AMBER HOUSE - at the centre!™
Bed and Breakfast Guest House (B&B) in Nelson city centre, New Zealand
When Amber House was built, in the latter part of the reign of Queen Victoria, it stood on the southern shore of Nelson's Haven with fat little Weka running up and down the strand.
Now the vibrant and exciting city of Nelson has grown up and outwards around Amber House, but our home remains a peaceful and helpful haven for travellers with all of our city's attractions just a short stroll from our front gate.
Our guests can amble to the nearby Miyazu traditional Japanese gardens and listen to the water bell, take a look at the new wharekai on Whakatu Marae, or simply sit on our verandah and enjoy the fragrance of our Irish roses in the front garden.
On Friday afternoons, the Farmers Market is just opposite us in Founders Heritage Park while Saturday morning sees many of our guests off to visit the `World-famous-in-New Zealand' craft and artisan market in nearby Montgomery Square where they mingle with locals poking organic vegetables.
Although crystal chandeliers hang from ceilings more than eleven feet high downstairs, we do have a new 21st Century hot water system, satellite dish, fast
wireless Internet and our Balcony Suite, Blue, Gold and Rose Rooms all have air-conditioning.
Upstairs, the en-suite Balcony Suite and Blue Rooms are double glazed and have their own balconies with a view over Tasman Bay to the Arthur Ranges on one side and the Sugar Loaf and Botanical Hill (geographical Centre of New Zealand) from the other balcony.
All our rooms are SPACIOUS - large enough for two Queen Beds and our double glazed Green Room is very good value for families and those on a limited budget and not needing air conditioning in Nelson's wonderful climate.
Balcony Suite, Blue, Gold and Rose Room guests compliment us on our hot breakfasts cooked to individual order. Many folks have enjoyed one of our "Ulster Fry"s - or you can just help yourself to fruit any time and from a cold (or `continental' style) buffet breakfast if you`re watching your weight.
Most city buses,
the Charabanc
and Double Decker
city sightseeing tours
and all long distance coaches stop right outside Amber House Bed and Breakfast (B & B) Guest House - so you can lie in a bit longer if you're off on a
day trip to the Abel Tasman National Park or
paragliding that day...We have a garage for Bikes and Kayaks and we grow many
of our own vegetables organically in the sunniest place in New
Zealand. All water is filtered for low
chlorine drinking and bathing and is naturally soft. The Rugby World Cup 2011
venue, Trafalgar Park, is at the end of our street.
We do not allow smoking anywhere on our land. (If you are a Smoker, then the
Milton Chalet Motel just down the road would be a good choice of
accommodation since they do allow smoking outside some of their budget accommodation units...)
We are not a motel or inn and do not have a reception desk staffed
round the clock, so you will need to advise us of your estimated time of arrival when you book (and again if that estimate subsequently changes) so that
we can be ready to welcome you.
BB BEDROOMS
Typical prices of our rooms per night (staying more than one night and except in peak season):
Double occupancy [en suite] from $85 but can reduce to $65 for long stays
Double [en suite and air conditioned] from $119 but can reduce to $90
Double occupancy suite [private bathroom, double glazed, air conditioned, local bubbly] $295
Group of 4 persons from $147 but can reduce to $111
[ie from as little as $28 per person per night (pppn)]
Click the individual room calendars to the left to find out the exact price for your stay...
All prices quoted by Amber House Limited are for immediate cash settlement and include cold and hot drinks, biscuits and breakfast (except for the Overflow Room tariff) together
with all applicable taxes, levies and service charges. Tipping is not common practice in New Zealand, "Thank you" is all that is expected - even for
exceptional service. (Our prices change dynamically according to demand so, except for the Balcony Suite, there is a peak season supplement of not more than
$20 per person imposed for the twenty five weeks preceding 20 April and you will get the cheapest prices the longer in advance you book on-line!)
Our Balcony Suite occupies the entire North-East wing of the top floor of Amber House and is some 486 square feet in total area.
Double glazed French windows open on to twin carpeted and sheltered balconies overlooking our front rose garden with 272 degree views out over Tasman Bay to the (snow topped in winter and spring) Arthur Ranges to the North-west on one side and the Sugar Loaf and Botanical Hill (geographical Centre of New Zealand) 900 metres to the South-East from the other balcony.
