Hawkdun Rise Vineyard & Accommodation

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.

This is a lovely place to stay. It is very comfortable and the furnishings are of the highest standard. We ate one night and food was excellent. We were made to feel very much at home and enjoyed the tour of the garden that John gave us. Very impressive. Well worth a visit.

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.

I had a really great stay here. Everything was comfortable, clean and charming. Very welcoming hosts who provided all I needed including a lovely meal. Highly recommend. I will definitely return if I can!

We spent just one night with Suzanne and John. We slept very well, awoke to a gorgeous view and enjoyed a delicious breakfast. As others have commented, much of the produce was home grown and we loved the raspberries which had been picked that morning. John and Suzanne have three Maltese terriers, we have one too, so we were delighted. They don't interfere with the guests, but are just little white clouds who occasionally appear. Would thoroughly recommend a stay at Hawkdun Rise.

This is a fantastic find - the vineyard is beautiful as is the house, room even nicer than pictured with lovely terrace, robes and bathroom products provided. Hosts were so welcoming and it feels like a real family home, we loved getting to know them, their adorable dogs and the other guests over a complimentary glass of wine - we even went raspberry picking! Fantastic breakfast provided with fresh berries and eggs. We didn’t have dinner but it sounded lovely - you need to book ahead. We had the best time here, it felt like a real five star experience and we’d recommend to anyone.