Homely touches inspire retreat

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TEMPTING: Dry days and hot nights make the pool at Parehua Estate an oasis.

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Maybe it's the air out there that makes you sleepy.

Or maybe the thought of good wine and food puts one automatically into relax mode.

Whatever it is, you know you're in the country when the shops shut their doors at 3pm, farmers and winemakers gather at the pub or the local squash club, and those from "over the hill" enjoy the quietness and greenness over a glass of wine. There are few better places to do that than the five-star Parehua Country Estate, a luxury Martinborough retreat.

The resort has been open for several years and recently appointed Kent Baddeley chief executive to add a restaurant. Baddeley, best known in Wellington as chef of Petit Lyon in the 1980s and early 90s, has a history of adding pizzazz to top destinations like Sileni Estates near Havelock North, and Clearview Estate.

When we arrived tired one Friday night, it was the colourful Baddeley showing guests to their units and hovering late in the kitchen.

He was there again at breakfast and explained he grew up in the hospitality trade and still recalled his grandmother's telling-offs when his cleaning efforts missed a spot.

Unaccustomed as I am to luxury, I know it when we see our cottage. We oohed and aahed over the hot tub and private deck, the Jamie Oliver pots in the kitchen, the be-cushioned bed, the elegant lounge and tiled, underfloor heated bathroom and dressing room.

But my husband and I agreed that the homely touches swung it - the art and crafts, the mix of floral and leather sofas, the gas fire, icecreams in the freezer, vintage jewellery boxes, and a mini-bar straight from heaven.

Ours was one of 28 villas or cottages dotted around 2.2 hectares of park-like grounds and a lake. Parehua is bordered by Palliser Estate on one side and farmland on the other, it's a short walk or bike to the town, cinema and wineries, and a 12-minute drive to arty Greytown.

To be frank, you don't need to leave Parehua, and some people don't. With a tennis court, swimming pool, masseuse on call and lots of good food, the emphasis is on the customer feeling pampered.

The first thing Baddeley asks when we get to the restaurant is if there is any food we don't like, and it's immediately apparent that nothing is too much trouble.

The dining room is intimate and delicately decorated, and one can't help but notice there are only a few couples - it's not open to the public.

Those who elect to dine are offered a degustation. At $100 a head, it may sound expensive but with waghu beef on the menu and several glasses of excellent wine included, it seems good value.

After a Roederer Brut champagne and starter, my husband, who does not like champagne, becomes a convert.

"Did you like the snail?" Baddeley inquired after I munched on a salty brown lump in the squash puree. Baddeley's food is, as he puts it, full of little surprises, tastes you might not recognise until several bites later.

He follows with a cannelloni-like shell of succulent waghu, delicate crayfish, melt-in-your-mouth veal turrets, and a delightful fruit creme brulee and liqueur.

A warning for those with low alcohol tolerance: after three hours of feasting you may wish you'd been a little more circumspect in the wine department.

The next morning, after a great, childless night's sleep, we ventured back to the restaurant for breakfast.

A clutch of cereals and juices was on hand, but a menu of cooked breakfasts beckoned. It's a battle for me between whitebait fritters or smoked salmon, hollandaise and a poached egg. It's homemade sausages and "Martinboroughshire" sauce for my partner.

Well fed, we rested our bones on the sunny balcony and contemplated our weekend. "I vote we take a long soak in the tub," I told my yawning husband. It had, after all, been a very tiring 12 hours.

* The writer was a guest of Parehua.

What: Parehua Estate. Where: New York St West, Martinborough, 0800 472 734, parehura.co.nz Cost: Villa from $650 a night, secluded  cottage from $500, rural and lakeside  cottages $350-$400. Extras available: full body massage, floral bouquet, antipasto platter, picnic  hampers and bikes for hire.

- © Fairfax NZ News