenities made for a delightful retreat before setting off on outdoor adventures. Disappointed by someone else taking our room and the noisy freight trains passing at night. Perhaps placing names outside the rooms to indicate bookings could help prevent the inconvenience of room mix-ups in the future. Having to choose another room due to the mix-up meant that the third party also had to take a room they did not book.
• Alex (8/5): Lovely relaxing couple of days in an area that progress has largely passed by. - The location suited us very well, getting prepared to bike the Timber Trail. The house was very comfortable and had everything we needed. We made our own meals in the well equipped kitchen. We were surprised when other guests arrived to use another bedroom and share the kitchen and living room. It was not a problem but would have been better to know from the outset.
• Angela (8/5): Very good - Noisy Spa and no remote to turn on Heat Pump/air con.
• White (10/5): We had a very comfortable stay - The cottage was ideally located for the Timber trail bike ride. We were given full instructions from the hosts. The cottage was immaculate
• Brenda (9/5): Great - Loved how place was decorated. Was a lovely place better than motel hotel.
• Greg (9/5): Great local cottage in close proximity to Timber Trail. Definitely worth a stay - we were doing the Timber Trail - so Blackfern was super convenient to the trail shuttle service. Very pleasant cottage with great facilities
• Rochelle (10/5): Very clean and beautiful place to stay. Would definitely book again - Very beautiful and clean Heat pumps probably could’ve done with a clean as they weren’t cooling the house down at all. Owners said there was a remote for heat pump in the room but couldn’t find one at all. They were no help at all as to where it could’ve been
• Albert (10/5): Exceptional - I loved my stay in this cosy cottage in a remote place. Everything went perfect!
• Giselle (10/5): Exceptional - There was everything we needed and it was so clean We couldn't lock out bikes away
• Esti (7/5): Good - The very small toilet and bathroom was very awkward with other guests

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