타우랑가 럭셔리 Fantail lodge, 숙박시설 3배로 증설

타우랑가에서 카티카티 방향에 위치한 최고급 빌라 롯지 Fantail Lodge가 최근 숙박시설 규모를 3배로 키웠다고 합니다.  올 11월말까지 완공되면 총 12동의 빌라와 10개의 럭셔리 스위트룸을 갖게 된다.

2011년 럭비월드컵 참가 대표국의 숙소될 가능성도.

 

위치:  Rea Rd just off State Highway 2, Katikati New Zealand

웹사이트 :  http://www.fantaillodge.co.nz/

 

방2개짜리 빌라의 성수기  2인 기준 숙박료 약 30만원.

  

 

A Western Bay luxury lodge is tripling its accommodation - and will have the opportunity of hosting one of the World Cup rugby teams in 2011.

 

After first preparing plans six years ago, the owners of Fantail Lodge near Katikati are now ready to build 10 more tudor-styled villas at a cost of between $2-3 million.

 

Harrie and Barbara Geraerts are planning to have the luxury villas completed in November and by then they will know whether Fantail Lodge is a team base for the next rugby World Cup.

 

Mr Geraerts said yesterday his lodge was on Rugby World Cup 2011's list of facilities most suitable for teams and visitors/fans.

 

"There are no games in Tauranga and we are unlikely to host any visitors, but I give our chance of hosting a team 10 out of 10," he said. "We are about one and a half hour's drive from the venues in Hamilton, Rotorua and Auckland, our property is private and it can easily be secured. Foodwise, we have experience with sports diets," said Mr Geraerts, an experienced chef.

 

The 15 hectare property, up a long, bushy drive in Rea Rd just off State Highway 2, has helicopter access and plenty of room for training, as much as 2 hectares of flat, open land. Mr Geraerts expects to hear in August whether his application has been successful - before the Rugby World Cup 2011's website goes live for travel agents to make group bookings at the listed facilities.

 

The Ireland team is due to play pool matches in Rotorua, "and maybe we could have them for two weeks", said Mr Geraerts. He would get the backing from the local Irish community who were some of the early settlers in Katikati.

"The French rugby team would be nice, too, but we'll just have to wait," he said.

 

It's understood that two other accommodation providers in Tauranga have made a pitch to be involved with the rugby world cup.

 

Fantail Lodge has just secured bank funding, giving them the confidence to move ahead with the garden villas - after initially planning to sell off the plans.

 

Each villa, with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, has its own title covering between 850-879 sq m of land. They are 130 sq m in size and have a valuation of $425,000 each.

Mr Geraerts is selling five of them - one is already sold and two more are under negotiation - and he will keep the others.

All 10 go into the accommodation pool, and the villa owners can expect an investment return of about 7 per cent annually.

 

Fantail Lodge will finish up with 12 villas and 10 luxury suites - enough to comfortably house 34 people, and a touring rugby team.

 

Despite the recession, Mr Geraerts believes it's a good time to expand.

"The boutique market such as ours is growing more than the motel trade. We have the kind of property that's not affected by the economy - instead of taking an overseas trip, people are now looking to have a nice long weekend stay in New Zealand."

Mr Geraerts said he will be able to concentrate on the bigger corporate conference market, hosting 20-30 people instead of 10.

 

A company could spend up to $35,000 for a three-day conference, involving 30 people, at Fantail Lodge.

 

Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton, who visited Fantail Lodge yesterday, said it was great to see the banks supporting the tourism industry and enabling this development to go ahead.

"People are still arriving here; they are just coming from different places. We have just passed one million Australian visitors in a 12-month period," Mr Hickton said.

"We see tourism as being a key plank in New Zealand's economic recovery." <BOP TIMES>