The Best Boutique Hotels in Hastings, New Zealand

This revamped 19th-century homestead features 12 boutique rooms surrounded by landscaped gardens and orchards. Wellness-seekers can stretch out on the lawn at a morning yoga class, take a dip in the outdoor pool, or sweat it out in the sauna before a deep tissue massage. Here on a Sunday? Hop on one of the hotel bikes and ride to the farmer’s market, where you can sample some of the finest fruit in the region, artisan olive oil and French pastries.

Porters Boutique is one of the best hotels in Havelock North, thanks to the plush rooms with views of the Ruahine Ranges, and the smattering of top-notch cafes and restaurants on the doorstep. Malo, the hotel restaurant, is a favourite with local foodies – not least for the steak and cocktails (try the whisky-based apple pie for starters). Here for the wine? Swing by Te Mata Estate and Black Barn vineyards to sample their sauvignon blanc and merlot – both are just a five-minute drive away.

This cobalt-blue art deco home, situated in a small patch of woodland between Hastings and Napier, brings the cool factor with retro furniture and graphic wallpaper. The space is ideal for groups, but the three doubles and one twin room can also be rented privately (some have ensuite bathrooms; others share facilities). Rustle up a feast in the private barbecue area, or chill out in the hot tub or mini cinema with a cider from the Zeffer tap room next door.

This heritage-listed art deco hotel, in the seaside village of Ahuriri, features simple self-contained studios and one- and two-bedroom suites, and commands fabulous views of Hawke Bay. Meander along the seaside boardwalk, picking up an ice cream en route, or head south to West Quay for chilli- and lime-glazed chicken wings and tiger prawns with wasabi aioli at the Gintrap – a fine reward for completing the nearby 4km (2.5mi) estuary loop.

Besides the heated outdoor pool, much of the allure of this home comes from opulent Victorian-era features. Many rooms feature clawfoot bathtubs and sash windows, all have polished hardwood floors and decorative cast-iron or carved wooden beds, and the broad veranda is made for evenings spent chatting over a bottle of Hawke Bay chardonnay. Don’t miss an afternoon combing the white sands of Waipatiki Beach – it’s a 35-minute drive north along the coast.

Food lovers, welcome to heaven. Your host and chef Malcom Redmond has spent decades tending to his organic kitchen garden – which you’re welcome to wander – and up to 90 percent of what you’ll eat is grown on site. Join a cooking lesson to find out more about local cuisine, or simply savour the five-course menu with wine pairings. Vine views from your room have you itching to explore? Head west along Roys Hill Road to discover some of the best wineries in the region.

This seafront hotel dates to the 1930s – when much of Napier was rebuilt after a devastating earthquake – and has 46 colourful, quirky rooms and an Irish pub. For an experience fit for a queen, book the royal suite – Queen Elizabeth II stayed in this very room during her 1953 coronation tour. Find out more about the history of the town on a guided tour run by the Art Deco Trust, just around the corner.

With just two elegant suites, views of rolling green farmland and super-friendly hosts, seclusion and personalised service come as standard at the Manse, an early-20th-century home perched on a hillside just west of Hastings. Host Gary has worked in fancy hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants around the world, so you’re guaranteed some good grub; don’t miss the truffle hunting tour at nearby Sacre Monte Truffles, followed by a three-course lunch devoted to your fungal finds.

Combining quintessentially Kiwi traditions with stress-melting surrounds, this luxury bolt hole invites you to make yourself at home. Want to shear sheep? Get to work. Prefer to lounge in the show-stopping hilltop infinity pool? Go for it. There’s also a championship golf course, a spa and the largest gannet colony in the world to visit. Pair all this with opulent “cottages” overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and only one problem will remain: the prospect of having to leave.