This was a beautiful house, made from Rimu, filled with eclectic and wonderful art. While being right in the centre of Takaka, and the views of the greenery around, the inside of the house felt like being back in London. The owner, Mark, has done an amazing job keeping the property beautiful and decorating the house in such a lovely way. The giant spa bath, and fun shower with side wall jets, were a great novelty. And the bath robes were a nice touch too. (We stayed in the king suite with spa bath). The bed was comfortable enough. Mark made fresh fruit salad and breakfast for us early before we had to leave around 7am which was kind of him, and very tasty! When we arrived, no one else was staying there and we were able to choose between the two king rooms with spas.

The price was quite high for where and what it was, even the fanciest hotels we stayed at in Christchruch and Picton weren't that expensive. The duvet covers were quite worn. The fixings in the room needed a little upkeep. Overall, a lovely find and a pleasant stay.

Warm, welcoming and friendly staff, who went out of their way to make our stay exceptional. Beautiful restored and maintained historic building, including great wooden features, and interesting collection of all sorts pictures and objects, nicely displayed. Our spacious on-suite downstairs front room had a fireplace, generous supply of wood, comfortable chairs and bed. The fire was lit for us every evening. Excellent, generous and healthy breakfast, including great fruit salad and local eggs. Personal use of the kitchen, including fridge space, was encouraged. There is also a TV room, containing a variety of board games (we didn't use it on this occasion). Great information folder on the history of the house, and local knowledge about places of interest in Golden Bay. We could park right in front of the house. Overall a great base to explore Golden Bay in various directions.

We had a great time and would stay again without hesitation.

Awesome place with helpful friendly staff & owner. Breakfast was delicious. A very nice outside area as well spacious shared common areas. Close to Takaka town, 5-10 mins walk. Peaceful & quiet too.

Only one fault but understand it was peak time being holiday season of Christmas & New Years. The flat rate for all rooms was a little harsh when you compare occupancy of double bigger rooms to a single person occupancy.

The Host was fantastic a lovely welcoming Person who made us feel at home and was interested in our historical family connection to the house. She created a great breakfast, at a convenient time. The ambience of the room with a roaring fire, ensuite, and spacious room was beyond expectations. We arrived in our 7 meter campervan, perhaps due to the time of year we were able to park in their carpark. All in all a great stay much appreciated.

Nothing. We will journey to Takaka and stay at the Shady Rest again.

The house was fabulous, big rooms and really interesting art work throughout. Mark was really helpful and gave us loads of tips where to visit and the best way to see what the area had to offer. Everyone was very hospitable. Breakfast was great….shout out to the fruit salad which was exceptional and the scrambled eggs. Restaurants in easy walking distance. Even did our laundry.

Stayed for 3 nights….wish it had been longer!

Quirky and comfortable b&b. We were made to feel welcome the moment we stepped inside. Mark creates a friendly, chilled atmosphere and we enjoyed his company. Great breakfasts and perfect location to walk into various eateries in Takaka and to explore the glorious coastline, nearby springs and waterfall over in Abel Tasman. Superb!

Nothing

I love the quirkiness and character of the place. We had a friendly welcome (yet slightly awkward, I think someone was new). The room and bathroom were very clean and comfortable. Breakfast was great especially as cafes in town were so busy. Useful to have kitchen and fridge space to utilise. There was always space to park out the front and close to town. Spa Bath was nice after a long hike.

It's a little overpriced unfortunately - mostly due to elements of the very old building, even with breakfast. The ensuite door to it didnt shut properly and it had windows so also has a curtain to pull. The sash window to outside needed wedging to keep open. The non-ensuite rooms would be less appealing for their price. Providing soap /shower gel for the shower would be an easy improvement

Perfect host, very helpful! Room very comfortable, bathroom separated. Bed and breakfast as you know it, but rooms with bathroom ensuite available as well. Breakfast according to your wishes full english or continental. Just ask. Also very good ideas for exploring the surroundings. Full use of the kitchen possible, very handy if you do not plan going out.

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Tony and I (Gayle) absolutely loved this wonderful historic house. There were lovely curios all around the inside of the house with a beautiful leafy and shady private garden. The bedroom we had was very spacious and had everything that we needed for our 4 night stay. It was very clean, comfortable and tranquil. Jan and Dougie were utterly fabulous and made our stay enjoyable and memorable. The breakfast was superb cooked by Jan with great care and enthusiasm. Amazing eggs! We hope to visit New Zealand again one day and will definitely go back to the Shady Rest. Gorgeous place with gorgeous people. Thank you Jan and Dougie x

There was nothing we didn’t like about this property.

Fabulous character property Large room and bathroom with a very comfortable bed and brilliant pillows (it is the details that count)! Excellent breakfasts Use of TV room with Netflix etc Location nice and quiet but walking distance to all the shops and restaurants Friendly host - thanks Mark for a lovely stay