Review: Hilton Auckland

Nice to see restaurant on the second floor reopened. Worth having breakfast there just for the views.
Hotel has undergone massive lobby renovation and now looks much nicer but rooms are just ok.
I disagree with the location review as it is quite close to major restaurants along the harbor and also main business buildings. Also pier is a couple of blocks away, where you can con to devonport and waiheke island. Latter is absolutely a must if you have a couple of days.

We stayed there about 5 years ago as diamonds and received wonderful upgrades. First stay room with HUGE patio that could fit 40 people and second stay one with a great Harbor view.

I love Auckland but to be fair the CBD isn't so exciting. Nearby neighborhoods like Ponsonby, Kingsland, K Road etc have lots of nightlife and good restaurants. For solo travelers or tourists doing all of NZ, it's good for two nights at most. But if you know people there, it's well worth a longer stay.

I always liked the Hyatt Regency on Princes St. I think it's a different brand now though.

I stayed here for two nights. It's a short walk from the ferry terminal (I took the airport express bus to the ferry terminal) and city centre shopping/restaurants the overall location is very excellent. It is a quiet hotel with great views. Hertz rental car (about 15 min. walk) is on Victoria St. which I used for my excursions on the North Island. Auckland is fairly compact for the main areas and getting around by cab or bus is easy and not too expensive. Ferries will take you across the harbour to quaint Devenport. Ponsonby is nice for shopping in boutiques and having lunch - sort of a neighborhood for 'wives of Auckland' or 'ladies who lunch'. Overall the people in Auckland I found to be friendly though the train station area has been known for gangs of youths to hang about and assaults can happen. Another nearby upscale hotel alternative is Sofitel Auckland Harbour.

I stayed at Hilton Auckland as a Diamond at the end of May. Was upgraded to their bow suite. Views were incredible! The FISH restaurant just reopened(day1) and each staff was very friendly. Similar to Lucky's comment, I'd definitely stay at the property again...prior to the PH Auckland opens!

I'm an Aussie living in NZ. Auckland is such a let down compared to Sydney.
This would also apply to the Hilton Hotels in each city! The Hilton in Sydney is truly special. As Diamond HH you'd be upgraded to something a LOT nicer than this in Sydney. The breakfast buffet in Sydney is something I would expect to see in Dubai.
I know how much you love the Park Hyatt in Sydney, Lucky, but if you get a chance you really should try out the Sydney Hilton as I think you'd be pleasantly surprised; it's well above brand standard!

@Matthew

Stayed at the Sydney Hilton six years ago and found the bed(s) to be the most disappointing feature. King bed consisted of two beds put together and were EXTREMELY uncomfortoble. Room was also tihy...even though we had been "upgraded" as Diamond members. I'm hoping that this has changed for the better.

On the plus side, the Executive Lounge was tops for Breakfast, Tea Time, and Happy Hour. The staff were beyond awesome. At one point, we were brought snacks and a bottle of wine, along with a thank-you from the GM for our loyalty.

I love SYD, and if the Hilton has since uppped their game, I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.

@Matthew.I'm an Ex-pat living in Sydney while my partner completes his surgical training at St Vincents hospital,and have to disagree with you.Sydney must be one of the world's most overrated cities.Yes the harbour is amazing but then what....???Nightlife is absolute crap, where "lockout laws" here mean many venues close down around about midnight.Hows that for a"world city".I actually find the people here to be superficial and all anyone talks about is real estate values.We have on 2 occasions flown to Auckland for long weekend breaks and enjoyed the vineyards on Waiheke island , surfing at Piha (think of "The Piano"s brooding landscape) and hiking to the top of Rangitoto- an amazing dormant volcano in the Hauraki Gulf.Surfing in Sydney at Bondi or Manly is a joke,fighting your way through hordes of tourists fighting for a wave.

I'm not usually a Hilton fan, but recently i stayed at the Hilton Adelaide, and although there were a few things wrong with the hotel, the room did have a great desk, and a proper office chair. You can read a full review here: http://www.2paxfly.com/2016/06/hilton-adelaide-5-star-ibis-with-ikea.html

I work on the road sometimes, and am so used to having to request an office chair on arrival, that I sometimes specify it at booking.

You are right about Auckland. It does not have great hotel options. The Park Hyatt will be a great addition.

Lucky can highly recommend DeBretts hotel... boutique, & you almost certainly wont' be able to use points, but for my money hard to beat in Auck...

Nice to see the lobby has been FINALLY renovated. It was really drab before.

@Matthew, I love Sydney, and have stayed at the Hilton countless times over the years as a Diamond. However, I'm always upgraded to a standard exec room, which is TINY. Once in a while I'll get a corner room, which has a few extra inches. Never once gotten a jr suite.

@Damian, the uncomfortable mattresses at the Hilton Sydney have always been my main complaint, and according to their management, has been one of the top complaints overall. The good news is that starting last year they're replacing the mattresses with more comfortable ones that provide more support.

I find it hilarious that I checked in more or less the night you left and I'm not entirely sure I didn't have the same room as you...

"I love New Zealand, but not Auckland as such. Auckland feels to me like a smaller and more boring version of Sydney."

Wow, this was my EXACT thought when I visited NZ three years ago! Before ending up in Auckland, I had been to Sydney and after that driven through both islands of New Zealand, and Auckland felt almost like a let down after all the amazing things I saw and experienced in the rest of the country. Nothing wrong with the city as such, but nothing new and different either compared to similar and somewhat bigger cities in Australia.

Great review, keep 'em coming! If I could earn points by reading your posts, I'd have been platinum ages ago!