Was considering two places before we decided to book Rosie's place. We chose her private room instead of a self-contained guesthouse because of the incredible reviews of her place. Unfortunately we were let down by all the hype. First, do note the room charges is based on number of guests. We made our booking late previous night and missed changing the guest number to 2 assuming that 1-2 guests will be the same (usually extra charges are meant for more than 2 guests or if you're booking into a backpackers) but Rosie made us pay the difference. I was extremely taken aback by this as her room charges were already on the high side. We booked the queen room with ensuite, the room itself (given the cost) was nice but not fantastic. We were cold because the only heating in the room was the blanket. The ensuite although has a jacuzzi tub and a separate shower (which was one of the reason why we chose this place) did not come with heating as well so it was very cold! (better in warmer seasons) And the bed was slightly on the hard side. If you like soft bed, perhaps you'll have better luck booking the other rooms she had, which, we only found out when we were there that she had 2 other guest rooms. Maybe we missed this point in her listing but if we knew it would've been a deciding factor for us. The walls of the room are rather thin so you can hear people talking in the hallways. It was our last day in NZ and we wanted to sleep in but was awaken by the sound of a crying baby at 5am! Followed by lots of chatter in the hallway and kitchen.
Rosie runs a small B&B place within her home and is good for families or carefree travelers. But if you need space, privacy and quiet do look elsewhere. If you drive a car, street parking is limited to 2-3hours, or you can park in her driveway along with other guests but will need to move your car or others' depending on who needs to go out first.
Having said all that, we especially appreciated the late check out, the tea/coffee making facilities in her room along with complimentary biscuits, the room slippers, lots of hangers in the closet and a widespread of breakfast (muesli/cereals, a selection of bread and spreads, porridge, cupcakes/cookies and coffee/tea) that she prepares based on the time you wake up. She was also very helpful in providing local tips. She's nice to talk to, very polite, has a cute fat cat and we met her son Tom.