Isn't Waldorf a type of salad?
Question: When is a salad not a salad?
Simple answer: When it's a hotel chain, or more correctly a "serviced apartment" chain.
I rather like the idea of a serviced apartment when travelling alone. It gives you the freedom to not go out to eat if you can't be bothered, and at the same time allows you to do it. As most serviced apartments aren't serviced every day (every three days in the case of where I was staying), it also takes away the guilt if you sleep in a bit late, as you don't have to worry about housekeeping hammering at your door and yelling "housekeeping!!!!!". Waldorf is a chain of serviced apartments which has locations in New Zealand and Australia, a bit like Quest which I reviewed in an earlier post. They are also in the 4 to 4.5 star range and have similar pricing. I discovered the Waldorf chain last year when I stayed at what I believe is their largest property in Auckland, the Waldorf Studium. This year my plan was originally to stay at the Adina Britomart, which is in the same area as where I stayed last year, and is a property which consistently scores high on Trip Advisor. The day I was checking prices however ( more on that in a later post - it's all part of the travel experience for me and is something I invest a lot of hours in), the Waldorf chain were having a type of flash sale to celebrate the launching of their new website. The prices they were offering were a good 30% below normal prices, and that made them a bargain and far lower than Adina's. So sensibility and economic sense kicked in, and I booked a room at the Waldorf, but this time at the Celestion. The Celestion is only about 200 metres from the Stadium where I stayed last year, so for me it was interesting to see how they compared.
Location wise, both are in the same area, Britomart, which is at the north end of Queen Street, about a 5 minute walk from the ferry terminal. The front desk staff at the Celestion were friendly and informative, without being overbearing. The property was fully-booked while I was there. I rented a one bedroom apartment with a king size bed.
The bedroom, obviously .....
There was a relatively large balcony which could be accessed by a sliding door from the lounge/kitchen. Unfortunately the doors were not well-insulated and for the first two nights I slept with earplugs to keep the noise of the traffic out. On my last night, I was reliant on hearing my alarm and the earplugs were so effective that they blocked everything, so I had to abandon them. There seemed to be a group having a pre night-out warm-up on one of the balconies near my room, so for a while there was quite a lot of noise from them, but they left pretty early and I didn't hear any more from them ..... until they got home, obviously a bit better for wear and under the influence, resulting in elephant-like stomping as they did whatever they were doing before they finally zonked. You can't always avoid scenarios like that, and they weren't really doing anything wrong, but if you are a bit noise sensitive like me, it might be an idea to put in a request for a room away from the road. Then you can at least avoid the traffic noise.
There was a large couch in the sitting area which was comfortable to sink into after walking all day.
A wide screen tv with Sky channels, and a dining table
A separate room with a desk and a second fold-out bed
And of course a bathroom with good shower pressure and hot water all day, which is not always the case in large properties
The kitchen was almost identical to the one I had in the Quest inNapier, except there was enough crockery and cutlery for four people. The nearest supermarket, Countdown, is just 200 metres away and is open 24 hours.
So, the verdict. I got an excellent price due to the flash sale, so for what I paid, I got a lot of room for my buck. The apartment was spacious, and although it showed signs of wear, the wear was no more dramatic than you would expect with people coming and going all the time. There was a fair more bit of noise than I remember from the Stadium last year, and unlike the apartment I had there, no washer and dryer in the room, although there was a guest laundry on the second floor. Most of the apartment was clean, but some areas had been overlooked, probably for quite a while. I did use the fridge but only after having given it the once over with cloth. Or twice over actually. There was a lot of dust on the dining room chairs, enough that I got it on my clothes because it was only after sitting down on one of the aforementioned chairs that I noticed it. The same was true of the bathroom - parts that the eye wouldn't immediately catch had not been dusted or cleaned for a while, but the toilet, shower and sink were spotless. As was the rest of the kitchen. So a bit inconsistent, and it might not bother you, but having a Hoover as a permanent limb (meaning I am constantly in touch with my cleaning side in everyday life), it did bother me a bit. So I don't think I would return, mainly because if the noise, but that's not to say the property is not good for the price.
