Pihopa Retreat - Nelson

Pīhopa Retreat is a former bishop's residence turned six-suite hotel on the edge of central Nelson. The land was bought in 1862, four parcels totalling 158 acres, after the first Bishop of Nelson, Edmund Hobhouse, called for a proper home for the diocese. It was named Bishopdale, and the estate passed to the Nelson Diocese in 1866. That history still shapes the place: each of the six suites carries the name of a former bishop, from Suter to Hilliard, and breakfast is served each morning in the estate's own 19th-century chapel. The grounds run to 5.5 acres of woodland, orchard and lawn, with a heated pool, gym and outdoor spa tucked among the paths. Suites range from around 55 sqm to 90 sqm, each with a gas fireplace, a kitchenette stocked with local wine and spirits, and a bathroom with a jacuzzi bath and separate his-and-hers sinks. The Hilliard Suite, the largest, sits in the property's furthest corner and looks down over the city to the sea. Evenings bring drinks and canapés by the pool. There is no restaurant on site; the team books tables in town and arranges the taxi there and back. It is a five-minute drive from Nelson's centre, closer than the numbers suggest.