Our group of 11 stayed at The Pear Orchard after tramping the nearby Abel Tasman coastal track. It was certainly a welcome relief from the hut bunks we had become used to and a real treat to enjoy the modern comforts of a hot shower, refrigeration and a spacious area to lounge around in.
Host Timo was kind enough to unpack our grocery delivery for us before our arrival and even made a trip to Richmond to pick up our friend who had stopped there for more supplies. Loved having the animals around and getting to feed the chickens with the feed provided. The bedrooms themselves were all very spacious and I was lucky enough to have a room with an en suite and private balcony with beautiful views of the gardens, which was lovely.
The not-so-great: not a lot of soundproofing between rooms. Both the oven and BBQ were not functioning properly and in need of repair, making it hard to cook for our large group. The light in the downstairs bathroom was also problematic. While it's a beautiful property, we did feel at times like we were in the hosts backyard, as their house and garden are only a stone's throw from the accommodation and they were noticeably outside/around for most of the weekend. On the day of check out, we were a little surprised to be given a hurry up 30 minutes before the check out time of 10am, and actually the cleaner arrived and got to work at 9.50am. No pantry staples (oil, salt, pepper) provided, although there was tea and (instant) coffee. Could do with some fresh new towels / face cloths as everything felt quite well used. It would also be a nice addition to have a washing machine/dryer within the accommodation for guests like us who have just come from the walking track, instead we had to request to use the host's washing machine to clean our clothes.
Unless you have your own transport, this spot was a bit far from amenities. We caught a taxi to Nelson to watch the America's Cup yacht racing (there's no TV at The Pear Orchard) which cost around $50.