Weekend escape at Adventurers Chest Hot Water Beach Accommodation
In hospitality, it’s the little touches that make the world of difference. It would be fair to say that new kids on the block, Adventurers Chest, have nailed those little touches.
Adventurers Chest is a new offering on the Coromandel, consisting of two tiny homes, both purpose built for an adventurers getaway. These funky whares are the brainchild of James and Michelle Illingsworth. James is a Kiwi, Michelle an Aussie, and they first met in Perth as James tells it “at a dance festival, I watched Michelle dancing for two hours before plucking up the courage to say hi, the rest is history!”
In 2020 with the world going into lockdown, and plans completely dashed for a multi year overseas adventure they had both spent years saving for, James and Michelle decided to drop their savings into property instead.
“We got some good advice, if we were going to buy property, make sure it generates some cashflow for you.” says Michelle. That advice led them down the path of Air BnB, Michelle studying a course of Air BnB design during the process of building. It is refreshing to see a young couple heed the call into the hosted accommodation space, often the domain of those retiring to the Coromandel.
And what better place to provide a new accommodation offering than the tourist mecca of Hot Water Beach. Adventurers Chest is perfectly north facing towards the Hot Water Beach pohutukawa covered pa site, beside the Taiwawe stream that meanders its way around both sides of the property. The two tiny homes, inspired by a concept Michelle discovered in her research in Byron Bay, are aptly named Pohutukawa and Taiwawe.
Tia and I took up James and Michelle’s offer to stay for the weekend and check their property out, and it came at a time when we both needed a well earned break. We arrived late on a Friday night after a big week, and the first small touch we noticed was the electronic keypad entry to our whare. No need for a key - what a great idea for holidaymakers spending their time going backwards and forwards to the beach!
Inside, we could immediately see the attention to details that has gone into constructing these funky hideaways. The kitchen is built from beautiful macrocarpa slabs James says he toiled over under the watchful eye of his Uncle Ken. They’re adorned with everything you need to self cater for your stay, right down to stovetop coffee pots, beautiful cups, plates and cutlery, plus little tubs of oregano, garlic and chilli, and even tubs of marshmallows to toast over the fire. Hot Water Beach’s natural feel flows inside with plenty of indoor plants and greenery.
We lit a fire in the loft, kicked back on the sofa snacking on some olives and blue cheese, and instantly felt relaxed. A BBQ dinner with the waves crashing in the background - the perfect chilled out Friday night!
The next morning we strolled along the beach dipping our feet in the hot pools. Several surfers were out making the most of a nice clean 4 foot swell and offshore wind, and apart from that, we largely had the beach to ourselves. It is quite surreal to experience this magical spot without the hordes of tourists of the days of old, today only three cheeky topless internationals were making the most of natures free spa pool on the beach.
A very relaxed Saturday was just what the doctor ordered. First we ventured to Eggsentric Cafe for a banging breakfast, their free range eggs and miso mushies are pretty hard to beat! Then there was a date with a comfy sofa and a book, which turned into an afternoon sleep. It is pretty hard not to hit full relax mode in this magical spot.
Adventurers Chest is aptly named though, and we felt compelled to trial some of the many toys James and Michelle have at the disposal of their guests, including eBikes, surfcasting rods, surfboards, paddleboards and kayaks. We opted for a leisurely eBike around the neighbourhood, before retiring for the day and lighting the fire for another cruisy night in.
Well and truly refreshed on Sunday morning we ventured to Hahei to check out the artspace of Lawnmower’s Son and then one of the best Mexican feeds we’ve ever had at Cooked Coromandel in Flaxmill Bay.
Sometimes the best adventures in life can happen close to home. While we are blessed to live in paradise ourselves, a short break half an hour up the road to Hot Water Beach for the weekend really made a difference and recharged the batteries. We can’t thank James and Michelle enough for a great stay.
We asked what James and Michelle wanted guests to experience and feel from their stay….”A connection to the land where you can get back to basics, get a sense of escape and relaxation with the opportunity to try new things.”
We’re stoked to say thats exactly what we got out of our little escape.
We wish them all the best for what should be an exciting future at Adventurers Chest.
Check out more at:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adventurerschest/
Air BnB: www.airbnb.co.nz/rooms/52265107
Written by Carl Muir