Auckland - where to stay

By Mark Sukhija

Please mention MarksTravelNotes.com when contacting these fine establishments. I have stayed at all these hotels.

Recommended hotels

Sky City Grand Hotel (90 Federal Street, Auckland) - In terms of comfortable, spacious rooms the Sky City Grand Hotel is hard to beat. Actually, I'm pretty sure they're the largest double rooms I've ever stayed in - I've stayed in smaller suites in Europe! Location is difficult, if not impossible, to beat being directly opposite Sky Tower , close to the CBD and K-Road. Reception and concierge have been excellent and hospitable on repeated visits. Faultless, really.
Hotel de Brett (2 High Street, Auckland 1010) - One of Auckland's finest boutique hotels, centrally located in the CBD some meters from Queen Street. Each room is individual and unique - but all are comfortable. Each evening, in the "Sitting Room" hosts pre-dinner drinks for hotel guests.

Mercure Auckland (8 Customs Street, 1001 Auckland) - I've only stayed at the Mercure Auckland once. Location was excellent - being a meters from Queen Street and very close to the ferry building and the airport shuttle bus. The restaurant and bar were undergoing renovations when I visited - an adequate job had been done of replicating the "Vertigo Restaurant" on the lower levels. While reception and conference areas appeared to have been renovated, the accomodation levels were still in need of an overhall. Reception staff were competent if uninspiring. (22nd July 2010)