Review: A weekend at Speargrass Lodge in Otago

The open-plan living area is perfect for entertaining at Speargrass Lodge. Photo / Supplied

Bookabach has unveiled its 2024 Bach of the Year winners, featuring 10 of the most remarkable private holiday homes across New Zealand. The Otago region, perhaps unsurprisingly, is home to a few of the baches on the list, including Speargrass Lodge, a beautiful luxury property in Dalefield.

Vera Alves spends a quiet weekend with her family at Speargrass Lodge.

Location: Speargrass Lodge is perfectly positioned in the Dalefield countryside, a short drive away from Queenstown Airport and the delightful Arrowtown, but far enough to feel like it’s just you and the mountains out there. The house is located inside a gated community which should quiet even the most anxious of minds (mine, it calmed mine).

Style: Sprawling, luxurious, modern but also cosy and serene, this is the perfect spot for getting away from it all but also keeping everything you need at arm’s length.

Price: $1947 per night

Perfect for: Most of my daydreams while I was there were around winning Lotto and flying my family over to New Zealand then renting this lodge for a big family reunion. Also great if you have a bit of money and a few friends you haven’t caught up with for a while - round them up and spend a bit of time together in luxury.

It suits the quiet people who just want to read their book in front of the outdoor fire overlooking the glorious mountains, with Coronet Peak and the Remarkables right there making you look teeny tiny, but it’s also the perfect choice for the adrenaline junkies that want to drop their suitcase off and head straight back out to Queenstown for the luge or a bungy jump (although good luck to anyone wanting to leave this place once you walk into it).

It’s also a great place to celebrate special occasions like a big birthday or an anniversary. It has ample space for a dinner party and you really cannot ask for a better backdrop for your party photos than the Remarkables and Coronet Peak.

Speargrass Lodge is perfectly positioned in the Dalefield countryside, a short drive away from Queenstown Airport and Arrowtown.

First impressions: We arrived on Friday afternoon and were met by the lovely host who gave us a tour of the property, talked us through all the amenities, helped us work out the iPad that controls the home sound system, showed us how to work the spa and the swimming pool cover and then left us to enjoy our time alone.

The first thing we noticed were the incredible 360-degree mountain views from the home. Having arrived just in time for sunset, we didn’t do much for the first couple of hours other than admiring the scenery from the different windows and marvelling at the unreal scenery we get to see in this part of the world.

Rooms: Speargrass Lodge sleeps 10 people, divided into four big bedrooms (three of them with a king bed, one of them with two king beds). The rooms are spacious and comfortable, modern without being boring. There was plenty of storage for all our personal belongings so we could put things away and feel truly at home.

There were no dressing gowns which would have been an extra nice touch (and might feel like asking too much but not when you consider this place truly has it all already). The lodge manages to be sprawling while cosy. There was a media room if one of us wanted to retreat and watch a movie (or, let’s face it, scroll on our phones while a movie plays on the screen), and a big open plan dining area, with a delightful reading nook where I am fairly sure I spent the bulk of my weekend. The big upstairs bedroom has a massive space for kids to play and a big TV to keep them entertained.

A delightful reading nook at Speargrass Lodge.

Bathroom: There are 4.5 bathrooms in this place so it’s fair to say no-one will have to queue - ever. The showers are spacious and the amenities are high quality, including shampoo, body wash and moisturiser.

Food and drink: The open-plan kitchen at Speargrass Lodge is incredible and, if you love to cook, you’ll want to do a good grocery shop before you arrive so you can cook up a storm in there. If you’re not in the mood, Arrowtown is less than a 10-minute drive away and well worth a visit. There are plenty of dining options in town. We snuck out for a lunch at the Fork and Tap where the beer selection was glorious and the mushroom pizza was something I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

Facilities: Among the facilities, the lodge features a large open-plan kitchen and living area, a media room and a dedicated working area. There is also a sprawling outdoor area, with a heated swimming pool, cedar spa, alfresco dining area and a patio with an outdoor fireplace, perfect for a bit of late-night stargazing.

In practical terms, there’s a washing machine, a dryer, a coffee machine, a wine fridge, and even a Sodastream. There’s free wifi for all your Instagramming needs but you won’t want to spend too long doomscrolling when you’ve got those views.

Enjoy a sprawling outdoor area, with a heated swimming pool, cedar spa, alfresco dining area and a patio with outdoor fireplace.

Family friendly: We took our 7-year-old daughter and she had a great time but, if taking small children, keep a close eye on them around the pool (as well as the whole property) as it is not fenced. Cots and highchairs are available upon request.

Contact: https://www.bookabach.co.nz/holiday-accommodation/p9669101