Genuine Garden of Eden | Edenhouse, Nelson (New Zealand)
...so deliciously pretty you want to take a big slow bite of it.
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In a hidden valley, surrounded by farms, orchards and vineyards, Peter and Bobbie Martin found exactly where they wanted to create their vision of home that would reflect the character of this tranquil corner of paradise. Bobbie had the advantage of considerable design skills, being a graduate of both the Inchbald School of Design and the English Gardening School. Once they had created Edenhouse, their home was universally thought so stylish and lovely that the decision to open it to guests was inevitable.
The Martins take special delight in feasting you with the finest foods from the pristine Nelson Tasman region at the top of the South Island. Sometimes you’ll dine from the cornucopia of their own garden – fresh-picked figs, macadamia nuts and blueberries, perhaps. There’ll usually be heirloom vegetables from a neighbouring farm and they also know precisely which bakery, smokehouse, cheesemaker or butcher to call on for the best artisan produce. These include such unexpected delights as the highest-quality, locally-grown saffron and extraordinary olive oils.
In fact, distinctive local produce is their particular passion. They know the secrets of the weekly local markets, of the busy fishing port and where to land a plump trout from a nearby mountain stream. Perhaps you’ll encounter perfumed, tropical-sweet feijoas and heritage red-fleshed Blackboy peaches (peches des vignes in Europe) from their
own trees, perfect scallops harvested from the Tasman Sea and Golden Bay - or legendary, whitebait, New Zealand’s ‘white caviar’ in season just six weeks from mid-August.
The Martins also love to introduce guests to the families who run acclaimed boutique wineries, especially Neudorf. Any reputable guide to New Zealand’s best winemakers
will rank Neudorf among the top. It has earned international renown for its Burgundian-informed chardonnays, rich and fine pinot noirs, and a superbly expressed line-up of the aromatic varieties – riesling, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris – which have come to define Nelson and New Zealand wine to the world.
Edenhouse is perfectly positioned between Nelson and the world-renowned Abel Tasman National Park. Only 30 minutes away, the Park is a Mecca for outdoor enthusiasts with its golden beaches, native bush, pristine marine
preserves and famed walks.
Peter and Bobbie Martin ensure that when it comes to the finest wine and food their guests will discover and relish a true taste of Nelson Tasman and of its sensational land and seascapes. No wonder TATLER Magazine voted Edenhouse one of its 2010 Top 101 Hotels in the World.
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