Meadowood Country House, Hawkes Bay.
Where is it: Meadowood Country House, Fernhill, Hawkes Bay.
Distance from the airport: A 12-minute drive.
Check in: We let ourselves in.
Price: $145-$195 per couple, per room or book the whole house for $600-$750 a night (minimum two nights) for up to eight guests, including breakfast, depending on season.
The room: Four to choose from. I had the Peacock Room - so named for the peacock-etched glass sliding door to the bathroom - which had a fireplace, well-appointed en suite, windows on to the garden and a big fat bed that looked like a slice of heaven after a day at the nearby vineyards.
In the neighbourhood: Cycle trail, wineries, golf courses, wineries, rivers, wineries, markets, wineries and it's only a few minutes' drive to the famous Marine Parade and Mission Estate (a winery).
Bathroom: An art deco-modernist delight with fabulous water pressure.
Drinks: Tea and barista-coffee facilities, juice in the fridge and a bottle of wine I regretfully forgot to tuck into my suitcase.
Toiletries: Imperial Leather shower creme.
Food: Croissants, toast and bagels and other breakfast makings.
Exercise: The garden, almost wholly emerged from decades of neglect, makes a pleasing power/leisure walk, or pick up a bottle of something divine from one of the local cellar doors and exercise your elbow on the curved front deck.
What's so good: The astonishing attention to art deco detail. No wonder it's won awards.
What's not so good: The bugs and their futile love affair with the night lights.
Perfect for: A family weekend away or a wine trail and art deco trail with sophisticated friends.
Contact: meadowoodhouse.co.nz
The verdict: "Next generation caretakers" Shelly and Mark Witchalls have dragged this once-derelict house back to the 1930s - although, it probably came willingly - and paired 1930s aesthetics with 21st century conveniences. You don't have to be a design buff to marvel at the effort that has gone into the faithful restoration.
Forget Everest’s 'traffic jam at the top of the world'!