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This award-winning boutique hotel is in a hillside location, overlooking historic Oamaru with views of the sea and mountains. The property features extensive verandahs, outdoor terraces and peaceful gardens. Facilities at Pen-y-bryn Lodge Oamaru include a billiard room, fitness centre, guest library, and a shared lounge with open fireplace and bar. Free Wi-Fi is available in all public areas and guest rooms. Each room includes bathrobes, cotton bed linen, and feather and down pillows. There is also an iPod docking station, alarm clock radio, and a modern bathroom with hairdryer in every room. Pen-y-bryn Lodge is a 5-minute drive from Bushey Beach, home to endangered yellow-eyed penguins. Oamaru Botanic Gardens, Forrester Art Gallery and North Otago Museum are 5 minutes’ drive. Guests can enjoy tea, coffee, biscuits, chocolates and fresh fruit in the dining room with log fireplace. The entire house has been extensively renovated and redecorated, including the Drawing Room (where we serve pre-dinner drinks and canapés, and where guests often enjoy relaxing with a book or with their laptops with a drink) and the Dining Room (where we serve dinner and breakfast). All our guest rooms have new beds and feature in-room climate control (both heating and cooling), and some have in-room espresso machines, as well.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Luxury
Languages Spoken
English, French, Russian, Spanish and 2 more
Location
41 Towey Street Between Arun Street and Perth Street, Oamaru 9401 New Zealand
Pen-y-bryn Lodge
203 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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at this historical , exquisite inn....such a pleasure to be greeted by the two James...and to be given such hospitality as soon as we drove in. We adored the house, the effort of resotration over time and the effort to maintain the house in her grandeur. A beautiful very special place. James could not have been more available to help us with our plans, to give us focus on the area and details we would never have thought to include. We followed his direction and think we enjoyed Oamaru much more due to his input. Rooms are tastefully done, bath amenities include handmade soap and sitting areas all inviting. It is dinner, however, that will give you pleasure, James is a chef that delivers the most delicious meals, we had dinner and breakfast and both were enjoyed immensely. We truly loved it here, the efforts of the innkeepers so appreciated.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:would splurge for a larger room, they are brighter with more light, ours was small but adequate,...
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.
Response from JamesGOamaru, Owner at Pen-y-bryn Lodge
Responded 13 Mar 2020
Thank you so much for your lovely review—it really warms our hearts to read things like this, since we put so much of ourselves into what we do here, and it’s sometimes hard to tell whether our efforts are successful or appreciated. Over the past ten years of owning this part of NZ’s history, we have done what we can to turn it into the sort of place we would like to stay in during our own travels. Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience with us and with other travellers!
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Delightful period property full of interesting books and treasures and convenient for the quirky town of Oamaru. James gives very thoughtful advice and practical assistance to help make the most of one’s time in the area. Aperitifs and unique canapés are served in the drawing room and then James produces another culinary masterpiece laden with homegrown ingredients. After dinner, he has the perfect host’s instinct as to when to share relevant excerpts from his remarkable travels and when to retire and give the guests their space.
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Date of stay: March 2020
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.
Response from JamesGOamaru, Owner at Pen-y-bryn Lodge
Responded 9 Apr 2020
Thank you for a lovely and thoughtful review of your stay with us! We're glad that you enjoyed your time and your meals with us, and hope that one day we will be able to treat more guests to the same!
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Comfortably the best place we stayed in the whole of New Zealand. A beautiful old house, beautifully maintained, with large comfortable and well-appointed rooms, each having all the amenities one could wish for. The hosts are gracious and welcoming, are happy to engage in conversation, and produce simply wonderful food - both for dinner and for breakfast. Stay here as long as you can......
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Date of stay: March 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:No need to specify a room - all are uniformly excellent.
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.
Response from JamesGOamaru, Owner at Pen-y-bryn Lodge
Responded 24 Mar 2020
Thank you thank you thank you! What a lovely review to read on this, the first day of New Zealand's four-week lockdown! It was a pleasure having you stay with us, and give us some wonderful memories to look back on ourselves as we embark on this uncharted path into a very quiet few months. We wish you and yours good health and all the best!
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This was a highlight of the trip for us, we wish we could have stayed longer, but sadly only one night. The James' were delightful and were just so genuinely welcoming. We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening playing snooker and eating the tasty bites they cooked up, before heading to see the blue penguins. When we returned we were utterly frozen and they settled us into the cosy nook and made sure we had drinks to get us warmed up again.
Pen-y-bryn is a unique place, I've never stayed anywhere like it and I'm not sure I will again. Unforgettable
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Date of stay: October 2019
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
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.
