This is the largest city in New Zealand, and its main port of entry for vessels, including cruise liners and superyachts. Set on the North Island, Auckland has indeed grown up around its two harbours. The most prominent landmark on its horizon is the Sky Tower, from which you’ll often spot people bungee jumping. Auckland Domain, the city’s oldest park, is home to an extinct volcano and the Wintergardens. And visitors should also check out Mission Bay Beach, with its seaside promenade, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tamaki and Auckland War Memorial Museum, as well as the city zoo.
JW Marriott Auckland
The first JW Marriott to arrive in Auckland, this hotel occupies the site of the Stamford Plaza. The property is undergoing a phased NZ$20 million refurbishment, bringing a philosophy of mindfulness to the fore of the hotel’s new personality. It will comprise a total of 286 bedrooms, an executive lounge and lobby bar, a 100-cover buffet restaurant and a speciality dining venue — for which an onsite JW Garden will enable guests to grow herbs and ingredients as part of the culinary experience. Meanwhile a spa area, integral to the design, will include a heated swimming pool, a fitness centre, treatment rooms and a sauna.
The Hotel Britomart
This 10-storey hotel strikes the balance between maintaining excellent eco-cred and cosseting its guests in the lap of local luxury (the bed linen is organic, the slippers compostable and the food is sustainably sourced). Indigenous materials such as reclaimed Kauri timbers, driftwood and volcanic black sand are woven into the decor along with materials by artisans, such as decorative boulders by stonemasons and exterior handmade brickwork. Designer Emily Priest is responsible for much of the look, which creates a calming and enveloping feel. Guests can also gain a taste of New Zealand, at Britomart’s restaurant, Kingi.
Fable Auckland, MGallery
Sleep in one of 70 bedrooms (king and queen sized, or suites with separate living areas) within this 1928 Heritage Listed building, one of the city’s original skyscrapers. Set on a precinct in a lively pocket of the Downtown area, Fable highlights the building’s period elements, while maintaining a contemporary feel through grounding tones of grey, earthy brown and deep plum. Guests can feast on an array of nutritious international dishes packed with wholefoods, or hunker down in the lounge with a drink, at its Cookes Restaurant and Bar. Fable became a five-star hotel in 2017.
SO/ Auckland
The result of a collaboration with the fashion house WORLD, SO/ offers pops of the bright, bold, sassy and sexy. Its design is subtly reflective of the city’s relationship with the local volcanoes, notably in the accents of black and gold. Bedrooms come with Bose speakers, Hermès toiletries and Nespresso machines and the lobby features a full-height chandelier. This is not the place for the understated. Take the lift up to the 16th floor and you’ll find the HI-SO bar, aka party central, with panoramic harbour views. Above this is the extravagant Harbour Society restaurant. Plus there’s a MIXO bar at ground level.