ABC on Wanaka Bay - beachfront home w. ocean views

Collecting the keys was very straightforward. They were in a lockbox by the front door, which was easy to find and use, making check-in simple. The location is absolutely stunning, and the views are every bit as spectacular as the photos suggest. The heat pump did an excellent job of warming the house, making it very cosy during our winter stay. The bathrooms and kitchen have been beautifully renovated, and much of the house appears to have been recently updated. The beds were comfortable, and the bedding was of a good quality, so we all slept well. It was a lovely surprise to have cows on the property. Someone moved them around each day, and our girls loved watching them—it was an unexpected highlight of the stay! We also really appreciated having two bathrooms plus a separate toilet, which made things much easier for our family.

We weren't able to arrange an early check-in. I messaged and emailed ahead of our stay, as well as on the day, but unfortunately didn't receive a reply. It wasn't a major issue, but given it was the low season, it would have been nice to access the property a little earlier than the 3:00 pm check-in time. The listing also gave me the impression we were renting the entire house, but the accommodation is actually the upstairs level only, with other guests staying downstairs. This didn't impact our stay in any way, but it wasn't something I had realised before arriving. The house itself is lovely and has been beautifully renovated. There are just a few areas that are still in their original condition, such as missing wardrobe doors and unfinished skirting above some door frames. These were only minor cosmetic details and didn't affect our enjoyment of the property.

This house is in a lovely position looking out over the Tasman Sea. I guess it could be bleak in stormy weather – but we were fortunate and it was sunny for us. It is spacious and has 2 bathrooms and a good kitchen and lounge area with good wifi service. The king-size bed in the master bedroom was particularly comfortable. If you're lucky with weather you can see Taranaki from the house. The occasional plane comes in to land at New Plymouth airport, which is just in the next field, but this is really not a bother - more something to look forward to!

The biggest problem we had was that we were told to expect the code for the key safe just before we were due to arrive – but we’d heard nothing. So I rang the contact number and after a little while she found our booking the girl was able to tell me the number. I asked where she was sitting, seeing as she had a very American accent, and she said the Philippines! We saw the cleaning lady when we left and it was her first time visiting the property. We told her about a couple of little problems (one sink plug not working, one tap not staying on). So the main issue is an absent landlord who is reliant on a property management company: if they do things correctly all works well, but if there are any hiccups then this can be problematic to get things sorted.

By FAR the most stunning for scenery and privacy. Convenient to drive for groceries. Very comfy bed.

Mold in the bathrooms, likely due to not having a fan. The AC could not reach the bedrooms and no screens on the windows means choosing crossdraft with mozzies or being hot and humid. A floor fan would also help. Generally needs a good clean, other than the kitchen and linens.

No breakfast option was available. We had our own chilly bin anyway. Shops were not far away. There were milk in the fridge and that was appreciated.

The chairs around the dining room table were comfortable but the is flaking upholstery (from underneath) needs to be looked at. Everything else is great.