Both balconies have clear, see-through zippered awnings that can be lowered and raised on hand-cranked rollers if it becomes windy. The cooked breakfast of your choice can be served either here, on one of your private balconies, or in the downstairs dining room with other guests. We provide a complimentary selection of local wines and fruits, together with a cheese board.
You can either use our guest PC or your own portable computer on our 802.11g and 802.11b
Zenbu Wi-Fi hotspot
wireless internet connection. The Balcony Suite tariff also includes bicycle hire.
The Balcony Suite's bedroom has a Daikin, reverse cycle, inverter air-conditioner built into its East wall for cooling in Summer and heating in Winter. To
ensure a peaceful and comfortable rest, all windows throughout the Balcony Suite have noise insulating, double glazing by Koemmerling of Germany utilising
low emissivity glass. Argon, an inert gas, fills the glazing gap.
Normally the Balcony Suite has one "Black Maxipaedic firm premium double wool pillowtop posturised sleep system" queen-sized bed. (The Balcony Suite is popular with Honeymooners but is certainly large enough to introduce a second single bed upon at least 24 hours notice.)
Opposite the bed is a comfortable sofa and large desk. The TV receives programs from Al Jazeera (in English), BBC World, Central China TV9 (in English), Deutsche Welle (in German and English), Māori TV (in English and Māori), Russia Today (in English) via geo-stationary satellite transmissions together with other local and terrestrial colour television channels and Teletext.
There is a cordless DECT phone next to your bed and a small safe with a digital lock in the closet. We will wash and iron your clothes upon request.
Your private bathroom usually has a fine and restful view of sheep grazing on the ridge in front of the Centre of New Zealand while having a soak. The full length window over the bath is double glazed and the floor is the original, highly polished Matai planking from the century before last.
Entry to the Balcony Suite's bedroom is via a small double-glazed hallway that opens to the additional en suite shower compartment. This en suite is long and narrow and has an additional shower, WC and wash hand basin.
Help yourself to coffee, tea, Ovaltine, hot chocolate, Milo, fruit juice, spring water, biscuits, etc., in the downstairs Dining Room at any time.
All guests can also avail of Swedish Massage and Deep Tissue Therapy for a small additional charge.
Our Gold Room is also on the upper floor - but at the South-East corner of Amber House.
Adam thinks the Gold Room has the best view at Amber House - due South towards Dun Mountain,
the Brook Waimarama sanctuary and the Sugar Loaf through twin,
double-glazed, 'tilt and turn' windows imported from Germany.
To the South-West, between two large Canary Island palm trees in Cambria Street, Cathedral Hill
and the Grampians provide a backdrop to the setting sun.
A third large, double glazed window at the West of this bedroom has ultra narrow venetian blinds inside the argon filled gap of the sealed glazing unit (operated by a magnetic drive) so that they do not rattle in the regular sea breezes.
The Gold Room has a Daikin, reverse cycle air-conditioning unit to provide almost instantaneous and abundant heating in Winter and cooling in Summer.There is one Queen-sized bed with an Orthopaedic mattress and one single bed.
When the current internal renovations are finished, mirrored sliding doors will enclose a narrow en suite compartment with:-
- polished matai floor
- shower cubicle
- wash hand basin
- large mirror
- Australian, British, European (240 volts) and USA (110 volts) type shaver sockets
- Toto close-coupled toilet with Geberit Fluidmaster inlet for quiet and fast filling
The Gold Room has fitted carpet, a small desk and chair, a cordless direct-dial DECT phone, a DVD player, an AM/FM radio alarm clock, a hairdryer and there are heated towel rails.
The highest speed Wireless internet connection available in Nelson is included in the Gold Room tariff, together with your own choice of cooked breakfast dishes or a "continental" breakfast - both served in the guest dining room downstairs.
Satellite (programmes from Al Jazeera [in English), BBC World, Central China TV9 (in English), Deutsche Welle (in German and English), Māori TV (in
English and Māori), Russia Today (in English) via geo-stationary satellite transmissions and Teletext TV programmes are available, together with other local and terrestrial
colour television channels.
