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Murrells Grand View House, Manapouri, offers hosted bed and breakfast accommodation in a quiet, relaxed environment which commands stunning views of the lakes and mountains beyond. The house has been owned and operated as a guest house by the Murrell family since 1889. Robert and Philippa are the 4th generation of Murrells to welcome guests to the house and they enjoy sharing this unique historic house with travellers from all over the world. Welcome refreshments are included in the tariff as is a substantial breakfast served at a time to suit guests' itineraries.
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From the time we placed the booking until the morning we departed, Phillipa and Rob Murrell could not have been better hosts! Upon booking, Philippa sends a personal welcome note providing greatly appreciated information about the accommodations, the area, and restaurant recommendations. Upon arrival, Rob greeted us, showed us around the property, and took keen interest in what we were interested in doing during our stay even recommending and facilitating the best possible boat tour of Milford Sound (we were on a great boat with many other individual travelers and were NOT cattle-car escorted on to an oversized and overly crowded bus-charter boat)! He also pointed out many great day walks (hikes) that we were able to take on our 2-day stopover in Manapouri! The biggest surprise was the amazing walk right outside the Grand View House which was an overall about 4k return walk through densely forested area which then opened up to a beautiful beach side area complete with multiple family of geese and unobstructed views! Don't even get me started on the lovely breakfast and homemade pastries baked up with extra love by Phillipa! They make a great duo but we know who does the heavy lifting, Phillipa (wink!). Rob also provided great engagement and some NZ-style comedic relief! While in Manapouri don't forget to visit possibly the world's most famous tiny bookshop, The Wee Bookshop (kept by acclaimed author, Ruth Shaw). With a population of only 222, Manapouri is the perfect kick-back stay with the greatest accessibility to Milford Sound and Te Anua. We will be back! Jane and Chris (Seal Beach, California)…
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Date of stay: November 2023
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Location
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:With only 4 rooms available to rent, book early. The entire area of Te Anua/Manapouri book up...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Step back into NZ history in an original guest house with wonderful views of lake and mountains. Clean room, new bed, friendly hosts , lovely breakfast with home made bread and jam. Owners are enjoying getting back into hosting again after Covid years off. Needed UHT milk as no fridge in the room. Wifi.
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Date of stay: October 2023
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Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Old fashioned
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from Philippa Murrell, Owner at Murrell's Grand View House
Responded 21 Oct 2023
Thanks for your kind review - it certainly was a pleasure to host you. Glad you enjoyed your stay and also your cruise on Doubtful Sound. We have sorted the milk now - sorry for the inconvenience on this one occasion :)
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lovely place to stay, nice views, hospitable host and nice hot breakfast. Rooms have coffee service but no refrigerator. Nice shower and amenities. Bed was very comfortable. We would stay there in the future.
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Date of stay: March 2020
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Service
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We arrived at the B&B in the mid afternoon after a cruise in Doubtful Sound and were met by a charming lady who gave us a tour of the house and a potted history of the family who have owned the property for four generations. She then showed us to our room and served us tea and fruit cake on the verandah. Nice touches. This is an old house and has been run as a guest house since the 1880s. It has big rooms and period furniture and guests have access to a private sitting room and dining room. The en-suite bathroom was roomy and was well equipped, with nice toiletries. The grounds were extensive and well tended and there is on-site parking for guests. The views of Lake Manapouri and the surrounding mountains from the house are stunning. Breakfast was excellent, lots of choice and freshly baked croissants with excellent coffee. Robert the owner was a charming, friendly host who was obviously intent on giving his guests a good experience. The house is very close to the Real Journeys visitor centre so it is ideal accommodation for trips to Doubtful Sound. There is a nice restaurant/bar within walking distance of the house. We loved it.…
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from GrandViewHouse, Owner at Murrell's Grand View House
Responded 15 Mar 2020
Wow. Thank you for review. Rob
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We spent one night here before an overnight Doubtful Sound cruise (very convenient location). Our host Rob could not have been more congenial or friendly or helpful. Allowing us to park our car/ luggage on his grounds overnight was so greatly appreciated. The breakfast was also excellent. However, the house could do with a bit of TLC. A lick of paint and definitely some fixing in the bedroom we were allocated- the floorboards squeaked so badly every single step was loud. Also, the water pressure in the shower is terrible, the towels are thin and small. There’s a captive market here but it would be nice if the place was updated a bit, and it would still retain it’s charm and history.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
Cleanliness
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Room Tip:Not room 4 until the floorboards are fixed!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Don’t expect all the modern conveniences as the house has been a guest house since 1889! However embrace it and it is a great place to stay. Friendly, welcoming, Rob could not have been more helpful. We only stayed one night before crossing Manapouri Lake to Doubtful Sound, but despite the weather we enjoyed our visit.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from GrandViewHouse, Owner at Murrell's Grand View House
Responded 7 Dec 2019
Hi Many thanks for taking the time to review our accommodation. We are very pleased that you enjoyed your stay with us - the weather has been quite wild recently! So good to meet you and host you in our corner of the world. Thanks Rob.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I believe this is the first guest house in the area and has been in the family for serval generations. Our room was spacious and comfortable- there is also a nice living room and a porch to sit. The hostess brought us tea and some delicious homemade fruit cake which was thoughtful. They also let us leave our car on the property while we went on a 2-day cruise.
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Date of stay: March 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
After a long and fantastic afternoon cruising Milford sound we were ready for a relaxing night stay. Murrells was just a pleasant drive out of the Sound and impressed from the moment we pulled up at sunset. Rob greeted us and showed excellent customer service as we were made to feel very welcome. The guest house had a traditional feel to it which added hugely to its appeal. No air conditioning but a very comfortable bed and plenty of room. There is a nice relaxing lounge and breakfast the next morning was lovely. I walked down to the lakeside the next morning to enjoy lovely views of the lake and surrounding hillside. Well recommended and hope we return one day.
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Date of stay: February 2019
Location
Cleanliness
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our room was large, clean, bright and very comfortable. The terrace outside our room was perfect place to relax after the days activities and enjoy the very special view. Breakfast was tasty and plentiful. Would love to stay here again one day.
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Date of stay: February 2019
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We spent three nights here over New Years and LOVED IT!!! The town of Manapouri is beautiful and very quiet which is a nice break from the busy cities. The house itself is a bit older but the rooms are beautiful and very spacious. Rob and .... are the perfect hosts, they are so accommodating and full of local knowledge. We had a freshly cooked breakfast each morning at a time of our choosing. There were both cooked and continental options which were delicious! We received fresh croissants daily!! Our room was situated at the front of the house and looked out on the mountains. It was all a dream. We were only a shortish drive to Milford sound (2 hours) and a 10 minute walk from the doubtful sound departure point. There was free wifi which was good enough to stream off. It’s definitely worth a visit, we’re already planning a trip back! One thing to note though the mosquitos will eat you alive so make sure you wear a repellent of some sort. They supply you with aeroguard in the room so be sure to apply!! …
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Date of stay: December 2018Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Response from GrandViewHouse, Owner at Murrell's Grand View House
Responded 11 Jan 2019
Hi and thanks for taking the time to write a review. We are glad you enjoyed your stay and that you spent a few nights with us to enjoy the view and our hospitality. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your stay and we look forward to hosting you again! Philippa
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.