Pen-y-bryn Lodge Reviews

A great stay - Superb gastronomy - don’t miss eating here!!! We stayed for two nights and was so impressed with the hospitality and quality of food. James is a superb chef and the food he creates is far better than most restaurants!!! Eat at the lodge as service and food was superb!! It was great to see hosts who really understand quality and who have a great sense of humour. Thank you James

Amazing Property We stayedfor one night in the Nest room which was in the annexe. Very spacious room and bathroom. Hosts were very welcoming and helpful with great travel suggestions.Breakfast was very good with an excellent selection, many items were homemade by James.The house itself is stunning.

A first class hospitality experience The lodge , the food and the hospitality in general provided by James one and James two was first class. We had a brilliant stay and the guidance they provided to the sights and the delights of the Oamaru district was a real point of difference for us. We highly recommend this fine property and it’s wonderful hosts.

Delightful. Lovely boutique hotel in a beautifully restored, historic house in a pretty garden on the hill. The hosts were delightful and made us feel like royalty from the moment we arrived and they served us the most delicious gourmet dinner and breakfast in their rather grand old dining room. Luxury accomodation and not cheap, but worth it for an indulgent treat if you are planning to visit Oamaru.

Beautiful Lodge but.. There is no question that the lodge has been beautifully restored and is very comfortable. The new rooms are spacious and every detail has been well thought out from the homemade cookies to bath salts for the luxurious bath. Attention to detail was exceptional.Sadly the dinner which we had included in our package was a letdown. It started well with drinks and canapes in the lovely lounge. Sadly we had not seen the menu until we sat down at dinner and there was no choice. If you had allergies or specific food categories you did not eat you could advise the lodge at the time of booking so your needs could be accommodated but if you just didn't like something there was no alternative. As we were 2 of only 3 guests that evening it would have seemed rude to sit down at dinner and say actually we both don't like that. If there is not a choice on the menu then perhaps the menu could be sent out a couple of days in advance to give an opportunity for any comments to avail a disappointing meal.The lodge is not cheap so it was disappointing that dinner was such a let down. Breakfast on the other hand was excellent although a written list of hot options would be a good idea.

Character, charm, comfort and excellent cuisine A house like Pen-y-bryn deserves sympathetic and keen custodians. It is fortunate then, that in James and James the house has just that. The bonus for travellers is that we have an opportunity to experience the best the house and its custodians have to offer.The house is a delight and the hosts are charming, helpful and interesting. James and James made sure we got the most out of our stay and accomplished this as though it is second nature to them. We stayed two nights and enjoyed every moment from the friendly welcome onwards. Our bedroom (the Nest Room) was very well appointed, spacious and comfortable. We greatly appreciated the under-floor heating in the bathroom and the generous luggage storage area.James G is the chef and does a terrific job of providing sumptuous dinners and breakfasts. Portion sizes were generous and each course was carefully crafted to bring out the best of the various locally sourced ingredients. We were very pleased that we pre-booked dinner for both nights of our stay.We were alerted to Pen-y-bryn when it featured on the Lap of Luxury TV programme so we had high expectations which, I'm happy to report, were met and exceeded. If you want to stay somewhere unique that has character, charm, comfort, excellent cuisine and which will live long and pleasingly in your memory banks then Pen-y-bryn should be on your radar.

Only One Night of Being Spoilt This was our treat on our road trip to Dunedin. We were not disappointed. The welcome, the dinner, breakfast and all the interesting information provided - each was memorable! The work these guys have done to renovate this magnificent home is a testament to a grand commitment and passion. Next time we will stay longer!PS: Elephant Rocks and the road over Dansey Pass was icing on the cake. Thanks for the heads up.

Short notice We booked a one night stay with only a few hours notice. James made us so welcome with homemade biscuits on arrival, unfortunately we had not booked dinner so had to dine out but even so James gave us pre dinner drinks with beautiful canapés.The attention we received, we thought we could have been the only ones staying in this tastefully furnished lodge.A visit to see the blue penguins in the evening should not be missed. Breakfast with the majority of food being home grown was a delight.We will definitely return with a booking for dinner and will look forward to walking George (the cockapoo).