My wife and I stayed at the very charming Rutland Arms Inn for about ten days and had the most wonderful time. We stayed in the Rutland Suite, which was basically a room, but very comfortable.
The staff are incredibly friendly, especially the wait and bar staff in the pub downstairs (which has a great ambience and a roaring log fire every night). They're a happy bunch, know their menu well and aren't afraid to offer opinions and spirited recommendations about the fare on offer, which is so refreshing.
We also thought the food was almost perfect - the portions were worryingly large, and they do love their fries, but the lamb shank is truly spectacular.
I loved the way we were fussed over, especially by the people serving us breakfast - their attention to detail was touching, they knew exactly what our preferences were, down to what sort of coffee each of us preferred, and when!
Wanganui is a lovely little town with possibly the friendliest people on the planet, (it has a great newspaper as well!) and the Rutland is one of its best features.
We're definitely going back.