Aniwaniwa - Nelson District

A Night in a Yurt

Pippy McCurdy
http://www.unusualstays.com/
http://www.stumbleuponcroatiaslovenia.com/

Aniwaniwa is a small community of homes clustered together near the top of a steep hill overlooking  Tasman Bay. Near to one of these homes is the yurt, - used sometimes as a retreat, and at other times available for casual travellers to rent out. This is a wonderful spot with views out over the Motueka  river valley below and a vista clear to Tasman Bay in the distance. The yurt is tucked down below the crest of the hill. It is sheltered and sunny with a semi-circle of surrounding deck and an outdoor kitchen. A short distance down a path into the bush leads to the open air shower and bath, -  built into a platform overlooking the bush and the great outdoors, yet completely private. What a place!

Inside, the yurt is one large and spacious room with polished floor boards, a comfortable futon and even a pot belly stove.It is simple yet comfortable and appealing with its trellised walls, its swooping high tent roof, and its windows with views which stretch out endlessly. With electricity available this is far from primitive. 

There is a strong eco-message at Aniwaniwa. Recycling is expected, and the toilet is of course, composting.

Being a fan of long hot baths there was not quite enough hot water for me. However the location and that sense of communing with nature did manage to go a long way toward making up for this. This is a bathroom anyone would love. A conventional indoor bathroom pales in comparison.

Aniwaniwa gives that vibe of being a work in progress. There is a hands on feel to the yurt and its surrounding buildings, and the ongoing signs of further construction suggest this is a project with many further plans still to be explored.

I look forward to coming back again.

  

Hotel Spirit, Bratislava, Slovakia

Next Stop Bratislava

Pippy McCurdy

http://www.unusualstays.com/
facebook - stay somewhere strange -
 https://www.facebook.com/Stay-Somewhere-Strange-273777766054597/

In Slovakia there is a sedate city, the capital city, the city of Bratislava. The architecture of Bratislava bears many reminders of the Soviet domination of its past. It is practical rather than decorative; structured rather than expressionist. In this somewhat austere environment Hotel Spirit is so different from its surroundings that one might wonder whether it was spirited there from another part of the continent - if not another planet.

Hotel Spirit is a miraculous creation of colour, shape and texture both inside and out. On the exterior the colours and forms crash into one another in what is literally an explosion of architecture. Amongst its conservative neighbours Hotel Spirit is nothing short of astonishing.

Inside, Hotel Spirit is one giant canvas. Bedrooms are decorated with the artwork of previous guests; - stairways too. Bathrooms are tiled in geometrically idiosyncratic, half completed multicoloured forms The cafe/bar has an easel with a large blank canvas in the center of the room, waiting for the next talented guest to leave his or her creative mark.

On the exterior the angled panels rise to catch the sun, pulling the eye from one unexpected feature to the next. Always the eye is caught by something new; words, faces, signs of the zodiac, musical notes ...

Hotel Spirit is a fabulous place to stay. There is nothing like it - anywhere in the world! Take a trip to Bratislava - your night at Hotel Spirit will surely be a highlight. 

                                                

The Smoko Room - Okau Station

Okau Station Smoko Room

Pippy McCurdy

http://www.unusualstays.com/
http://www.stumbleuponcroatiaslovenia.com/

Strangely Sandy Bay does not appear on Google Maps, but the reason is hard to fathom. This is a unique spot with a long curve of rugged untamed sandy beach, a sea which is calm and tranquil one day, pounding with wild waves the next, a handful of baches owned by the discerning few, and fringed by a back country station  - Okau Station - off the beaten track, set up for hunters, hikers, and those who simply love to stay somewhere different.

The Smoko Room is connected to the shearing shed of Okau Station. It has been refurbished as an overnight stay and now provides comfortable, unpretentious accommodation for a couple or for a family. The large wooden table where once the shearers' meals were served is now the family hub for those who come to stay. 

Outside the large glass door is a spacious deck, a barbecue, and best of all a great view of the beach and sea just a few minutes walk across the farm and down the track.

Inside the Smoko Room the ply walls are  stencilled with typical wool bale words and markings. In one corner is a wood burner, and best of all there is plenty of good dry wood ready to go.The furniture is unpretentious,but those essential comforts are there too - a good tv with plenty of channels, a sound system, fridge, microwave, wine glasses, bottle opener ...

Just through the door from the Smoko Room is the farm's wool-shed, still very much in use. The dark oiled boards and the three shearing stands are all well looked after, ready and waiting for the next day of action.

The Smoko Room is close to Castlepoint where one or two shops and a country hotel are on hand for supplies, a change of scene, or a meal. But if it is large expanses of empty windswept beach or long walks in the hills that you like, you will have all you need with the Smoko Room as your base and Sandy Bay as your backyard.