Sennen House Boutique Accommodation

This is the latest of a number of stays at this delightful property in Picton. We book the James Cook suite on the top floor with its own lounge, kitchen, two bathrooms and a comfy bedroom with great views. The owners are welcoming and helpful, and provide an extensive breakfast each day. This is a good place to base yourself if coming across on the ferry from the North Island and planning some visits to the fabulous Marlborough wineries. A half day Seafood Odyssey cruise on Marlborough Sound is also recommended. One of our favourite stays in NZ!

Sennen House is a beautiful, old home surrounded by a lovely garden on a quiet edge of the town of Picton. We very much enjoyed our room, our breakfast, the setting, and the peace and quiet. However, we are writing this review because of the extraordinary hospitality of the owners, Michelle and Stefan. Both went above and beyond the call of duty to assist us during our brief stay. Picton is a charming, waterside town, and it is the port of arrival for large ferry boats coming from Wellington and the North Island. We arrived on such a boat, but following our ships arrival at the Picton Ferry Terminal, we arrived at the baggage claim area only to discover that another passenger had walked off with our luggage. Michelle came to the terminal to greet us and to take us to her Bed & Breakfast even though we had not requested that, and Michelle then patiently waited with us at the Terminal until the wayward passenger with our luggage could be tracked down, and the luggage returned to us. Not only did Michelle support us throughout our mini-crisis, but because one of us had a severely sprained ankle, and we were traveling without a car, Stefan was kind enough to drive us to a restaurant for dinner, so we wouldn't have to walk. As if those extremely kind gestures weren't enough, Michelle even drove us on the day of our departure to the train depot. The owners had family visiting and many other time consuming responsibilities during our stay, so for them to so graciously accommodate us showed exceptional character and generosity. If Sennen House is within your means, we can't imagine why visitors to Picton would want to lodge with anyone else.

We loved this grand house set in its own green haven at the foot of a gentle hillside. Our room was the Queen Charlotte studio, which had the bonus of a pretty sunlit deck where we enjoyed our afternoon tea and morning coffee. I was thrilled to discover that the house, which dates back to the 1880s, was originally built for an immigrant merchant from my own birth city in England! As if that weren't enough to make us feel at home, our friendly hosts couldn't have been more accommodating. We appreciated their willingness to work around our ferry and train journeys, which affected our check-in and check-out times. And being picked up and dropped off was such a luxury. Everything about our room was high quality, tasteful and in keeping with the period charm of the house. We must also mention the gorgeous gardens and colourful plants around the decks - little touches that made all the difference.