Hotel berhampiran Kopupaka Playground, Auckland

We stayed one night at the motel as a result of the end of January flooding in Auckland which had caused our flight to Vancouver to be cancelled. Ian was very accommodating - when we checked in, we weren’t sure how many nights we would need as our flight had not been re-booked at that time, so he moved us to a room that was available for at least 3 nights. Our room (12) was spacious and clean and had everything we needed. The mall at New Lynn is within walking distance and has plenty of food options as well as shops. The motel provided great value for money in our opinion.

Booked a last-minute room here at Roomie due to road closures up in Northland and a long day of flying. The price seemed excellent, and the pictures online, whilst a bit vague, looked pretty nice. I did email the place to enquire on Reception Hours, as I was not going to be arriving until late. I was told there was a 24-hour reception, and someone would be on the desk to greet me. Little hard to find the place. Located down a One Way Street by the Avondale Train Station. There was no signage I could see that told me that I even had the right building. It was dark, so there may have been a Unilluminated one, but it was tricky at the time. I pulled up to the gate, which didn't open. It appeared I needed a key card. I double parked down the street and then tried to get in through another gate, which I also found needed a key card. I had to run back to the car and get a torch to be able to read the little sign, which told me I needed to Buzz the Reception who would open the Gate. The Gent at Reception was pretty quiet and disinterested. Sign In was done on those annoying tablet things, where you need to enter email addresses, etc. I went back and got the car to bring it into the Hotel CarPark. Unfortunately, you actually have to pull in, then get out of the car, and Swipe you Key Card to open the gate before jumping in and driving through. The only Car Park I could find was right at the bottom in a very tight corner. Unfortunately, there is only one entrance, so you have to walk back up and past the desk. Unfortunately, no matter what I tried, I could not get the lift to work. It just would not go to the level below. It just kept taking me up and down, but never to the level below reception where my room was. The Gent didn't seem too interested in the problem, just pointing over at the stairs. So I thudded all my bags down the stairs to the lower level. Here, I found there were no signs pointing out where the rooms were. I literally had to wander the corridors until I found my room. It wouldn't be hard to put up a poster, a map, or some signs, pointing out the directions of the rooms. Especially when the reception didn't seem to be detailed in his directions. The room was delightful. It really was. Clearly bigger than the one I booked, I was really taken with its layout and design. The main part had a sofa, small dining table, and a large telly with Freeview, but also ChromeCast. The kitchen was extremely well equipped, with enough stuff to cook a decent meal. Even had a dishwasher to boot! Open the fridge only to find the dreaded UHT Milk, and only 3 little pottles at that. What an absolute letdown. A small bottle of fresh milk just makes so much difference. A large bed lay off to the side. Unfortunately you could not see the TV from Bed, which was a shame. The bathroom was smallish, but it did have a separate toilet room and an amazing shower. Super hot and with generous pressure. A shower you could spend a long time in. There were a sachet

We had a spa studio which was very comfortable, spotlessly clean and well equipped. The kitchenette had everything necessary and the room was a good size. The downside was the wifi - I was given a voucher which only allowed us to connect one device. The wifi kept disconnecting and the voucher expired very quickly - in fact I could not reconnect at 6am, having checked in at 5.00pm.

On the website one can already see this property is in need of a far overdue renovation. Rooms I mn the original building are not soundproof, have stuff which was common in the eighties and will never return and somehow cannot make up its mind whither target market is. It seems they cater to the elderly, while their guests are younger. Therefor a mismatch. The spa is excellent and so is the food in the menu. However be prepared to eat this wonderful food in an outdated restaurant setting. With a marvellous view of Auckland though. The staff all seem happy to be here, but lack attention to detail. An email sent to me prior to my stay spoke of a road that would be closed on may something, while the booking was made in July for august… furthermore, make sure to clean in top of cupboards in guest rooms too (spiderwebs dust, dead insects where abundantly present). Why is the bar in the cosy fireplace lounge lit up like a cristmas tree which takes away all atmosphere again? And why is the music soo off compared to the atmosphere you would want to create here (and only audible in the reception area by yet again… speakers that date back from the eighties and create a creepy twin peaks like feeling? Just a couple of examples of the many things we saw.. With so much potential it seems only logical that an investor will buy it at make the needed changes in all perspective.

