Hawkdun Rise Vineyard & Accommodation

Wonderfull place. The room is situated in a lovely vineyard, where windows are 5m from it. The host is warm and very hospitality. Excellent breakfast. We were invited into the dinning room and the living room. Thank you Suzanne and John.

An inn set on top of the hill fronting the owner's Pinot Noir vineyard. We spent two nights there, hosted by Suzanne and John. It was simply a first-rate experience. The grounds are spectacular, the accommodations top-notch, and the hospitality and food was excellent. It was also a great base for our biking on the Otago rail trail. Pro Tips: Opt for the expanded breakfast and request at least one dinner. Tell Suzanne what you like and she puts together a gourmet meal for you. Dinner was custom prepared featuring lamb, potatoes, vegetables, dessert, and their vineyard wine (2015 Hawkdun Rise Pinot Noir). We ate on the veranda overlooking the vineyard. A truly captivating experience.

The accommodations at Hawkdun Rise are very good as was the breakfast, but it was not the experience we were hoping for. Suzanne and John were welcoming hosts, and have a lovely property and cute dogs and puppies. Although they offer their guests one glass of their wine before dinner, (in the hopes that you will then want to buy a bottle), we were expecting to really learn more about their vineyard during our stay. Apparently they grow their grapes, pick them with help from friends and then ship them off to another facility that handles the rest of the process. Besides that, they really were not inclined to talk about their vineyard. We were also excited to share a meal with them at dinner, but soon learned that they would not be eating with us. Suzanne served us as we ate alone while another guest drank his wine in the adjacent living room waiting to go out to dinner with friends. The dinner, an entree and dessert, included fresh vegetables from their garden, but we thought it was overpriced at $65 per person. We ate a much better 3 course meal at the Rees Hotel in Queenstown for the same money. We didn't expect a comparable meal since Suzanne is not a professional chef, but we did hope for some friendly conversation since the meal was a simple one. We have traveled extensively and often stay at bed and breakfasts. When dinner was offered, we never sat alone at a table but were either joined by other guests or by the owners themselves who always participated in a discussion.