Room check: Rendezvous Hotel, Auckland CBD

The Rendezvous Hotel. Photo / NZ Herald

Ellie Mitchell spends a night at a well-located hotel in central Auckland.

Getting there? The Rendezvous is right in the heart of the CBD and has all dining, entertainment and shopping needs on its doorstep. It takes about 30 minutes to get there from the airport by shuttle and if you are travelling by car there is undercover parking at $20 per night.

Check-in experience? The hotel has a breathtaking lobby with friendly reception staff.

Room? Our Guest Room King was spacious and elegantly designed, with a work station and separate sofa area. Although our room didn't have a balcony, the floor-to-ceiling windows let in plenty of light.

Price? One night in a Guest Room King ranges from $189-$249 weekdays and $169-$239 on weekends. For $90 you can purchase the club membership which includes breakfast and parking, a room on a higher floor, late check-out, and allows you to take advantage of the complimentary 5pm-7pm drinks and canapes.

Value for money? This is affordable luxury, look out for deals on the hotel's website.

What's so good about this place? Location location location - it's linked via an underground tunnel to Auckland's arts and entertainment precinct: The Civic, the Aotea Centre, The Classic comedy club, movie cinemas and the town hall.

And the bad? We found it hilarious trying to work some of the lifts at the hotel - after spending 20 minutes going up and down and changing our keycards twice, we realised the buttons weren't working.

What's in the neighbourhood? The Auckland Art Gallery is nearby, and also the Sky Tower. We stayed here to see the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet at The Civic, part of the Auckland Arts Festival.

Toiletries? A French Connection range.

Food and drink? Straits Cafe offers a delicious buffet-style breakfast and is also a popular dinner option. The teppanyaki restaurant Katsura was a real highlight of our stay: chef Aki put on a tasty feast and an entertaining show. Luckily we were prepared to get involved in the experience as he tossed fried eggs in the air for us to catch in our mouths. I found some later in my handbag.

The bed? Huge and incredibly comfy.

A room at the Rendezvous Hotel. Photo / Supplied

A room with a view? Request a room on Level 5 or above for views of the Level 4 Japanese rooftop garden/sundeck.

Bathroom? There is a giant bath and separate shower, and marble vanity units.

Noise? It was very quiet up on the 9th floor - even with the window open we were undisturbed.

Room service? We couldn't wait to try out the room service and order a late-night snack. Our delicious pizza arrived in less than 15 minutes.

Exercise facilities? Heated indoor pool, gym and sauna, all open 24/7.

Would I return? Yes, it's so handy for events in the city.

CHECKLIST

The Rendezvous Hotel is at 71 Mayoral Drive, Auckland Central. Phone: 09 366 3000.