I chose Barclay Suites because it seemed to be within walking distance to most of the Auckland…read moreattractions, it was a fair price and photos looked like they had decent rooms. And it was all that. I never felt unsafe in the area, despite it's seemingly less-than-upscale location.
The lobby was small, but efficient. We got into Auckland, and subsequently, to the hotel around 8:00 a.m. which was 7 hours before official check-in time. We were able to check in when we got there, but not get a room. Luckily, the staff were able to store our backpacks and we went off exploring the city. But by around 1:00 p.m., we just wanted to get into our room and relax (we just had a 14 hour trip to get there).
They were able to give us a room, which was very helpful!
The room was very nice and clean. We had a suite with a living room, kitchenette, bathroom and bedroom. The living room had a loveseat and chair, flat screen TV and air conditioning unit that vented out the window. The dining area featured a table and 3 chairs. The kitchenette was equipped with refrigerator, microwave, sink, pots and pans, dishes, etc. Anything you could need to prepare your own meals if you wanted to.
The bathroom had a stand-up shower only, no tub. But it did have a clothes washing unit that also had a dryer setting. They provided laundry detergent for the clothes washer. We were able to do 2 loads of laundry with the provided detergent and then housekeeping stopped leaving any more detergent for us, so I can only assume they do that to save water. The drying part of the cycle was just okay. It dried the clothes just enough for us to hang them around the room to finish drying. The washer was small, so we only did a day's worth of clothing at a time. But it was a real plus to have the laundry in our room because we packed pretty light, knowing we would be doing laundry along the way.
The staff was very helpful. They helped me mail a postcard internationally, helped me print out boarding passes and of course answered all of our questions and requests.
The bed, I think it was a queen size, was just okay. Not very comfortable, but decent enough. That was probably the worst part about our stay.
I give this place 5 stars even though it's not a "high-class" hotel. It's somewhere between middle-of-the-road and a couple steps below high-class. But the pros were: 1) Good location in terms of walking distance to attractions, restaurants, shops, the wharf, SkyCity, etc. 2) Clean room with plenty of space and updated decor/style. 3) Very friendly and helpful desk staff. 4) In-room laundry.
Cons: 1) Bed wasn't the best. 2) Housekeeping only provided 2 packets of laundry detergent. But we didn't ask for more and didn't ask why we were only provided two packets. 3) Dryer setting on the in-room washing machine didn't work well. 4) Wi-Fi wasn't that great.
Other than the bed not being very comfortable, the "cons" really weren't that bad. Since we couldn't afford the Hilton that was built right over the water, this was our best choice. We would definitely stay here again.
