Blenheim hidaway peppered with style

By PATRICK SMITH*

Staying in hosted accommodation is always a risky proposition. It's not so much whether the bed will be too hard or the breakfast eggs too soft, it's more to do with the people whose home you will share.

Not everyone is cut out for the job of looking after paying guests and there is nothing worse than the nervous hostess who won't let you be, or the house-proud types always demanding your approval. You are there to relax, not to entertain your hosts.

But any reservations I had before arriving at the Peppertree, a luxury B&B on the outskirts of Blenheim, were put to rest quickly by the couple who opened the front door.

The Swiss have a great tradition as hoteliers, and Werner and Heidi Pluss run a professional operation. More importantly for their guests, though, they just seem to like people.

I arrived one late-summer evening. Heidi showed me to my room - one of five elegant guest suites in the rambling Edwardian villa - and invited me to share a pre-dinner drink in the sitting room when I was ready.

A small brass plaque on the door of my room told me I was staying in the Sunset suite, so-called because it faces west. French doors let on to a small private garden, a nice spot to catch the day's last rays or the dawn chorus.

A comfortable queen-sized bed dominated a room cosily furnished in period style. Heidi had prepared a generous tea tray and fruit bowl. All rooms have a TV, phone and a small library of books and magazines. A big, well-equipped bathroom led off the bedroom.

Werner has become a wine buff since arriving in Marlborough and makes his own wine from a small vineyard on the 4ha Riverlands property.

Last year he pulled the cork on his first vintage, the 2001 Peppertree Chardonnay, and that evening he poured us each a glass in front of an open fire in the sitting room as we chatted about wine, the house and the couple's love of New Zealand.

Heidi, who worked in the hotel industry for 17 years, is a good cook and will provide dinner on request, but there are plenty of good eateries in the area and I was destined for one of these.

I did sample her breakfast the next morning, though, when I found a dining table laden with juices, fruit, Swiss muesli and other cereals, pastries and tiny fresh-baked muffins, then she asked how I liked my eggs.

After breakfast Werner showed me around the grounds - the vineyard ("I love the plants, they're so friendly and each is an individual") and the olive grove, which will produce its first oil and fruit for the house next year; the swimming pool, croquet lawn and petanque court; the pet cows (Mira and Molly) and six sheep; and the grove of pepper trees that gives the 100-year-old house its name.

Werner has plans for a putting green in the olive grove and a tennis court. The historic Riverlands Cob Cottage sits beside the Peppertree's entrance on State Highway 1.

* Patrick Smith paid to stay at The Peppertree.

Where to find it:

SH1, Riverlands, Blenheim. Ph (03) 520 9200; Email info@thepeppertree.co.nz

What it costs:

$225-$280 (seasonal) single occupancy; $275-$320 double, includes full breakfast, airport transfer and a round of golf at Marlborough Golf Club, Fairhall

Getting there:

Air New Zealand has daily direct or via-Wellington flights from Auckland to Blenheim.

Smoking:

Not inside

Access:

One room with disabled access and shower

Children:

Seven years and older

What's good:

Friendly hosts, good food and wine and a lovely colonial homestead.

www.thepeppertree.co.nz