Hilton Hotel Auckland

The Hilton Hotel in Auckland is in a perfect setting. Auckland is known as the City of Sails, and the Hilton is situated to give you a great view of the sailing ships in the Auckland Harbor. It sits on Princes Wharf and is built to look like a cruise ship docked at the wharf. The views are amazing.

The hotel has an ultra modern, clean feel. Hardwood floors,specially woven carpeting, and the use of "white" colors throughout the hotel really add to that feel.

The hotel has a unique swimming pool -- it is suspended over the parking lot between the hotel and the adjacent condominium building. It has a glass wall so that you can look into the pool from the harbor -- or out of the pool if you are swimming.

One bit of warning -- if your room is on the harbor side of the hotel, be careful when you open your curtains in the morning. Large cruise ships often come into port at night and moor adjacent to the hotel. I arose one morning, threw open the curtains and gave a couple of ladies in the recently docked cruise ship quite a show! The hotel had slipped a note under my door to warn me of that possibility, unfortunately, I had not read the note until after I opened the curtains!

Be sure to try the restaurant at the hotel, White. It's a great restaurant (reviewed separately).