Pen-y-bryn Lodge, Oamaru Nz

The hosts of Pen y Bryn Lodge, the Jameses, truly made our brief stay the highlight of our honeymoon! The dinner was outstanding, featuring some of the most tender beef cheeks, with many ingredients sourced from their own gardens. I'm still dreaming about the Friulian-style lasagna and the Basque-style cheesecake. The lodge itself was beautifully decorated with exquisite items and souvenirs from the Jameses' travels.

Rooms: 4 Service: 4 Location: 3 Hotel highlights: Luxury, Romantic, Quiet.

This restaurant is truly a hidden gem. If you’re looking for a high-quality place with exceptional attention to detail, it should definitely be on your list. James is a fantastic host who is eager to make your visit enjoyable. The food, accommodation, and service are all of international 5-star quality. Thank you for a wonderful experience!

Loved the experience of staying in a beautiful building with history and stories to tell. Our hosts were fab and the food was absolutely amazing. We are a family of 4 with some dietary needs and this was really thought out by our hosts. The best dairy free pancakes, muffins and cookies we have ever tasted! Thank you James, James and James : Rooms: 5 Service: 5 Location: 5

What an experience. Highly recommended. Had an awesome evening and wonderful dinner. Prawn and avocado beautifully presented and sweetcorn reduction that was similarly spiced and delicious. The main was duck with radicchio , sautéed potatoes (from their garden) and mushrooms with green beans. I would say it’s the best cooked du I I have had excellent and fantastic wines to match. The fig and pistachio frangipane tart with Tonia Bean ice cream was also amazing and well rounded off with a home made walnut liqueur. Overall fantastic experience thanks so much!