Response from JamesGOamaru, Owner at Pen-y-bryn Lodge
Responded 6 Feb 2020
Thank you so much for your review--we're glad we made your stay memorable, and that you enjoyed your time with us!
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My wife and I spent two fantastic nights here. The room was awesome (Garden Room) and the hospitality was great. James is a perfect host and his cooking skills are brilliant.
It is such a beautiful homestead.
We had great breakfasts with much of the breakfast fare being made on the premises and chose to indulge in the Sunday night with dinner in house.
Everything was perfect from the pre dinner drink looking out to the ocean to the sumptuous meal complete with personalised menu.
Will definitely recommend and would return in a heartbeat.
James and James, thanks for making ours a wonderful anniversary stay
Stephen and Wendy Potter
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Date of stay: October 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.
Response from James Glucksman, Owner at Pen-y-bryn Lodge
Responded 14 Oct 2020
Dear Stephen and Wendy, Thank you very much for taking the time to write a review of your stay with us, and, even more importantly, to make us part of your getaway around the South Island! It was a pleasure to have you spend a few days with us, and we're thrilled that you enjoyed your stay with us so much--we look forward to your return one day!
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We had two wonderful nights at Pen-y-bryn with delicious dinners and breakfasts both days. James & James are fantastic hosts providing a luxurious but very friendly environment. Our suite was spacious and very comfortable, and dinner in the dining room is a step back in time with amazing dishes and great local wines. If you are a lover of dogs please ask to meet George - the happy & bouncy Labradoodle.
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Date of stay: July 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Response from James Glucksman, Owner at Pen-y-bryn Lodge
Responded 12 Aug 2020
Thank you so much for your review and for including us in your NZ travels! George has been having a lovely spate of dog-loving guests, so he’s going to be thrilled if more like you come to see him! All the best!
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Thanks to James and James for a great one night stay. The room was very comfortable and the dining experience was amazing. We loved the food and the atmosphere of the old historic home. We were the only guests and would be nice to see the building full as that would further add to the experience. The hosts were very accomodating and friendly and gave good guidance around answering any questions we had and would have organised other experiences for us if requested. A must stay if in Oamaru or just passing through. Electric car charging also available.
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Date of stay: July 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip:Garden Room in the annex so you have to take suitcases outside and upstairs but this is not an...
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.
Response from James Glucksman, Owner at Pen-y-bryn Lodge
Responded 12 Aug 2020
Thank you for your review, and we are very glad you enjoyed your time with us. We have been very pleased with the response from Kiwi travelers who have made Pen-y-bryn a part of their domestic travels in this new interesting world we find ourselves in—thank you for your good wishes!
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We booked a one night stay with only a few hours notice. James made us so welcome with homemade biscuits on arrival, unfortunately we had not booked dinner so had to dine out but even so James gave us pre dinner drinks with beautiful canapés. The attention we received, we thought we could have been the only ones staying in this tastefully furnished lodge. A visit to see the blue penguins in the evening should not be missed. Breakfast with the majority of food being home grown was a delight. We will definitely return with a booking for dinner and will look forward to walking George (the cockapoo).
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Date of stay: March 2021Trip 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.
Response from James Glucksman, Owner at Pen-y-bryn Lodge
Responded 1 Jul 2021
Thank you for your review--sorry for the delay in responding! We're very happy you enjoyed your stay with us, and we (and George--the Labradoodle...!) look forward to your return some day!
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We stayedfor one night in the Nest room which was in the annexe. Very spacious room and bathroom. Hosts were very welcoming and helpful with great travel suggestions. Breakfast was very good with an excellent selection, many items were homemade by James. The house itself is stunning.
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Date of stay: October 2022
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
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 had an absolutely wonderful stay with James and James at Pen y Bryn - I would recommend making this part of your stay for anyone visiting Oamaru. We were welcomed so warmly on arrival, and helped with our bags. They also upgraded our room which was a great bonus. There were delicious freshly made cookies and a great range of drinks waiting in our room. The modern bathroom (with underfloor heating) was huge, and the room felt very luxurious. James was so helpful in telling us where to go to get best views of penguins and lending us his binoculars. In the morning, breakfast was incredible, by far the best breakfast I have had in a hotel. Everything fresh and homemade including granola, jams and honey, followed by a spot on cooked breakfast. The room is also this gorgeous Victorian space. James was great to chat to and both were perfect hosts. Thanks so much for making our stay so special!
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Date of stay: October 2023
Value
Location
Service
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.
There are more places to choose from in the Oamaru area.
PRICE RANGE
$565 - $842 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
New ZealandSouth IslandOtago RegionOamaru
NUMBER OF ROOMS
5
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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