Is School House - Riverside Luxury pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

Where is School House - Riverside Luxury located?

Located in a rural location, this family-friendly farm stay is within 12 mi (20 km) of Craggy Range, Te Mata Estate and Black Barn Vineyards. Village Vineyards and Arataki Honey Visitor Centre are also within 12 miles (20 km).

School House - Riverside Luxury Reviews, Deals & Photos 2025

10/10 Excellent

beverley s.

21 May 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

High Class comfortable well appointed property

The house and grounds were stunning and immaculate. Very peaceful in a beautiful rural area. The furnishings and kitchen utensils plentiful and high quality. Ange was easy to contact and very accommodating of our booking for a group of friends. Perfect for a relaxing vacation or long weekend. Easy to get to amenities in Hawkes Bay.

Stayed 2 nights in May 2025

This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

Carey M.

24 Oct 2017

Fabulous location, quiet, lots of birds, lovely house, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay

This review was submitted before 2018 and has not been verified.

10/10 Excellent

Edmond W.

17 Oct 2017

Great location, facilities and amenities

10/10 Excellent

Yii P.

22 Dec 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great retreat for the family!

Our family had an absolute ball at the schoolhouse. It is lovely to learn more about the history and explore the area and river. We would love to come back! Thank you so much for a wonderful wind down before the silly season!

Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

21 Feb 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Idyllic peaceful haven

The School House is a fantastic place to chill out and relax. Set in farmland on the banks of the Tukituki river you feel like you are miles from anywhere but Havelock North with its fantastic wineries and restaurants is only a short drive away. The school house is well set up with everything you could possibly need and is very comfortable. We enjoyed it so much we ended up staying longer than we had planned to. Ange is a great host and made things very easy for us. We’d love to come back one day.

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020

2/10 Terrible

John

12 Nov 2023

Liked: Cleanliness

Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities

It called Riverside Luxury and you can't see the river at all. The heat pump didn't work and we froze. Paid for two night but had to move out after one.

Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jo S.

10 Mar 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Peaceful rural property

This was a wonderful rural property with a gorgeous outlook towards the hills. Very comfortable, amazingly well equipped kitchen and a lovely outdoor deck with table and chairs. Very peaceful and relaxing stay.

Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Marie B.

27 Dec 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Christmas stay

This was a lovely quiet property, very well appointed and with lovely outdoor space for family games. Beds were very comfortable and the high ceilings are awesome and keep it cool.

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2021

10/10 Excellent

Kathryn

20 Dec 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities

A super tranquil property and very unique. Facilities surpassed my expectations. The thoughtfullness and kindness from Ange was breathtaking as she kindly helped my daughter in England, who requested flowers, wine and a hand written card for my 70th birthday! Thank you so much. It really made my day very special. The area is sublimely quiet and beautiful and the deck and marvelous lawn were very well used! Superb, Kath and Steve 😊

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2021

6/10 Okay

Erika V.

7 Apr 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location, listing accuracy

Disliked: Communication

Not the best value

Had to come for nationals - booked 2 nights, a Lock down caused a scramble for new dates - had little to no feedback from Ange causing much anxiety - she did not confirm we could get half refund when we only needed 1 night instead of 2, and instead seemed to book the whole $800 for one night - ended up taking 2 nights just to make use of it. Not very reasonable in my opinion. Struggled to get any communication, even through Bookabach. At the house the BBQ regulator knob does not work and is a safety hazard. House itself very clean and good finishes, but be aware it's still a converted hall so feels utilitarian. Towels in only one bathroom - not the other. Good spot (about the same as any lifestyle block in NZ) but not sure about value. Booked in the Auckland Hilton in a suit for the next night for the same money per night. Apparently there is what I assume to be hard wired internet but no wifi, so no internet for most. A sign encourages you to load up on mobile data at your own cost - but with 1 bar of 3G that won’t really mean much either. Rest of the tech also pre-digital so not really usable. Mention is made of ‘kiwi tradition’ to ask you to clean the place, while also agreeing to do a full Covid pre check-in clean, and charging a cleaning fee - for a Luxury unit - not sure you can have it both ways. About 3 and a half stars over all.

Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2021

10/10 Excellent

Georgina A.

9 Feb 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful getaway

We wanted to stay in Hastings but wanted to try something different from the usual motel. This was beautiful right by the river which has lots of trout and eels in it. Peaceful away from the hustle and bustle. Be sure to punch into GPS the school house 242 Rochfort Road because there is another Rochfort Road which is 25mins away.