Our Blue Room is also on the upper floor and is furnished in more modern style with closets, fitted carpet, two seater couch,
desk and chair, cordless DECT phone and the highest speed internet connection available in Nelson from Telecom NZ included in the price, together with your
own choice of cooked breakfast dishes or a "continental" breakfast - both served in the guest dining room downstairs.
The Blue Room has a Daikin, reverse cycle air-conditioning unit and argon gap, noise insulating, double glazing.
Access to and from the Blue Room is either via its double glazed French Doors that open to the balcony or via its long and narrow en suite shower, wash hand basin and WC compartment. (We did not wish to move the original walls and room proportions of Amber House, so we have formed en suite ablutions for this bedroom by taking space from an adjacent landing.)
Satellite and Teletext TV programmes are available, together with other local and terrestrial colour television channels. A small safe, with a combination you can set yourself, is provided for your valuables. There is also an alarm clock radio and hairdryer.
Usually the Blue Room has one queen-sized bed with an orthopaedic mattress - but the Blue Room is certainly large enough to introduce a second single bed
upon at least 24 hours notice.)
The Rose Room has eleven foot high ceilings with twin crystal chandeliers and is furnished in late Victorian style. French windows
open on to a verandah providing a separate private access to our Irish rose garden at the front.
The Rose Room has fitted carpet and is air conditioned with a Hitachi reverse cycle heat pump. It has a dressing table and chair, wardrobe with digital safe, cordless DECT 'phone, alarm clock radio and hairdryer. On top of the wardrobe is a Sony Trinitron 28 inch colour TV with Nicam stereo, Fastext/Teletext and DVD player. Daily wireless access to our high-speed internet connection is available free of charge upon request and allocation of a password.
A shower, wash hand basin and WC are all in a long and narrow en suite compartment. (We did not wish to move the original walls and room proportions of Amber House, so we have again taken space from an adjacent corridor.)
The Rose Room is spacious and has two Orthopaedic Queen-size beds so, again, a maximum of four persons can be accommodated.
A cooked breakfast of your choice is included in our Rose Room prices - or you may choose to help yourself to a free 'continental style' buffet breakfast at any time between 04:00 and 10:00hrs in the morning. Fruit, biscuits and hot or cold drinks are also available free of charge in the Dining Room opposite at any time.
The Green Room is popular with those on a very tight budget since we have not increased this room's price
for 5 years.
We've been able to screw prices down by only including a continental breakfast and not including a cooked breakfast in this room's price and by not installing a heat pump.
We change the sheets every 3 or 4 days (or if you have an accident) but we don't make up the Green Room daily and expect you to hang the towels we provide out to dry in the back garden in return for a very keen price.
Even though it's our smallest, budget room, the Green Room is not spartan with fitted carpet, a desk with chair, mirror, closet, a chest of drawers and two bedside lamps and a comfortable easy chair. It has a fan for hot weather and a fan heater and extra duvet for colder weather, a cordless phone, alarm clock radio, hairdryer, chess set, small colour TV and a small digital safe for valuables.Wireless access to a 802.11g and 802.11b high-speed internet connection is available for a small extra charge.
The Green Room is double-glazed for peaceful nights and located on the ground floor at the West side of Amber House. There is an
en suite shower cubicle and wash hand basin in the bedroom with a convenient private WC under the stairs opposite your bedroom door.
The Green Room has two Queen sized beds so up to four can be accommodated. Full argon-gap double glazing with low emissivity glass and comfortable beds ensure a tranquil night.
Help yourself to an uncooked continental breakfast in the adjacent
Guest Dining Room any time between 04:00 and 10:00hrs each morning - it's included in our Green Room prices!
[If you pay $10 extra per person per day, we will cook your chosen hot breakfast for you and you can then help yourself to fruit from the bowl and fruit
juices.]
Overflow Rooms: When space (or your budget) is very tight and you trust our choice, we have a network of accommodation choices
(all within the boundaries of the City of Nelson unitary authority) where we can place you.
Overflow Rooms and buildings vary but all are clean and comfortable and our friends and colleagues will make you more than welcome in their homes, tourist lodgings and accommodations...