Located in the real heartbeat of Auckland is the Neighborhood of Ponsonby, central is the Great Ponsonby Arthotel. All the comforts of home away from home, it is an amazing find in this bustling city. Local artists, chefs, and creative, talented people support this lovely area filled with beautifully maintained villas and quaint businesses. Arthotel is no exception with a welcoming ambiance and a very local feel. This was our 2nd stay at GPA, Rooms 1 & 2 at the front of the home. The rooms are a fair size with good storage (dressers, night stands, open hanging closet), comfy bed with plentiful pillows and quilts, a writing desk, small flat screen, ensuite with shower, and artfully etched glass doors leading to a small lanai with seating for two. There is full access to the large public rooms (2 dining areas, cozy lounge)and the large L-shaped yard. When we return, we'd like to try the cottages in the rear yard. Highly recommend breakfast at GPA. It includes 5 hot fresh breakfast choices along with fresh fruit, juice, yogurt, muesli, cheese, several choices of bread, including gluten free (often home baked). The staff are friendly and allow you to be as independent as you wish. Within easy walking distance are a variety of local city vibe shops and restaurants. If you'd like to venture down to the central Auckland waterfront, it's an easy 15-20 minute walk downhill past Victoria park. It's a quick 10-15 minute Uber ride back (uphill), about 8NZD. If cold, overcrowded, high-rise concrete city hotels are not your thing, you will truly appreciate the welcoming feel of this great resting spot.

Avoid this place like the plague. I booked the “suite cabin” for three nights and although the bed was very comfortable and the reception team were really nice there is nothing else going for this “Hotel”. From the moment i stepped into the room i was hit with the overwhelming smell of musty air. I immediately opened the A/C cover to find what appeared to be 3 years of dust buildup. I reported to the reception and was advised that it would be cleaned in the morning and to my surprise, upon returning to the room at 5:30pm it had not been done and the room had not been serviced at all. The room was dirty with mould around the bathroom skirting, dirty hand/finger prints all over the walls, all of the crockery/cutlery and glassware had to be washed as they were all still un-clean, one if the bath towels had makeup on it, the a/c was filthy, the coffee table still had sticky stuff all over it from a spilled drink and there were spider web’s hanging from the bedside lamps. When i sent an email to ask if the rooms were serviced daily (as my room was not cleaned at all) i was told that i had the only key for the room, hence why the room was not cleaned, and was asked to leave the room unlocked so that the room could be cleaned. I’m sorry, what?.. The internet is the worst ever, constantly dropping out and for the three minutes that you do have a connection you cant even load a 1 minute Youtube video as it will just keep stopping, and then eventually drop out where you will have to reconnect again.. ughhh. The bar (on the hotel ground’s overlooking the Pool) was apparently a completely separately owned business and way over priced. A chicken Caesar Salad will set you back nearly $30 and a beer will cost you $15. These are prices that you would pay in a 5-Star hotel not a shabby motel bar. The owner of the bar was outside drinking with his “buddies” and when the bar had just closed 2 minutes earlier, and I attempted to get one drink, i was told that i could not be served as the bar had closed. I asked why the gentleman standing next to me was able to order a round of drinks for he and his friends, i was told that “he is the owner”. Righto! Great look Mr. Owner!! Stay away from this place, there is plenty of better places in the area and really good air bnb’s which is where i ended up.

It was our first day in NZ and this hotel was a lovely surprise on a rainy day. The room was tiny as an old convent room, however well equipped, with a unique decor. The restaurant within the hotel l, Ada is also extremely good and worth to try.