We spent a week in Jo's cottage last month. The cottage is good value for money, she's done a great job of decorating the place which is within easy reach of the centre of Taupo, in a residential street. We enjoyed our week and she's a great host. The property is well equipped and, as it was the middle of winter, the heating units and the electric blanket on the bed were very welcome.

It's very hard to mention "negative" points as she was a good host and has clearly gone to a lot of effort to make the cottage comfortable, but we feel it's important to mention a couple of things that might be important for future guests. On one hand, the property is a classic kiwi bach, which means old windows and drafts. Jo has provided plenty of blankets (on top of the heating) to keep you warm, but the street noise is very noticeable, so if you are a light sleeper and like to have a lie in, we strongly recommend bringing earplugs with you.

The other issue is the bath, which, although we're sure was perfectly clean, has a big rust-like stain which makes it look quite uninviting unfortunately. We realise this is a minor issue, but for someone wanting a hot bath after a cold day this could be offputting.

We still recommend the cottage as a great base for exploring Taupo and surrounding areas, and most definitely recommend Jo as a hostess!