New Zealanders head overseas for their resort fix, forgetting we have our very own options for a weekend away, as Rebecca Fox discovers.
People come from all over the world to wake up to a view of Queenstown's snow-capped mountains.
Yet many of us forget the beauty in our own backyard, instead focusing on the less pleasant aspects of the Lakes District as it struggles to cope with the increasing demands of tourists and an ever-growing population.
Despite these challenges there are still pockets of tranquillity in the district. One such pocket is Millbrook Resort, near Arrowtown.
While you might fight the traffic to get there, once inside the gates, it is only golf carts you have to watch out for.
While renowned for its 27-hole championship golf course and for co-hosting the New Zealand Open, it also has plenty of attractions for those not interested in golf.
Like many who live in Otago, I had not visited the place, even though it is open to the public, until I was recently invited there.
Originally a 182ha wheat farm established to feed Otago's hungry gold miners, the
Ishii family began to transform the farm in 1993 into a resort and golf course. It recently received Qualmark's Five-Star hotel grade and top sustainable tourism award.
The remaining farm buildings have been restored and an avenue of trees welcomes visitors, just as it did 150 years ago.
Once checked in, we were taken by golf cart to our accommodation in one of the resort's studio units (gas fire, king-size bed, two-person tub) overlooking the golf course with a view of the mountains.
With map in hand, we decided to get the lay of the land and check the resort's casual cafe, the Hole in One Cafe.
Not wanting to spoil dinner - we were booked in at the Millhouse Restaurant, housed in the former flour mill and adjacent to the mill pond and stream which winds it way through the resort - we made do with a drink on the terrace.
At the Millhouse, executive chef Andi Bozhiqi is renowned for his beef and lamb dishes, but we opted to try his duck and venison creations, which did not disappoint.
With impeccable service and wonderful presentation, the dishes were topped with a flaming tropical bomb Alaska - just the thing to take us back to the 1970s, in a very good way, of course.
While we could have gone for a swim in the lap pool or taken a dip in one of the hot tubs, we chose to walk off dinner.
I started the next day with a facial at The Spa, which earlier this year was named Best Luxury Resort Spa in Australia and New Zealand. It took a discreet ting from a bell to wake me from that sublime experience.
So, while Millbrook might not have a swim-up bar, it does have its own very significant charms.
-The writer was hosted by Millbrook.
