We absolutely adored Michelle’s place in Wellington. It is a well-designed and comfortable space on a gorgeous property, in the middle of an amazing native forest reserve. It’s just crazy to be able to stay in such a special and unique place, and we really loved our month there. There are beautiful hiking trails just down the driveway, which we enjoyed being able to get to on a moment’s notice.
The apartment is spacious and comfortable, with a large living space consisting of a well-appointed kitchen area, a great dining table, and comfortable seating. The appliances are first-rate, and we cooked there almost every night. The living room opens up to a nice deck with a table, overlooking a beautiful backyard with a view over it into the native bush. The living room has huge windows overlooking another yard, which is constantly full of a variety of pretty and interesting native birds - you can spend endless time staring out the windows watching them.
The bedroom is also great, spacious and with a large closet. It has french doors that open up to the lawn, and the views through the all-window doors are stunning. And the (very nice) heavy curtains keep out all the light for when you want to sleep in. The bed and bedding were extremely comfortable - the hosts even swapped the mattress for us because a previous guest had said it wasn’t comfortable (it was nice and new, but perhaps had been somewhat damaged by a prior guest). They replaced it very promptly, and we loved the mattress for the rest of our month. In general, Michelle and her husband wanted to make sure that everything was just right while we were there, and were very willing to help out in any way they could.
For most, it is probably best to have a car if staying here, but we had a great time without one. The grocery store is a beautiful 20 minute walk, and the bus into Wellington can be reached in 6-8 minutes walking through the forest trails (the total trip to the CBD is probably about 30 minutes using the bus). We went into the CBD a couple of times a week, and to the grocery store nearly every day.
This was a very special airbnb to stay in, unlike any other we’ve had before. We will miss it very much, and we hope to return some day.