The Convent

The Convent is not your usual sort of lodge.  It has not been purpose built for the top-end, does not include fine dining, and has a really relaxed, almost self-effacing feel about it.  It started tourism life as an upmarket bed & breakfast but under the hands of its current owners, Denham and Layonie Seque, it is evolving into something unique, further upmarket, and very comfortable indeed.

Since taking over, Layonie and Denham have incorporated a vineyard, added a substantial swimming pool, have designed and received consent for a new wing, and have entertained countless guests.  Being owner-hosted again makes for a sense of relaxation which is hard to replicate in managed lodges.  Denham and Layonie are widely travelled, well-connected and successful business-people, making integration with clients from similar backgrounds quite effortless.  Again, the absence of obvious formal procedures is something we and our clients enjoy, and something which the national Qualmark accommodation grading system fails to pick up as an advantage at the top end.

There is also a reason why the Convent does not offer dinners.  Being situated right in the middle of Marlborough's prime wine-growing region, there are quite a number of excellent vineyard restaurants to choose from, notably New Zealand's only Michelin-starred restaurant Herzog.

The lodge is again small, with only 5 bedrooms available, which makes the place ideal for single-party bookings of friends or family groups.

In terms of activities, we recommend the following:

• wine tasting
• Marlborough Sounds eco-cruise and/or eco-walk
• a day doing nothing at the lodge!
• Kaikoura with its whales is not far away