Dennis_the_menace

What are the best areas to stay in Auckland and Wellington to see attractions and have accessibility to cafes and evening entertainment. In some cities downtown areas are dead at night.

Thank you,

Dennis

mlgb

Hopefully some real live Kiwis will chime in, but you could look at Ponsonby, Parnell, or near the Viaduct.

Jed

We enjoyed staying downtown Auckland, near restaurants and dock area.

ElendilPickle

Auckland - we stayed downtown at the New President, just off Queen Street. It's not far from the Sky Tower entertainment complex, and there seemed to be plenty to do in the area.

In Wellington, we stayed at the Bay Plaza just off Oriental Parade. From there you're within easy walking distance to the Embassy Theatre and tons of restaurants, bars, etc.

Lee Ann

seetheglobey

The Aspen House is very basic and clean if you do not require luxury and want to stay in downtown Auckland. We stayed there and it did not break our bank. More details from our stay below:

http://www.seetheglobe.com/modules/w...37&lid=177

mlgb

Actually I spent a night in Aspen House this trip when rain delayed my plans by a day. I wasn't entirely pleased. The neighborhood has been developed with residential high rises and gets pretty noisy at night. There are two sides to Aspen House, and the older half hasn't been very well maintained, including mildew and musty smells. The breakfast is reasonably good. I also lucked out because meters at the surface parking lot at the end of the block were broken, so I had free overnight parking. I think you can do better.

kathleen

We just returned from an extended trip to Australia and New Zealand. In Auckland we stayed a week at The Quadrant (located beside the Hyatt, across the street from Albert Park and Auckland University) and in Wellington we stayed at the Just Hotel (near Cuba Street). Both were new hotels, very clean and efficient, and were centrally located. We would stay at each again if we ever returned to these cities. Both were booked on Wotif at very reasonable rates (especially The Quadrant -- a weekly rate).

nelsonian

Last weekend we stayed at Quest on Johnston in Wellington and thought it was great. It's more of an apartment than a hotel room. It's right in the centre of the CBD close to cafe's, shopping and the waterfront. Booked through Wotif.co.nz.

Jed

Wotif is a great resource, but they offer only for the next 28 days. If you need later dates, you can email the hotel directly and they may (or may not) give the same deals. My experience is that with emails, they sometimes give quotes that are less than in their website.