Maximum occupancy of an Overflow Room is usually 2 people (occasionally 3) and obviously facilities vary; usually twin beds with a shared shower room/WC but could sometimes be a double bed with an en suite bathroom. Breakfast is NOT included in the Overflow Room tariff.
Sometimes it may happen that, after you have reserved an Overflow Room, we get a cancellation in the main house. In this case, if you have a
reservation for an Overflow Room, we may be able to accommodate you in Amber House itself in what we call an "Our Choice Room"
at the same ultra-low price. This is where you let us pick your specific bedroom in Amber House - and you are prepared to move bedrooms
during the course of a stay of more than one night.
You could get lucky and bag an air conditioned and en-suite "Our Choice Room"; equally you might end up without air-con, a heat pump
or without double glazing. Typically TWO beds (but could be one bed if we put you in the Blue Room). Cordless 'phone. Colour TV. No breakfast is included in either
Overflow or "Our Choice Room" tariffs but, if you are staying in an Amber House bedroom, you can order a cooked breakfast of your choice for an additional $15.
In any event, we will shout you hot or cold drinks and Anzac biscuits when you are actually staying in Amber House!
NOTE on availability: Although we have 4 guest bedrooms available at Amber House, we don't accept reservations for the main house for more than 4 guests staying at one time. Should a particular bedroom not be showing as available for the entire duration of your planned stay, you may like to book some days in one room and some days in another room that is showing availability. If you then add an appropriate note in the comments field of both of the online booking forms at the time you make both reservations, then, at our discretion and with your agreeement, we may be able to consolidate the two separate bookings so that you spend your whole stay in one room at the cheaper of the two room rates quoted by the online system.
AMBER HOUSE - at the centre!™
What's the difference between a "Bed and Breakfast" and a full service hotel? Amber House is NOT a stately home or luxurious - we believe you will find us helpful and our Guest House clean and comfortable but we don't do "swanky" or "flunky" or "obsequious" at Amber House.
Popular BB "Accommodation" mis-spellings include: accomadation, accomadations, accomodation, accomodations. Also popular are acomadation, acomadations, acomodation and acomodations.
BB CONTACT
Since the start of this year, 1st January 2010, Amber House has been under the new, professional management of Amber House Limited.
At Amber House, as in New Zealand generally, we speak English but also have some French, German, Spanish, Māori and Fukien Chinese.
Amber House
46 Weka Street
Nelson 7010
New Zealand
In Nelson, it is now:
Click this sentence for our telephone number and e-mail address
AMBER HOUSE - at the centre!™
A small selection from our BB GUEST BOOK:
[After you have stayed with us at Amber House, please add your entry to our Guest Book. Please visit our other website to write
your entry:-
AmberHouse.info
On that other website your entry will normally appear unexpurgated or edited by us. Here, below, we only include (slightly edited and re-formatted) highlights
some while later...] Adam and Anne Amber
02 Mar 2010
Hello; I am a french cyclist and I was at Amber house on january 2010; what I liked here ? The welcome, of course ! The owner was very friendly, and I had a
good feeling in this house. Even, if it was rainy, it's a good memory. Good bye and maraming salamat...
Roland (Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France)
13 Nov 2009
Thank you! Everything was lovely. Room was quiet...
Kate (Norkoping, Sweden)
08 Sep 2009
Thank you so much for my stay with you. Although Amber House is very charming, you three were definitely the best, most enjoyable part of being there.
Christina (Auckland)
17 May 2009
The stay was fantastic and I cannot fault the hospitality in any way. Great rooms, good breakfast and a very friendly host. Thank you M.
Dr B P (Hamilton)
26 Dec 2008
We arrived at Amber House with tons of dirty clothes due to a hard time on a volcano mountain. In less time that it takes to say it, our clothes were
refreshed and we could at last wear clean clothes. We had delicious and original breakfasts, and good advices to visit the area. Our pleasant stay in Nelson
was mainly related to our hosts' attention. Thank you, friends, for the nice memory we keep from there, and sorry for writing so late: it was a year ago. As
you can see, we have never forgotten you.