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2021

10/10 Excellent

Sarah P.

2 Jan 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Brilliant relaxed holiday

The process of booking was very easy, property is absolutely beautiful and we enjoyed our lovely relaxed stay there

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

Adam H.

2 Jan 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Lovely stay

Great location and house excellent

Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2020

10/10 Excellent

Jeff R.

20 Oct 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Fantastic getaway

Spring was the perfect time to visit. Horses with their foals, sheep, blossom trees and green pastures. Stunning scenery and location. Enjoyed biking the riverside trail from Craggy Range to the beach. The house was fantastic and tastefully transformed from historic school hall into comfortable accommodation. We can’t say enough positive things, the whole family loved it.

Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

8 Mar 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Amazing Escape

The Schoolhouse is a wonderful place for a break. It is located in a idyllic spot on the banks of the river and is large comfortable and well equipped.

Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2020

8/10 Good

u D.

16 Feb 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Enjoyable stay

We enjoyed six nights stay in the peaceful valley where the The School House is located. The positives for us as two couples staying was the space inside and outside, the well appointed kitchen, and the peace and quiet to relax in when we returned from our adventures out each day. The following are not negatives, but information for others looking to book this accommodation. The water view can only be taken advantage of if you stand at the bottom corner of the property, as plantings have grown to restrict the river views, and the lovely old floorboards mean that when one person arises in the morning, everyone is awake. The distance from town means you need to be sure to have all your supplies with you, as it is not a quick dash to pick something up that you have forgotten, and one thing I overlooked when booking was no access to the internet, which meant with a six day stay, we used all of our phone data in a very short time. The word 'luxury' is used to describe this property, and without a doubt it is lovely, but personally I would not put it in the 'luxury' category.

10/10 Excellent

Linda H.

8 Jan 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Magical Christmas

The School House provided us a wonderful stay for our family christmas. The soaring ceilings and layout of the building were perfect for our family of six and a great location for exploring Hawkes Bay.

Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Alexandra S.

3 Jan 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Amazing house & location!

The School House is a beautiful historic building, and it was amazing to be able to stay there. The whole family (age range 10 to 80 years) enjoyed the location, and visiting the surrounding area. The kids especially enjoyed visiting Splash Planet and the water hole. Ange the manager was really helpful during the booking and throughout our stay.

Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

nick b.

6 Oct 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Gorgeous getaway alongside the river

The School House is an outstanding property. The house itself is fanstastic and the setting - in a picturesque location alongside the river with beautiful and expansive views - is amazing. The School House has plenty of space and privacy but you still feel close to and part of the very lucky community who get to call this idyllic location home. The house is spacious, light, bright and well equipped. It has been renovated thoughtfully and to a high standard. We had a great stay, would happily return again and can readily recommend the property - particularly for a small group. Next time around I would also just load up with plenty of provisions before getting to the property so as to be able to just totally kick back and relax once there.

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

glen h.

23 May 2019

Hi we really loved this place amazing spot paradise

Loved this place would come back again

Stayed 4 nights in May 2019

10/10 Excellent

Vanessa Z.

6 May 2019

The School House, Waimarama

Thank you so much for the fabulous 3-day family break. The School House is beautifully presented and the location heavenly. Thank you for the thoughtful milk & bread and we so appreciated the DVD collection in the evenings. We'd love to come back for more wine-tastings, Vanessa & family

Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

KARL D.

24 Mar 2019

Outstanding

Beautifully restored old school house in a stunning location. Loved sitting on the deck with the sound of the birds and the river, and views over the ranges. Nice to meet very friendly hosts.

Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Cathleen C.

18 Mar 2019

Beautiful, tranquil

Absolutely lovely place to stay. It is the 2nd time that we have stayed here and always enjoy the house and its surroundings.

Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2019

10/10 Excellent

Wendy M.

7 Mar 2019

Lovely house, great people

Very special place; highly recommend :-) Everything was there and it was very clean. I also loved the old school feel!

Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2019

8/10 Good

Wendy M.

16 Feb 2019

A Fabulous Property

We loved the location and the ambiance of The Schoolhouse. It is in a very peaceful setting and we will definitely return to this lovely spot. Angela was very friendly and helpful and was very quick to respond to our queries.

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019

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