On a recent spontaneous trip to Auckland, during the Women's World Cup, I quickly researched hotel options and found City Lodge. I've been thinking about this review for a while - I have many complaints about this place you should understand before booking, but at the same time the positives made it worthwhile and I'm glad I ended up here.
The Good
The location is fantastic. It's a quick walk to Queen Street, Sky Tower, Victoria Park, Albert Park, University of Auckland, CBD, the quay, countless bus and train stations, and fast Uber rides to many of the worthwhile spots to visit. I never felt like I was too far away from the hotel to have fun while I was out. Your room key includes a fob that you can use to enter at any hour - so it's secure without being restrictive. It's in partnership with the YMCA, so there's also a standard here. It's mostly clean, friendly young staff, and great cleaning staff who worked hard to please. Price also can't be beat - even during the World Cup, rooms were only around $60-80USD a night depending on day of the week. There are many nicer hotels nearby, but rates are double or more.
There are also shared amenities for long term travelers like a full kitchen, refrigerators, ping pong, pool table, lounge TV, picnic tables outside, and laundry facilities (complicated token system that cost $4 or only cash $2 coins).
The Okay
The room was fine. All rooms here have private full bathrooms, which can be an issue at similar style accommodations in this part of the world. I do not like to share bathrooms when traveling. Everything was clean enough, but not great especially the carpet. The sheets and bedding looked clean on inspection. Bathroom was simple with a toilet, sink, towel set, and standup shower. I booked a single room, which literally could not fit a second person if you tried. It also included a mini fridge and heater. The heater was difficult to figure out despite the simple instructions (turns out, it was off under the locked cover). The heaters only work during certain hours of the day as well, so it does get cold in the rooms.
The Not-So-Okay
After a long flight and shower, I got into bed and smelled body odor. After searching, it was the duvet itself. The bedding was clean, but this permeated but I was too tired to do anything about it until the next day. This was a turn off to the place. I was also disappointed with the controlling / unfriendly nature of a few of the desk staff. While many were overly friendly and helpful, one in particular constantly treated me like I was wrong, not a paying guest. Thankfully others worked hard to make me comfortable. This extended to the towel situation - I was told on check-in "whenever I wanted a new set, bring down the used and we'll replace them". This is because they only clean the room on a one week cycle; so odds are your room will never be cleaned while staying here. That same desk clerk gave me a hard time every time I asked for new towels (which was three times in eight days; I do not believe that was too much to ask).
If you've traveled to worse places, this lodge will seem like paradise. If you're used to more amenities and quality standards, this place might not be for you. It's also a quick shuttle ride to/from the airport. read more