Erwann, Laure & our 4 children. (from France via Beijing)
12 Dec 2008
I had a great time in Nelson and if I come back to New Zealand I will stay again in the Amber House. It is a wonderful place to stay! Thank you very much for
everything.
Stephan (Switzerland)
29 Mar 2008
Thanks for a great stay including a yummy breakfast! Very helpful and flexible!
The b.y c :-)
23 Mar 2008
Lovely historic building with clean and tidy facilities, very important when travelling. Great hosts and it was great having breakfast before heading out for
the day. Many thanks and happy to recommend to other travellers.
Dunedinites - Heather & Diane
08 Mar 2008
Op weg van Kaikoura naar Abel Tasman zochten we een plaats om te overnachten. We zijn uiteindelijk in Amber House beland en vinden het nu (na het prima
ontbijtje) best jammer dat we niet meer tijd hebben om langer in Nelson te blijven. We hadden graag vanuit deze stek de omgeving verder verkend. De kamer,
het sanitair, de ligging en de gastvrijheid zijn prima en maken een verblijf zeker aan te raden!
Brenda & Paul (Nijmegen, Nederland)
08 Mar 2008
Muchas gracias por el maravilloso tiempo que tuvimos aqui, me la pase muy agusto, todo en orden, limpieza al por mayor. espero en un tiempo no muy lejano
volver a nueva zelanda y con mucho gusto volver a su hogar.
jose carlos morales (Mexico)
08 Mar 2008
Lieber Familie Amber, Herzlichen Dank fuer den phantastischen Aufenthalt in ihrem Hause. Der Service und die gesammte Betreuung war hervorragent. Wir
wuenschen ihnen weiterhin alles gute und vielen dank fuer alles.
Ihr Wolfgang Plattner
21 Feb 2008
Thanks for a delightful stay. We enjoyed a comfortable room, a wonderful breakfast, and an excellent recommendation for Nelson's best fish n' chips all with
the accommodation of a last minute booking.
Ben (Camp Sherman, Oregon, USA)
09 Feb 2008
very pleasant stay at Amber House. Excellent hosts who made us very welcome. A first rate breakfast set us up for our onward journey. Thank-you,
David and Steven (Manchester, UK)
08 Feb 2008
We are from Vancouver, B.C. and have stayed at Amber House for the last 4 days. We slept very well as the bed was very comfortable and the room was air
conditioned. The breakfasts were superb with a good menu. The host and hostess are very pleasant people and informative regarding what to do around Nelson.
We have no reservations about recommending Amber House to fellow travellers.
Paul and Doreen (Langley, Canada)
09 Jan 2008
I just wanted to tell you thanks for the hospitality. Amber House was quiet and relaxing, just what we needed after a day of kayaking. We had a wonderful
time in New Zealand, in part thanks to you. We wish you best in the new year. Thanks.
Dan & Diana (Indianapolis, USA)
04 Jan 2008
A jolly time all in all. Enormous delicious breakfasts which I didn't have as I can't eat much in the mornings...but if you can you won't need much more to
eat all day. The family make for a friendly atmosphere and this splendid establishment is a home away from home. I would always stay here on any future
occasions in Nelson..itself a splendid city..just the right size a city should be. A beautiful place with a stunning hinterland.
Cheers, Malcolm Chalmers (Sydney/Brisbane, Australia)
03 Oct 2007
I had a lovely stay at Amber House - in the Rose room - while attending a course in Nelson. (Everyone including the children) were all welcoming and
efficient! I especially enjoyed the lovely strawberry pancakes - thanks Mila!! I will definitely stay again when I am in Nelson next year.
Linda.
24 May 2007
Thank you for looking after my mother when she came to visit Nelson. Her weekend there was made all the more special by the kind, caring and generous
attention she got at Amber House. She didn't stop talking about her stay. Everything was perfect, the rooms, the food and the fantastic and friendly
hospitality. Thanks again. She will definitley stay at Amber House next time she visits Nelson.
A.S. (Queenstown)
02 Feb 2007
Thanks very much for a lovely stay! I think next time, we'll stay in Nelson more than a day so we can see more of it. You were great about accommodating
our crazy "be on the road by 6am" schedule to Tasman Bay. The sandwiches you made for our road trip were perfect! Thanks again for everything!