Simple answer: When it's a hotel chain, or more correctly a "serviced apartment" chain.
I rather like the idea of a serviced apartment when travelling alone. It gives you the freedom to not go out to eat if you can't be bothered, and at the same time allows you to do it. As most serviced apartments aren't serviced every day (every three days in the case of where I was staying), it also takes away the guilt if you sleep in a bit late, as you don't have to worry about housekeeping hammering at your door and yelling "housekeeping!!!!!". Waldorf is a chain of serviced apartments which has locations in New Zealand and Australia, a bit like Quest which I reviewed in an earlier post. They are also in the 4 to 4.5 star range and have similar pricing. I discovered the Waldorf chain last year when I stayed at what I believe is their largest property in Auckland, the Waldorf Studium. This year my plan was originally to stay at the Adina Britomart, which is in the same area as where I stayed last year, and is a property which consistently scores high on Trip Advisor. The day I was checking prices however ( more on that in a later post - it's all part of the travel experience for me and is something I invest a lot of hours in), the Waldorf chain were having a type of flash sale to celebrate the launching of their new website. The prices they were offering were a good 30% below normal prices, and that made them a bargain and far lower than Adina's. So sensibility and economic sense kicked in, and I booked a room at the Waldorf, but this time at the Celestion. The Celestion is only about 200 metres from the Stadium where I stayed last year, so for me it was interesting to see how they compared.
Location wise, both are in the same area, Britomart, which is at the north end of Queen Street, about a 5 minute walk from the ferry terminal. The front desk staff at the Celestion were friendly and informative, without being overbearing. The property was fully-booked while I was there. I rented a one bedroom apartment with a king size bed.
The bedroom, obviously .....
There was a relatively large balcony which could be accessed by a sliding door from the lounge/kitchen. Unfortunately the doors were not well-insulated and for the first two nights I slept with earplugs to keep the noise of the traffic out. On my last night, I was reliant on hearing my alarm and the earplugs were so effective that they blocked everything, so I had to abandon them. There seemed to be a group having a pre night-out warm-up on one of the balconies near my room, so for a while there was quite a lot of noise from them, but they left pretty early and I didn't hear any more from them ..... until they got home, obviously a bit better for wear and under the influence, resulting in elephant-like stomping as they did whatever they were doing before they finally zonked. You can't always avoid scenarios like that, and they weren't really doing anything wrong, but if you are a bit noise sensitive like me, it might be an idea to put in a request for a room away from the road. Then you can at least avoid the traffic noise.
There was a large couch in the sitting area which was comfortable to sink into after walking all day.
A separate room with a desk and a second fold-out bed
And of course a bathroom with good shower pressure and hot water all day, which is not always the case in large properties
The kitchen was almost identical to the one I had in the Quest inNapier, except there was enough crockery and cutlery for four people. The nearest supermarket, Countdown, is just 200 metres away and is open 24 hours.
So, the verdict. I got an excellent price due to the flash sale, so for what I paid, I got a lot of room for my buck. The apartment was spacious, and although it showed signs of wear, the wear was no more dramatic than you would expect with people coming and going all the time. There was a fair more bit of noise than I remember from the Stadium last year, and unlike the apartment I had there, no washer and dryer in the room, although there was a guest laundry on the second floor. Most of the apartment was clean, but some areas had been overlooked, probably for quite a while. I did use the fridge but only after having given it the once over with cloth. Or twice over actually. There was a lot of dust on the dining room chairs, enough that I got it on my clothes because it was only after sitting down on one of the aforementioned chairs that I noticed it. The same was true of the bathroom - parts that the eye wouldn't immediately catch had not been dusted or cleaned for a while, but the toilet, shower and sink were spotless. As was the rest of the kitchen. So a bit inconsistent, and it might not bother you, but having a Hoover as a permanent limb (meaning I am constantly in touch with my cleaning side in everyday life), it did bother me a bit. So I don't think I would return, mainly because if the noise, but that's not to say the property is not good for the price.
You are an exelent writer!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your kind comment!
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