Meet Gilly
Sociable, Helpful, Friendly
stunning location, peace and quiet, incredible night skies due to no light polution. funny pets. lots of history around and great walking or riding country.
On a typical day...
I’m mostly at home/work from home.
When I host guests...
I’m helpful and hands on. I can show them where to go and help them get there.
Family Hobbies
Skiing, Horse riding, Fishing, Gardening, Hiking
Hosting guests since
2020
About the Homestay
- Welcomes
- Males
- Females
- Couples
- Families
- Students
HI there we are Gilly , 66 (singer and musician) and Lon 65(gardener) we have a 23 year old grandaughter that we are raising. Its a cross between The Little House on the Prairie and The Good Life, yes with all the madness and mayhem:-) we are an organic market garden/lifestyle block in the beautiful Ida Valley, the location for Rohan in Lord of the Rings. We are 30 mins from Alexandra and about 2 hours from Queenstown and Wanaka.
Quite remote, the joy of our place is the peace and quiet and stunning scenery....a must for all LOTR fans and those seeking an 'off the beaten track' experience. Plenty of walks in the area.
WE have heaps of pets, a yampy dog, 2 cats, 2 pet cows and 3 horses.
Thus our house and surroundings are not pristine, this is a working farm with all the mud and mayhem of pets. Your room is basic but of course will be clean and comfortable and the bathroom is shared. We have a roaring log fire in the winter, but summers are hot and dry. NO smoking is allowed on the premises for this reason.
We can provide simple meals such as home made pizzas or a 3 course roast if desired and can cater for vegetarians or vegans. Just ask the prices when making enquiries.
We are about 20ks from the nearest rail trail point, we can drop you off and pick you up and provide you with a picnic as you wish.
There is bike hire about 20 ks away in Omakau. There is good trout fishing if you have a licence though I'm not sure Lon will take you to his highly secret fishing holes??
The bedroom is single.
Pets are welcome but must be under strict control because of our pets here.
WE have limited cell phone reception here, well not unless you are tall and can stand on one leg in the far corner of the paddock!
We have a good sense of humour and have lots of interesting stories to share, mostly of the crazy antics we get up to here:-)
My Pets
Dog, Horse, Cat, Other
House Facilities
- Garden
- Laundry
- Barbecue
- Parking
- TV
- Internet Access
- Smoke alarm
Bedrooms available for booking
About the Area
We are 2 hours from Queenstown and Wanaka, 30 mins from Alexandra our closest 'town' though Omakau and Oturehua are about 20 ks away. They are small but both have nice pubs and cafes. The historic town of Ophir is 18 ks away and even has a fine dining restaurant called Pitches.
Rail trail is about 20 ks. There are lots of historic wee towns to explore but the main experience here is the outdoors. Poolburn reservoir and Upper Manorburn reservoir are withing 20 minutes driving. There is fishing and tramping all around. Plus I take out horse treks. We can also arrange driving ticky tours. You are welcome to bring your own horse and I can take you on a guided trek.
Plenty of gold mining history, the old Dunstan Trail is right on our doorstep. Its best to have your own car though if you are cycling or touring by bus and a need pick up we can do this too.
Local Area Facilities
- Horse Stables
- Fishing
Meals
Hosts can offer a complimentary light breakfast at their discretion. All other meals, including a full breakfast, might incur an additional cost, if offered. Meals and any additional payment should be arranged directly with your host.
Included in the stay
- Complimentary Light Breakfast
- Use of Kitchen
Available on request at an extra cost
- Full Breakfast
- Half Board
- Full Board
- Packed lunch
Diet Type available on request
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
House Rules
Smoking Rules
Your host is a non-smoker.
Smoking is not allowed.
How do I book?
Contact the host to check their availability and ask them any questions you have about staying with them. Once the host confirms they’re available for your dates, you can complete your booking.
When do I pay?
Once a host confirms they're available, you can go ahead and pay the 15% booking fee (maximum of 250 $£€ for longer term bookings) using a choice of payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Maestro, Laser, JCB & PayPal (not available in certain countries). You then pay your host on arrival or as stated by your host on their profile and agreed by you on booking. Please be cautious if a host requests advance payment if its not included on their profile. Our hosts have been advised that if they wish to request advance payment they must make this explicit in their profile. We do not recommend the use of Money gram or Western Union.
When can I share my contact details?
Host and Guest email address, phone number and home address will be exchanged in a confirmation email sent to both immediately after a booking is completed. It's against our policy for Guests and Hosts to exchange direct contact details via our messaging system.