An Exclusive Castle Estate for Executive Retreats and Board Meetings
Some of the most important conversations a company or a family will have are best held far from the office. Earnscleugh Castle is a private conference venue near Queenstown for exactly those moments: a 1920 heritage estate on 30 acres in Central Otago, reserved for one group at a time.
This is not a venue for a 200-delegate conference. It is designed for small, senior groups of up to 18 guests, or 20 by arrangement: family businesses, boards and leadership teams who want privacy, space to think and time together, with everything taken care of.
A Private Conference Venue, Not a Hotel Ballroom
Most conference venues in Queenstown are hotels, where your group shares the lobby, the restaurant and the corridors with other guests. At Earnscleugh Castle, the entire estate is reserved for your party alone.
The Castle accommodates up to 12 guests overnight, and the historic Coach House adds space for 6 more. By arrangement, the owners’ suite can be added for a group of up to 20. There are no other guests, no conference schedules to share and no one outside your group in the room. For discussions that need discretion, that matters.
The Castle was built in 1920 by Stephen Spain and restored over four years by owners Ryan Sanders and Marco Creemers, a project featured on Grand Designs New Zealand. Today it holds a Category 1 listing, New Zealand’s highest heritage classification, and the owners host every stay personally.
Meeting Spaces with a Century of Character
The Castle’s grand formal dining room becomes your boardroom, seating the whole group around a single table. The library offers a quieter room for smaller sessions or one-to-one conversations, and the ballroom works as a second meeting room, a relaxed space for workshops and open discussion, or the setting for an evening event. A screen and projector can be arranged on request.
When it is time to step outside, the croquet lawn, gardens, eastern decks and western balcony make natural breakout spaces. Wi-Fi runs throughout the Castle.
For Family Businesses, Boards and Leadership Teams
Family businesses and family offices. A family meeting often needs to be two things at once: a serious conversation about the business, and time together as a family. The Castle allows both. Mornings can be given to the board table, afternoons to the pool, the gardens or a ride on the trails, and evenings to a private dinner for the whole family.
A family business group recently spent three days at the Castle on a fully inclusive retreat, with private dining throughout. Meetings, meals, accommodation and downtime were all arranged in advance, so the family could focus on each other and on the decisions in front of them.
Boards. Strategy days and board retreats benefit from distance and discretion. With no other guests on the property, sensitive discussions stay in the room.
Leadership teams. Senior offsites work best when the setting gives people room to think differently. A few days away, with time to talk properly over dinner, often achieves more than weeks of meetings in the office.
Private Dining and Fully Inclusive Retreats
Retreats can be arranged on a fully inclusive basis, so your group never has to think about where the next meal is coming from. A private chef cooks in the Castle’s commercial kitchen, with dinners served in the grand dining room, from relaxed family-style meals to a black-tie formal dinner with canapés.
The Packing Shed, one of the region’s most loved restaurants, sits just across the road and can host an exclusive lunch or a hands-on cooking class for your group.
Between Sessions
The pool, spa, Finnish sauna and ice bath are reserved for your group throughout the stay. Earnscleugh Castle is also home to Sanctum 7, a luxury wellness retreat, and its practitioners can add breathwork, yoga or a private Wim Hof Method session with an optional cold exposure workshop. A two-hour seminar on productivity and sustainable wellbeing is also available.
Beyond the estate, the owners regularly arrange:
- Private winery tours and wine-blending workshops in Central Otago’s Pinot Noir country
- E-bike rides on the Otago Central Rail Trail, Lake Dunstan Trail and Roxburgh Gorge Trail
- Guided heritage tours of the Castle, including the story of its four-year restoration
- Private ice curling in Naseby, available year-round, and cooking classes
Getting Your Group Here
Earnscleugh Castle is less than five minutes from the historic town of Clyde, about an hour’s drive from Queenstown, or 13 minutes by private helicopter, landing on the Castle’s front lawn. Private vehicle or helicopter transfers from Queenstown Airport can be arranged, along with dedicated group transport during the stay.
Queenstown Airport receives direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Guests from further afield connect through Auckland, which has nonstop flights from Singapore, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver.
Plan Your Retreat
The Castle is available for exclusive use with a minimum stay of three nights, subject to availability. Share your preferred dates, the size of your group and what you would like to achieve, and the owners will prepare a tailored proposal with pricing and a suggested itinerary.
Explore conference and retreat hire
Or contact the owners directly to check your dates.
Planning a family holiday rather than a working retreat? Read about luxury accommodation near Queenstown at the Castle.
We look forward to welcoming you to Earnscleugh Castle.
Ryan Sanders and Marco Creemers, Owners
