ALAN Pye Cottage, a new addition to the Huka Lodge, Taupo property in New Zealand, will be receiving its first guests next month (December).
Designed by Virginia Fisher, the new accommodation will focus on privacy, for the property will have its own entrance and will be gated. It was named after the Irishman who established the luxury Huka Lodge, set in 17 acres of manicured grounds offering elegant and high standards of comfort and hospitality. The lodge offers 18 lodge rooms 20 metres from the Waikato River, one suite and two exclusive cottages—the Owner’s Cottage with four suites, and the new two suite Alan Pye Cottage.
The cottage is being built using heritage materials such as cedar, various heart timbers, stone and brick. It will draw on design elements from the 1920s and 1930s and offer two large bedrooms with fireplaces, en suite bathrooms and generous dressing rooms.
A generous open plan living room will feature a large brick fireplace, and comfortable homely furniture.
A well equipped kitchen is set up for a personal chef – guests may choose to stay in or use the main lodge and dine there. Guests using the cottage have use of all Huka Lodge facilities and services.
A study contains a desk, plasma flat screen television and sound system. This room also has its own complete bathroom should it be required to accommodate an accompanying party. A laundry is also available with the cottage.A heated infinity style swimming pool and a separate private spa pool have been integrated into the outdoor landscape. There is also a stone outdoor pavilion within a courtyard garden.
Depending on the season, daily rates, which do not include GST, range from $1,708 to $4,265 for two guests to $2,565 to $4,508 for four guests. Rate includes pre-dinner drinks, a five course dinner (where the menu changes daily), accommodation at the cottage and a full country breakfast plus a Taupo Airport transfer.
A surcharge of $223 per person applies on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. A minimum three night stay is required between December 20, 2008 and January 5, 2009.