Feature article
Luxurious Hawke’s Bay Country Lodge for Sale and Income
1 Breckenridge Lane, Taradale, Napier, Hawke’s Bay
Last updated: 1 July 2024
Hawke’s Bay is a favourite destination for overseas visitors which is great news for the future owners of this boutique luxury lodge for sale. With endless standout features, this stunning property will give them unlimited possibilities for running a business or living comfortably. Could it be you?
Number one, although it has a sublime rural vineyard vista, (thank you, Church Road Winery), the future owners of Breckenridge Lodge have nothing to do with the upkeep of the vines. The property sits on a very manageable, elevated 1.53 hectares of land.
Number two, this extensive 630 sq m property, with 200 sqm owner’s residence in one wing and five guest rooms and ensuites in the other, is just 20 minutes from Hawke’s Bay Airport in Napier.
Breckenridge Lodge was the brainchild of owner, Malcolm Redmond, whose CV includes personal chef to the NZ Governor-General, chef at Huka Lodge, plus several three-star Michelin restaurants internationally.
Operating in hospitality in a more relaxed way from Breckenridge Lodge since the home’s completion in 2004, Malcolm has grown every kind of organically grown fruit and vegetable on the property to help with his creativity in the kitchen. This includes raspberries, persimmons, apricots, strawberries, feijoas, lemons, limes, oranges and all kinds of vegetables. Malcolm and his wife Ellie Zugel also keep chickens for a supply of lovely fresh eggs.
Malcolm worked on the high-quality build of the home, designed by the late Auckland architect Don Nelson, with a very experienced builder who just lives down the road. The meticulously built home with macrocarpa interiors has underfloor heating in the base of the foundations. With heat pumps in every room and two log-burning fires, the lodge can be used as luxury accommodation all year round if the new owners are interested, though Ellie and Malcolm preferred to go overseas in the Northern Hemisphere summer…
Another thing that sets Breckenridge Lodge apart from other lodge-style properties for sale is that the owner’s residence can be quite small, whereas the couple have enjoyed raising a family in their spacious 3 bedroom, two-bathroom wing of this home. Their semi-commercial kitchen serves guests in their dining room overlooking the vineyard and the guest quarters also have a separate lounge and fireplace.
A property with income
In peak season, Malcolm and Ellie have charged mainly offshore guests $900 a night for bed & breakfast service. And for a fancy five-course dinner plus bed and breakfast, the bill has been $1200 per night.
“Most guests hail from the United Kingdom and North America and are on a trip of a lifetime so they don’t quibble on price,” says US-born Ellie.
She and Malcolm have prided themselves on providing Kiwi hospitality to overseas guests. “It’s like working in paradise, it’s just so warm. A lot of guests tell us it feels like being part of the family,” says Ellie.
“Often guests will say it’s the best stay they’ve had in the country, it’s got so much character,” adds Malcolm.
There’s plenty for guests and the new owners to do, say the sellers. The lodge is within 30 minutes of 30 cellar doors including nearby Mission Estate Winery and Church Road and there are over 250 km of off-road bike paths. Cape Kidnappers Golf Course isn’t far away either.
Interested buyers so far have expressed interest in running the lodge as a hospitality business with a chef in residence as Ellie and Malcolm have done, or as a wellness centre or spa. One idea they weren’t expecting was to turn it into a midwifery centre, says Ellie. It’s also a property where you could host weddings, with room for a marquee close to the vast pizza oven area in the garden.
Room for opportunity
Other potential buyers have been content to visualise living in it as a large home just for them, with access to a spectacular 2000-bottle wine cellar and multiple outdoor entertaining areas. And with the added bonus of the guest suites being available for family and friends to stay.
Malcolm and Ellie can thoroughly recommend the Breckenridge community in this sought-after area close to Napier and all its amenities...
“We’ve got a butcher and a baker, we’re just missing a candlestick maker,” quips Ellie. It’s been an amazing neighbourhood she says with nearby homeowners either professionals or business owners. Some neighbours keep horses on their properties and while most are original owners, some new families are coming in.
The only reason the couple are selling is because they want to be in the South Island, closer to their grandchildren. The capital valuation of $3.17 million is a good guide price, they say, which they see as very good value for the well-looked after 630 sqm home.
“A new couple could come in here, run it as a lodge, and probably pay it off in 10 years,” says Malcolm. Their NZ Sotheby’s International Realty agent Neal Andersen is casting the net wide both here and overseas with the home’s marketing. The property has so far attracted interest from expats in Hong Kong, the UK, California and other parts of the States, as well as New Zealand-based buyers.
“It’s ideal for people who want to live in the country but not too far from town,” says Neal.
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