We’ve spent Christmas at Manuka lodge with our children. Beijng a wooden lodge set in the mountains, it was very Christmassy in deed!!, which was great!
On the down side, the cleaning system seems to rely completely on the house guests which explains why we found it full of dead bugs (not an exaggeration: all areas near the windows, behind the furniture, rugs,... were covered in dead bugs, mostly big flies, indicating that it the place is generally closed and no person vacuumed properly) and dusty. There was a huge cobweb on the top of our bed that could be easily removed. With all this, we spent the first two hours vacuuming and dusting (it’s a lot better now, so the next guests will be lucky). We could have gone without that on Christmas eve.
Also, we found dirty plates, crumbs all over the counters and very oily pans in the cupboard.
The outdoor spaces weren’t clean either - on top of all the dust, leaves, etc., there was even a small dead rat on the wooden terrace.
The fact that the customers need to leave it clean and tidy (we all have different standards...), need to empty the dishwasher and even take out the trash, is an indicator of how little effort the management puts into the maintenance/cleaning of this lodge...
Still, we had fun, and it was a nice spot for Christmas and for resting on our 3 weeks trip around NZ.
Tip1: As mentioned by the host, do not rely on GPS to get there - get to Lyford Lodge first, which is *55Km* from the interception to Christchurch//Kaikoura -, then follow the host’s directions.
Tip2: the place is well equipped there is a washing machine and a dishwasher. There is only a french press coffee maker, so bring a lot of coffee powder.