Eagles Nest was a surprise anniversary trip after a hellish few months of work, and what an amazing surprise it was. The boy bundled me into the car and refused to give any indication of where we going until we hit Whangarei.

The nano-second after we had passed the Whanagarei City sign and I pounced again. My first reaction when I heard we were heading to Eagles Nest was ‘oh my goodness, where they filmed the final episode of the Bachelor!’

Pity we are already engaged, I had visions of a bachelor style proposal as I wandered around in a floor length yellow gown. Hang on a minute, didn’t he dump her in the end and go back to the other girl?

Anyway, back to our trip. Situated in the beautiful Bay of Islands you’ll find Eagle’s Nest overlooking Waitangi - the birthplace of New Zealand.

Winner of the World’s Best Luxury Coastal Hotel in the 2010 World Luxury Hotel Awards, the five luxurious villas are positioned as the quintessential kiwi bach (but boy oh boy what an amazing bach!) and are complimented by the great staff of Eagle’s Nest who discretely give you the option of enjoying your stay in full independence or taking advantage of their five star resort service by having your every need catered for.

We stayed in First Light, fondly called the ‘honeymoon suite’ by staff as there is floor to ceiling glass throughout – including the bathroom – which makes for amazing showers with a view and little privacy from anybody else in the room. Which is definitely not a problem when you’re a loved up couple!

The large windows througout give you a feeling you are on an island all you own, the rooms are spacious, welcoming, well-lit and elegant in a way that enhances the inspirational views.

The beauty of those views in the far north can only be appreciated once you’re there - the occasional yacht drifting by, the odd kayaker, the wildlife (including Kiwi’s, and yes we heard them while we were there), the ever-changing colours of the sunrise and sunsets are worth the trip alone and everything at Eagles Nest is designed to take advantage of these spectacular natural surroundings.

Our room had a gorgeous mezzanine bedroom with a huge skylight above the bed – if you haven’t star gazed from your own bed before you’re missing out one of life’s great experiences.

First Light is equipped with a private spa pool and sauna so much time was spent hopping from one to the other with champagne bottle in hand. Each of the other four villas has its own spa and infinity pool meaning you truly never have to leave your haven if you don’t want to. And don’t worry; we didn’t miss out on any mid-winter swimming as there is a large pool and spa available for all guests just in case they get sick of their private pools.

The boy was thrilled to find the villa decked out with the latest in audio-visual technology. Each villa comes equipped with every techo toy that you could ever want – from the all controlling remote that runs the sky, stereo, radio and lights to the coffee grinder and espresso machine that the boy fell in love and took the opportunity to make me as many coffees as I could drink.

And now to the food - our fridge was stocked with a bevy of luxuries - triple smoked bacon, free range eggs, greek yoghurt and a fresh selection of fruit for breakfast. We were overwhelmed with choice and made a good effort to eat it all the following morning!

We also took advantage of Eagle’s Nest personal chef Michael who came and cooked us a stunning line up of marinated freshly caught local fish, aged eye fillet steak, seared scallops and grilled prawns, all cooked to perfection on the villa’s barbecue with award winning New Zealand wines to match.

Michael taught us the difference between the  male and female Kiwi calls which paid off later as we lay in bed and were able to identify them sounding off in the night outside. Ok, I’ll admit I also grilled him about what it was like at Eagle’s Nest when they filmed the bachelor there, in a word – busy!

Eagles Nest is the ideal romantic getaway where you will experience a true balance between nature and luxury and was a beyond perfect get away for our anniversary. It’s certainly not only for couples though with the other four villa’s Sacred Space, The Eyrie, Eagle Spirit and the enormous Rahimoana – are built to accommodate whole families and personal staff if required.

We’d like to pass on a special thanks to Callum our host for the weekend who made us feel so welcome. Aside from having delicious food, a beautiful atmosphere and good company Callum and his staff have a knack of making you feel like you’ve been let in on a secret – a secret little paradise place that you’re welcome to come back to any time you like.

www.lodgesofnz.co.nz

Eagles Nest:

 +64 9 403 8333 (8.00am - 8.00pm daily NZST)

 60 Tapeka Road, Russell 0242, Bay of Islands, New Zealand

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