Kim and Brian (Fresh Kiwis from Washington, D.C.)
13 Jan 2007
Thank you very much for taking us in that late at night. Very nice place and wonderful hospitality! Thanks a lot!
Alexander Graf Stillfried (VENEZUELA)
Danke! Gracias! For it all! Por Todo! (hébergement, nouvelle-zélande, logement, chambre-d'hôte)
Claudia Graefin Stillfried (VENEZUELA)
11 Jan 2007
very nice accomodition made to fee really welcome, great hospitality if my car brakes down again I'll be back to stay here Thanks!
Leah & Connor (aged 2) from Golden Bay
20 Nov 2006
Thanks for a wonerful stay! We really appreciated being able to leve our bikes in the garage - after 2000kms you get kind of attached to them - not that
Nelson seems to be exactgly crime ridden anyway, but you know what it's getting like in Toronto these days! Mind you, I still don't think we're as paranoid
as our neighbours to the south (wink). We'll try and send you some pictures of our hosue when we get home - you'll see how strange we found it staying
ain a a reveresed miror image 20,000kms away. All our love -
Helen and Edgar Kroeger
14 Nov 2006
Fantastic breakfasts, great views and we just couldn't beleive the price. Your'er very welcome to visit uys in Sunnydale any time.
Jim and Cecily (California)
AMBER HOUSE - at the centre!™
BB HISTORY
House
A German author, W F Buchholz, has written two articles in the on-line encyclopedia Wikipedia
relevant to Amber House.
The first article is entitled Amber House and the second article is about the "School for young ladies and little boys" that started to operate from Amber House one hundred years ago: Cabragh House School
We have been asked by W F Buchholz if we could place on our website some of our very early photographs of Amber House and the School (that are not in the public domain). We have agreed to try and do this and we are now beginning to print these old negatives and start scanning the prints into GIF and JPEG files. However, we are still trying to work out a scheme that will not impact too much on our allocated bandwidth since some of the scanned files are more than 20 Megabytes in size.
The sepia toned print shows a fetching portrait of the "Cabragh House Singing Group" and it is believed that the then proprietor and headmistress of Cabragh House school, Miss Janetta Hornsby, is in the middle of the back row and her two sisters, Charlotte and Ruth, flank her on either side.
This print is probably contemporaneous with the school bell that was commisioned to celebrate Dominion status for New Zealand more than a century ago that now hangs to the right of our front door.
To the right is the first thumbnail of what, at the time this photograph was taken, were two of only three houses in Weka Street.
The photographer must have been standing at just about the high water mark of Nelson Haven (before extensive land reclamation formed Neale Park) just over 100 years ago.
If you visit Amber House, this photograph is hanging in the entrance hall (just past the Grandfather clock that pre-dates Mr Hornsby's arrival in the Antipodes by nearly 120 years).
The bearded gentleman on the verandah is believed to be Mr John P Hornsby, a Nelson accountant at that time, but who had previously worked on the Irish railways and presumed to have ordered the building of both Amber and Cabragh Houses. He had been in Nelson since at least early 1895 - a time of financial depression in New Zealand.
John was an amateur geologist, as his notebooks make clear. An entry from 18th November 1895 is optimistic about the prospects for mining bituminous coal in Nelson and records "Mr McKay only allowed 2 chains for the coal to run from the mine - Mr Worley has traced outcrops from mine to run continuously to Gorge 1 mile". (The Gorge is a deep gully east of the old Enner Glynn workings of Jenkins and the Nelson Coal Company.)
The second thumbnail
of Cabragh and Amber Houses is believed to have been taken in 1906 or 1907 by an Australian visitor and was sent in 1982 from Mrs H Haughton of Queensland,
Australia. At the right, the (now demolished) spire of the building that is now Paradiso Backpackers is visible. Note that the three canopies over the second
storey front windows of Amber House have not yet been constructed. A tall vent pipe is now prominent in front of the Blue Room's window and a (still existing)
cast iron soil stack is visible at the north-western corner of Amber House while the pampas grass on the front lawn has been considerably trimmed back.
AMBER HOUSE - at the centre!™
Webpage version 53f, 18 July 2010
