Sofitel Viaduct Harbour Auckland
A lot of things happening recently, from traveling to moving house etc., and now eventually I can sit down and write something.
I went to Auckland a couple of weeks ago and stayed at Sofitel Viaduct Harbour, and it was a fantastic stay. Sofitel has never let me down, the french chic decor and that occasional Bonjour always made my stay memorable.
Sofitel Viaduct Harbour in Auckland is well located at the water front near the old wharf, it is hard for those who take airport express bus to get to the city, because the bus drops you off at the ferry pier, and Sofitel is about 10 minutes walk from the drop off point. You can either walk along the waterfront or get around the block to reach this hotel.
This Sofitel is fairly new, thus all the interior space is well maintained, a friend told me this spot was previously Westin Auckland and then Accor took it over. It doesn’t look like a hotel from outside due to the ultra lush harbour front apartment next door makes this hotel look more like an apartment but not a traditional hotel. Once you step in the front door, you can see the typical Sofitel design, french chic art, with big lillies bouquet and with vanilla scented candles, and dark brown wood furnitures make it look more elegant.
Reception staff was attentive, but the staff checked me forgot to take my credit card details, which led it to later on I received a letter from the front office manager. There are 6 floors in total for this 175 room hotel and I was checked in room 515 which was located on level 5. Room was spacious and the bathroom was surprisingly huge, with soak-in bath tub and rainforest shower head in the separate shower. There was a balcony attached to the room but its quite small and I wasn’t in the harbour front room, thus there was no point to get out on the balcony to enjoy the cold Auckland winter.
There are two restaurants in the hotel, I tried the so called buffet breakfast on my departure day, wasn’t sure whether its the timing of my dinning, it seems there weren’t many choices around 10am which was supposed to be the peak breakfast time. I put a big question mark on 39 NZD buffet breakfast, definitely not value for money.
The gym, indoor heated 18m pool and sauna are located on ground floor, everything is small but well positioned, thus it doesn’t seem to be that tiny. I did enjoy the sauna as I was the only hotel guest use the facilities.
3 nights was definitely not enough for such a lovely hotel and such a beautiful Auckland city, but if you want a handy location (not too close to the noisy CBD) and peaceful getaway, Sofitel is definitely one of the best hotel options in town.
Somewhere in Between 