It’s almost unfair, if you dwell on it, that New Zealand, blessed as it is with natural gifts — from surf and sand to rainforests and rocky peaks — should be home to a booming culinary and winemaking scene as well. And a place like the Hotel d’Urville, in Marlborough, on South Island, could only exist in New Zealand; this charmingly urbane small-town boutique is located in Blenheim, which is not just the center of the Kiwi wine trade, but a scenic coastal town to boot, the kind of place where you can watch whales or swim with dolphins by day, and sample the South Island’s famous Sauvingnon Blancs by night — it’s a difficult life, but someone’s got to live it.
And the hotel is just as infuriatingly fantastic as its setting. It’s an Art Deco bank building in the center of town, converted into an intimate 11-room boutique, with no two rooms alike — from the Indian-style Raja Room to the signature French-style d’Urville room, each is an experience unto itself. Downstairs is the heart and soul of the d’Urville, its award-winning wine bar and brasserie, where you’ll find locally sourced seafoods and meats, organic regional produce, and an extensive wine list that leans heavily on local Marlborough vintages — it’s enough to make you curse your bad fortune for living so far from New Zealand.
author watson@mouselink.net, source www.tablethotels.com
