Scrubby Bay by Annandale

Pigeon Bay, on New Zealand's Canterbury coast, holds Scrubby Bay along its shoreline, the water close enough to shape every room's outlook. The house has four suites in total: three ocean-front bedrooms and a bunk room, sleeping eight guests between them. A single open-plan space anchors the house, holding the dining and living areas together under one roof. It is stocked with books and games, built for guests who stay put for days rather than pass through. Shelves line one wall. The bay itself sets the register for the stay, with beach and coastal walking on the doorstep alongside cycling, hiking, and wildlife watching across the wider Canterbury landscape. Clear nights bring out the stars, and the property lists star gazing among its pursuits, no small claim on this stretch of coast. Guests can also fill days with cycling inland or watching for birds along the shoreline, the pace dictated by tide and weather rather than any set programme. Check-in runs from 2pm, check-out at 10am. English is spoken throughout. The result is a compact, self-contained house rather than a full-service lodge, suited to a family or small group wanting the whole place, and the whole bay, to themselves.