27.02.2018 - (Addendum) Fellworth House for Solo Travellers

Somehow I got stuck on this hotel while browsing on Booking.com. The description "... for Solo Travellers" made me curious. So I checked out the details. Instead of the standard room for 80 N$, I decided to go for the "Spectecular Single Room with shared Bathroom" for 90 N$.

The pictures made the decision easy. According to them, it should be a corner room with many windows and a view of Nelson.

The house, or rather the Victorian-style villa, is located above Nelson and offers a fantastic view of Nelson. That's the description.

So I was really excited!

I arrived in Nelson in the late afternoon and drove up the hill on the main shopping street to where the hotel was supposed to be.

About halfway up the shopping street, I saw Fellworth House at the end of the street. The closer I got, the more impressed I became with my booking. The house towers above the houses of Nelson as if it watches over the city. My first thought was, "Oh my God, did I overlook a zero in the price when making the reservation?"

I drove up the palm-lined street to the hotel entrance.

Parked right in front of the entrance and entered the villa through the entrance lined with columns. Just WOW.

The wallpaper was made of embroidered fabric (French lilies). I was so impressed that I didn't see the sign ("Welcome Raphael, you have room 2, the key is inside").

So I first rang the bell.

Note: There is a dental practice on the ground floor. As it turned out later, the house belongs to the dentist.

Someone wearing a face mask came out and greeted me.

Cool, I thought. I was still so impressed with everything that I didn't listen to what was being said. I simply replied yes and followed Kevin, who led me to the waiting room and offered me a seat.

At the same time, he handed me the registration form.

Very efficient, I thought! The reception of the dentist is also the reception of the hotel. A very clever consultant must have been at work ;-)

So I filled out the registration form. At least until I came to the sections about health condition and complaints.

I then acted all cool and addressed the nice lady at the reception: "Funny, you use the same form for the hotel as for the practice! Do I have to enter my health condition as a hotel guest too?"

She said, "No, aren't you here for treatment?"

I said, "No, I have a reservation"

She said, "There is only treatment here"

I said, "I only want a room! I had a treatment three weeks ago!"

She said, "You're in the wrong place"

I said, "Oops, I'm Raphael"

Both: "Laughter"

She said, "You have room 2, it's written on the board at the entrance"

So I finally got to my room.

It was amazing! I spontaneously extended my stay for one night. Two nights turned into five (from Nelson, you can easily reach Abel Tasman Park and explore it and the wineries! So I saved myself the hassle of finding another room and stayed for almost a week!

Why "for Solo Travellers"? They don't have a license for a full-fledged hotel, as the number of rooms (at 2 people per room) does not meet the requirement for the number of bathrooms and toilets. So they only rent out the huge double rooms to individual guests.

It was a very beautiful time. I knew all the staff, Franzi and Sophie, the two German dental assistants backpacking there, William the fitness trainer, and all the others. The lady at the reception, Kevin the dental assistant, and Aleks the dentist from Serbia, her sister and her sister's husband.

A big family! Saying goodbye was really hard for me! But I had to move on to Blenheim.