Looking for one of the best 5 star hotels in Auckland? Look no further. Superb harbour location, plush amenities, lovely lap pool overlooking the turquoise harbour, great restaurant selection, cosy rooms – you name it, the Auckland Hilton hotel nails it.
I really enjoy staying in the Auckland CBD – for most locals and office workers it’s where their head offices are based. But as tourists…
…it’s where we’ve watched the New Year come as the first city in the world, caught up with friends over Dan Dan Noodles, slipped onto the Rangitoto ferry for volcano wandering adventures, overlooked the stunning harbour with cocktails in hand, had long overdue brunches in quirky local cafes, sipped too many flat whites to count…
This nautically-inspired hotel sits on the end of Princes Wharf, home to a wide variety of fine shops, restaurants, and bars. The Cloud Convention Centre, New Zealand Maritime Museum, and downtown Auckland are within a 10-minute walk.
Without traffic it’s a 25-minute drive down to Auckland airport or a 15-minute drive over to the North Shore, and it’s close to trains, busses, coaches and ferries for exploring the rest of Auckland & New Zealand.
Check-in was a smooth as silk – I so love and miss the friendliness of New Zealanders when I’m not at home – and before I knew it I was in my room, unpacking my togs*.
And the bed. oh the bed – I could write a sonnet to just how cozy the bed was. I slipped under the duvet for “just 10 minutes”, only to wake an hour and a half later to the hazy toot of a couple of ferries pulling into the harbour. It was so beautifully dark with the blackout curtains pulled, that looking at the clocking declaring 4pm only made sense when I peeped back out into the sunny afternoon.
The bathroom was well-appointed; the rain shower was glorious…
…and the view from my balcony was delicious. It felt very cruise chic but without the seasickness.
But, of the 5 star hotels in Auckland, I booked the Hilton for the pool. Especially as it was a delicious summery 29°C.
It’s just perfect for cooling off in and watching the harbour float past.
And the view of the pool from the carpark is pretty cool!
I didn’t have dinner in the hotel because I didn’t fancy anything fancy in the hotel restaurant – I’ve eaten in the FISH restaurant a few times before and it’s lovely – but popped out to top up the chocolates I was transporting home and ended up with one of my favourite burger & kumara*** chip pairings instead. The expat heart wants what the expat heart wants.
[Drying swimsuit, L&P & chicken chips** are all expat model’s own.]
Oh, and because I was revelling in my balcony of course.
Watching the skyline light up was a treat – a rather distracting one whilst I was doing client meetings if I’m honest…!
Waking up extremely refreshed the next morning only made my day’s plans – hopping on the long old flights back to London – that much harder. I really didn’t want to get out of bed, and longed it out as long as the generous check-out time would allow.
I ordered a touch of room service for breakfast – avocado on toast + bacon, with a delicious iced coffee – and lingered on my balcony as long as I could.
I loved the nautical theme running through the hotel – it was beautifully done without becoming kitsch.
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Kiwi to English Translations
* Togs = Swimsuit
** Chicken chips = chicken crisps
*** Kumara = Purple sweet potato