Russell Cottages

This house in Russell had quality throughout. It was well equipped with everything we could need, and a lovely welcome parcel of local products was waiting for us. Our new son-in-law had found it for our long weekend in the Bay of Islands, and we were very impressed. We’ll certainly stay here again on a future visit to New Zealand from our home in South East England.

The location is hard to beat, just a short walk to the best parts of Russell and a short drive to the amazing Long Beach. We loved the spacious, high spec villas, each individually owned, and the pool was great. The pool house was especially handy, with a fridge, BBQs and an ice machine. It worked really well for a family holiday where we needed several houses. A couple who live off site manage the villas.

The shared heated pool and spa were a hit with our daughter, and they were cleaned every day. Chapel cottage is large, with a good layout, near a quiet road and only a 2-3 minute walk into town. Long Beach is worth seeing too, about a 15 minute walk away. We loved our stay and would definitely return, though the cottage could have been a bit cleaner.

The pool was lovely and warm, with a fairly deep end. The spa pool was smaller, fitting about four people, but warm and comfortable. These clean, well maintained two-storey cottages work especially well for a big group. Downstairs has the lounge, kitchen and dining area, while upstairs there are two double rooms and one room with two singles. The main road and wharf are only about a two minute walk away.