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The rural barn gets a big-bucks kick up the ass. This place is owned by US hedgefund billionaire Julian Robertson – it’s glamorous, it’s macho, it’s soft but chunky. There are thick timbers, snug reading nooks, cashmere blankets and weird farm implements hanging on the walls. It’s the most singularly striking get-up in the latest of a flurry of brilliant New Zealand lodges (Kauri Cliffs is its sister property). There are sunny suites (bag one with a terrace), a golf course and a spa with views out over the sea. Feast on pale-pink Hawkes Bay lamb and tiger prawns and sip on a honeyed Sauternes after dinner. Then, when morning comes, get down and dirty in your wellies on the working farm, surrounded by sheep and cattle and with glorious rugged hills as your backdrop. Uplifting.
Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
ITC Classics (tel: 01244 355527)
Double, from £210, half board