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

Recommended hotels

• Sky City Grand Hotel, Auckland (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 City, close to the CBD and K-Road. Reception and concierge have been excellent and hospitable on repeated visits. Faultless, really.

Other hotels - caveat emptor

• Mercure 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)