Description: I visited Auckland as part of a work conference and so I wanted somewhere to stay that was affordable and only a few minutes walk from the conference venue, which was Sky City. After a bit of searching I found the Elliott Street Hotel, a hotel right in the heart of downtown Auckland that is made from a restored 19th century building. The rooms were affordable, I paid around £60 a night for a studio room, which was perfect for myself. You can also get 1 and 2 bedroom suites which would be perfect for a family of 4. The hotel is located on the corner of Wellesley Street and Elliott Street, which although probably means nothing to you, is actually just a minutes walk from Queen Street, the main drag and a short walk to the Britomart transport centre and the whaf area. In fact while staying in this hotel I walked everywhere and didn't need to use any form of public transport unless I was going further afield. The immediate area around the hotel was safe enough for me a young women to walk around late at night and early morning, without feeling uncomfortable.
Arriving straight into Auckland International Airport I got a shuttle bus, that runs every ten minutes or so, straight downtown Auckland. From the Queen Street stop I only had to walk a couple of minutes up the road to be at the hotel. The entrance is all marble floors and stairs up to a real old world style lobby. Check in was quick and straightforward, with the staff member being very pleasant and helpful for my sleep addled brain (I had been travelling for around 36 hours). I took the lift up to my third floor studio room, I passed through two security doors, that can only be opened with a room key, so I felt safe and sound. My room was at the end of a corridor at the back of the hotel. I couldn't hear anyone else in the rooms around me, however my windows looked out into the back of several restaurants, so all I could hear were extractor fans from the kitchens. Unfortunately this also meant that I often arrived in my room and it smelt of burgers and steaks because I had forgotten to close the windows. Other than this though I was very happy with the room. As you can see on the attached pictures it had a double bed, sofa and tv, a full kitchenette (with pots, pans, cutlery, utensils and plates), plenty of storage space and then a full sized shower-room with a washer and dryer fitted into it.
I have to say I was impressed, I was comfortable for my 9 night stay and the ability to cook my meals and prepare my own breakfast when away on my own was lovely. The washer and dryer were indispensible and the bed was very comfortable. In the room when I arrived was an arrival pack that explained things like the windows have been restored without being double glazed, to keep the building's heritage and so you can get free earplugs from reception if you find it to be loud. The pack also gave me lots of options for eating in and around the hotel as well as various tourist attractions. The only problem that I had was using the internet, because WiFi couldn't reach upstairs, so I had to make sure that I checked my e-mails etc when I was sat in the lobby. That was a little bit of a pain only because I was away for work and had to be contactable. If you were on holiday I don't think this would matter because checking your e-mails when you're in such a beautiful country shouldn't be a priority.
All in all a fantastically affordable hotel in the centre of Auckland, perfect for a couple or family who need to be able to do washing and would llike to be able to cook their own food some of the time. The staff are helpful and polite, the rooms are clean and modern and have everything you could possible need during your stay in Auckland.
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