At Hotel d'Urville, we're proud to have been recognised both locally and internationally for our luxury boutique accommodation, as well as the fine dining offered at our signature restaurant. Most recently, we were very pleased to receive a glowing review from Tesco Wine Buyer James Griswood after his visit to Blenheim in October. While staying with us at the Hotel d'Urville, James attended our Villa Maria Winemakers evening and was lucky enough to be invited to the table of the evening's host, senior winemaker Jeremy Mckenzie. As a 'Hunters and Collectors' themed evening, the meal included a number of locally sourced ingredients like oysters, smoked eel, wild boar, New Zealand Paua, and local bee-pollen. Each of the four courses was paired with a carefully selected glass of Villa Maria wine to accompany the unique flavours of the dish. In his review, James said of the evening, "What was going to be a simple dinner for one in a quiet hotel restaurant turned into an entertaining and informative dinner of great food and fantastic wines". We're very happy to have received such a positive review from James. You can read the entire review here.Hotel d'Urville's restaurant has received a number of other awards and recognitions over the years, including being voted the 'Best Restaurant in Marlborough' in the 2012 Wild Tomato Dine Out Awards. The magazine - distributed to readers in Nelson and Marlborough - made their selection on a range of criteria including service, produce, location, presentation, inspiration and price.Our restaurant has also been awarded the Hallmark of Excellence Award for culinary achievement in Beef and Lamb for the last four consecutive years, and our executive chef Maree Connolly is herself a New Zealand Beef and Lamb ambassador - a highly coveted title only held by a few New Zealanders. Maree is a previous winner of the 'Best Wine and Food Match' at the 25th anniversary Marlborough Wine Festival and has a reputation for being one of the region's finest chefs. She has cooked for a number of high-profile events including Sir Edmund Hillary's 80th birthday celebration, an evening with the Sultan of Brunei, the Marlborough Hospice fundraising dinner, and many more. The Hotel d'Urville's signature restaurant proudly offers the very best of New Zealand cuisine, using the best local produce to create imaginative dishes paired with local, national and international wines. Our local specialties include Cloudy Bay clams, New Zealand Venison, Westland Eye Fillet, Canterbury Angus beef, NZ bred Wagyu Ribeye, Marlborough Salmon, Awatere Valley Black Angus beef and Canterbury Duck. Our aim is to provide an unforgettable dining experience for all our guests through excellent service and superb food and wine matches. Come join us for an evening of fine dining this summer - make a reservation at our signature restaurant (link to The Restaurant), or book a weekend escape (link to Packages & Specials) to enjoy both the luxury boutique accommodation and dining Hotel d'Urville has to offer.
