Hi All,

We are looking into hotels when we get off DINGO in December. I know some of you have stayed at the Langham. Can you please give me comments about the Langham and other hotels in Auckland?

Many thanks,
Beth

HI Beth:

Carla and I are booked at the Westin Auckland...

Looks very nice..

FV

On LAMB I think the name of our hotel (with bungee jumping just outside) was called SkyCity. It must be the hotel Regent uses. We were all pleased and there was a very nice restaurant-Sky Tower- with great view on the top where we all ate dinner one night.

Oh goodie, another opportunity to post my all time favorite picture! We sure had blue skies that day :)

I wasn't pleased. My room was awful. Lighting so bad impossible to read. But it was clean & the price was perfect. 2 nights included in the cruise price. The Hyatt is nice but it is not downtown. Short walk or cab ride to the ferries or town.

Thanks for helping with my research, y'all. Crystal and I will look at these.

Betty, sorry your room was sub-par. I don't remember any problems in our room. It was very nice (from what I remember)

Gosh I do not remember my room but think it was ok - Betty maybe you got bad one?? I hate dark rooms with bad lighting - do remember having to wait to check in and we took first available - as we did for Paris...now that was little room ugh! Marcie got a winner in Paris luck of the draw I guess?

I can't remember the check in, just know we were on same flight to Auckland as the Mondaes and arrived early morning. I think if our room had been dark we would have remembered, I don't like that either. Betty, you must have got a dud while the rest of us were more than satisfied.

When we disembarked our Sydney-Auckland several years ago, we stayed at the Hilton (with points), which was literaly next to the dock. We could have thrown our luggage from our Mariner balcony to one at the hotel--though I think that would have been frowned upon. I think that we were there only one night, but it was fine and very convenient for not only the ship, but also the hop-on bus, which we used a few times.

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Eugene

Gosh Betty. Sorry to hear your room in Auckland was sub-par. Other than no view we thought our room was very good.
Sure liked the central location where we could walk
to places.

You all don't need to worry about me. I just didn't want Beth and Crystal to pick that one. And it was soon forgotten since LAMB is one of my favorite cruises of all times.
My worst hotel experience was the Majestic in Barcelona. NO windows. None, zero, zilch! Only 1 skylight that had a shade that was broken and didn't cover anything. The hotel refused to move me. And I paid BIG bucks for this cave through Regent. Andi is so right in her description of that place.

Here is another happy camper for the SkyCity hotel. I don't remember the rooms being bad at all?

Thanks for all your comments. You can read TripAdvisor and find totally different reviews on the same hotel during the same week or month.

Beth I use TA and try and weed through the reviews to get to bottom line (unless it is some winner hotel that gets 90% great reviews slam dunk) - never book hotel without using TA and have never been disappointed - majority of reviewers fair and some just no pleasing - like cruise ships :D :D :D

Joanna, I totally agree with you. I use TA all the time. That's always how I select too. I make it a point to add my reviews as soon as I return.

Joanna & Andi, TA is such a great resource. I too like to add a review to help others. It's that giving back thing!

I have a reservation at the Hyatt. Has anyone stayed there? It's in the newer building with the a balcony. Since I'll be traveling alone, I don't want to be too far out of where the shopping and dining are.

I stayed at the Hyatt for 2 nights. The rooms are nice and they have one restaurant open for all meals. Small bar. The staff were extremely helpful. It is across the street from the University of Aukland and a park. You have to walk down a hill - guessing about 3/4 mile - or take a taxi to get to the shops, a small mall or other restaurants. I would stay there again although it would be nice to be closer to town I didn't mind the location. As you can read on my other posts on this topic I didn't like where Regent put us - but I seemed to be the only one. Maybe it was because I had been spoiled by the Hyatt. Don and Michele were also there when I was. I was also alone. No fear in walking to town or around the park and campus.

Thanks Betty, good to know.

Lauri - if you want to be close to the waterfront & more central area - try either the Hilton or the Westin. The Hyatt is a very good value but not that great locationally. We stayed there for 3 nights a few years ago - also in the newer tower - room/suite was very nice.

We stayed at the Hilton last fall. It's literally steps from the ship and a few more steps to great restaurants, museums, downtown shopping, etc. Our room was great plus they have a really nice bar and restaurant with harbor views! We've also stayed at the Sky City Grand a couple years ago--but I'd definitely prefer the Hilton.

I think I'll keep checking on the Westin and Hilton to see if I can find a deal. If not I still have the Hyatt as back up.

Lauri,

We're taking a Tauck tour of New Zealand this November. The property we'll be staying at, as a part of the tour, will be the Langham, in Auckland. Looks to be a lovely property. You may want to check it out.

According to my tour guide it is where Bill Clinton always stays. Hilton closer to town and pier.

The Langham is on my list of hotels to seriously look at post-DINGO.

Denise, Too bad you and Alan won't be in Auckland on Dec. 1-3 or we could have a NZ GTG.

Alan and I are doing a 4 day pre-tour stay in Bay of Islands. We then fly into Auckland to pick up our tour. We've planned a 2 day post in Christchurch, where the tour concludes, to take the TranzAlpine. We depart New Zealand, November 29. Sorry we'll be unable to extend our stay any further to meet up. Just so many vacation days, with us both still working.

Denise, I have stayed at the Langham in London, and Langham Place in Hong Kong, and both hotels were lovely. In London, it was a renovated "grand old hotel", as I think it is in Auckland. We had a huge room with three big windows and high ceilings. Hong Kong was more modern, of course, but Peggy and Jerry and I really enjoyed it.

Bay of Islands. Hope the Circle the Island by boat is on your list of things to do. Cost $150 to do this as Regent tour during LAMB. When we got on boat and started we all thought we had probably been taken. By the time it was over we all agreed worth every penny and then some.

Thanks, Olivia and Betty.

After doing considerable research, Alan and I will be using Fullers for The Cream Trip (which looks to be similar to what you did, Betty) and Cape Reinga. Both are full day trips and will, no doubt, be wonderful excursions. We also plan to wander Kerikeri and Russell, using the ferry back and forth.

Betty, did you tour Cape Reinga?

If on our own for the entire trip through New Zealand, I would be using my hotel properties/employee rate, exclusively, wherever possible. However, touring with Tauck has us staying in excellent properties, included in the touring package. Looks like Langham will not disappoint.

I've now booked a very cute B&B across the harbor in Devonport; the Admiral's Landing. Ten minute ferry ride back the the central city. I'd been looking at visiting Devonport and came across the B&B so I figured "what the heck!", I've stayed in enough big hotels in cities. It got great reviews on Trip Advisor.

Hi Laurie,
Devonport is lovely, one of my favourte spots in Auckland.
If you have the time and the chance to go up Mt Victoria, do it.
Stunning views from the top,
not only of the City, but the whole Hauraki Gulf.
You can walk up there, but a bit steep at the top, but your hosts should also be able to direct you to a shuttle that will drive you up there to take in the view.

I definately plan on doing plenty of walking around and Mt. Victoria is on my list. I'd like to check out beaches as well. The hosts sound like a very charming and interesting couple. I'm really looking forward to ending my adventure down under this way!