Secret Garden Lodge - Marahau Holiday Home

I liked that it was close to beach and close to Abel Tasman . The beds were comfortable

It was super noisy as close to the water taxis. The tractors with boats drove by all weekend and neighbours were really loud. Also on main road in Mārahau, you can’t really see the water. It was quite dirty, the dishes were dirty and the windows. The games were incomplete and broken. Outside of the house was very dirty, there was a wasp nest in wash line and the garden wasn’t maintained. The outside sitting area wasn’t suitable for 7 people. The instructions etc were grubby and felt dirty.

First and foremost...space. It was the first time in many years we all (including new partners) were able to be in the same space. We were very pleased to stay at this lovely home. There was room for all eight of us to spread out into smaller groups. The table was big enough to have great family game nights. Beds were comfy. The cupboards had everything we needed to make simple meals so we could focus on visiting.

The water was off when we arrived. It was a bit tricky to find the valve (behind the house in thick vines) and would have been very difficult had we arrived in the night or during bad weather. We left a note regarding this that it would have been helpful to include a bit of instruction in the key box or on a laminated note left on the kitchen table.

We really liked the location and the lovely garden. The open plan living space was great for social interaction. Having Alexa to entertain us was a bonus. We appreciated having a dishwasher and washing machine. Our 1yr grandson enjoyed the assortment of toys and the trampoline.

The seating area could have been more comfortable. Six adults sharing a small bathroom and a single shower was a bit of a stretch, but we managed ok. Worst thing was when we bought some pizzas to heat up in the oven and it didn’t work. We had to warm them up in the microwave!

Great location batch had lots of comforts. No need to bring anything extra.

Non working smoke alarms and unusable fie extinguisher