This fabulous old Parnell villa offers a home and a small, highly successful bed and breakfast business all in one, as VICKI HOLDER reports.
The world comes to your door at St Georges Bay Lodge Bed & Breakfast, say the two teaching colleagues who started the business for fun.
To make their
busy lives even busier, they decided to embark on a venture that let them continue their professional careers while bringing them into contact with a parade of discerning, international travellers.
Six years ago, when a big old Victorian villa came up for sale on St Georges Bay Road, Parnell, Wendy Baker and Alan Addison couldn't believe their luck.
Quiet and hidden away, yet close to the designer boutiques, speciality stores, great cafes, restaurants and Parnell Road nightlife, the home was perfect for a small bed and breakfast.
The previous owners had already completed a top-to-bottom makeover of the property, which included repiling, replumbing, rewiring, redecorating and adding a conservatory and extensive decks to the living areas.
All Wendy and Alan had to do was install en suites in each of the three bedrooms upstairs. This they did, with a certain amount of style, introducing mirrors, Italian light fittings, glass showers and ceramic tiles, some with motifs that are distinctly Auckland. A separate downstairs bathroom with a bath has proved particularly popular with Japanese guests.
The activity in the lodge centres around the large, rimu, farmhouse kitchen and the adjoining light-filled conservatory. Opening through french doors and windows to a sunny deck overlooking the tree-tops, it flows to two living areas - a small television room and a comfortable lounge with a marble fireplace and elegant floral drapes.
Wendy lives a few doors away and Alan occupies the two-roomed manager's apartment with his son. They arrive early in the morning to serve a bountiful and healthy breakfast at the big table. Their guests appreciate the chats with their hosts before leaving to explore the city.
The visitors come mainly from New Zealand, Australia, the US and the UK, though growing numbers hail from Europe and China. On average, they stay for two or three days before moving on, but some have been so entranced with the lodge that they have extended their holiday by several weeks.
Word of mouth seems to be the lodge's most effective means of marketing. In addition, it features on agents' internet sites and in the Friars Guide for Discerning Travellers. It is also the only Parnell bed and breakfast accommodation to appear in the Rough Guide.
Occupancy stands at about 80 per cent in the summer period from October to April. From May to September, Wendy and Alan rent it to corporates while they take a break.
Even when there are eight people staying at the lodge (which has consent for 12), the four separate guest rooms are so spacious that it never feels crowded. Each bedroom features a king-size bed, beautiful white cotton bed linen, a television, and tea and coffee facilities. Elegant cream-and-gold curtain treatments, sumptuous cushions and Oriental rugs create a romantic ambience against the timber and sisal floors in all of the rooms.
Retaining all the elegance of the early colonial era and with the latest mod cons, the lodge works well as bed and breakfast accommodation and as an enjoyable business venture.
Both partners are heading in new directions and the time has come to let it go. Whether the new owners choose to develop the lodge to increase its capacity, taking advantage of the additional downstairs space, or to convert it back to a spacious family home, it's a wonderful building in a sought-after location.
Vital statistics
Address: 43 St Georges Bay Rd, Parnell.
Features: Two-storey, renovated, turn-of-the-century, Victorian villa converted to bed and breakfast with four guest bedrooms with en suites, plus separate bathroom with bath; manager's quarters downstairs with two bedrooms and bathrooms; both levels open to extensive decks; big kitchen, conservatory, living area and veranda for guests; easy-care, irrigated garden; heat pump heating/air conditioning; large laundry area; close to Parnell and buses to city; parking for three cars; double garage could convert to guest room; space under house for further development.
Size: Floor area: 4100 sq m (approx).
Price: Upwards of $1 million.
Agent: David Boyle, Unlimited Potential. Ph 529 1478 bus; 025 398 830 mob.
This fabulous old Parnell villa offers a home and a small, highly successful bed and breakfast business all in one, as VICKI HOLDER reports.
The world comes to your door at St Georges Bay Lodge Bed & Breakfast, say the two teaching colleagues who started the business for fun.
To make their
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