215 Edinburgh Castle

The owner is happy for you to look around before booking. It’s close to the city centre, with buses to major attractions, though the rooms are basic and bathrooms are shared. Some rooms don’t lock from the outside, so security isn’t great. The road can be noisy, and the bar doubles as a karaoke area that gets loud at night.

It worked well for what I needed. You can walk anywhere in the Auckland CBD, and the rooms and shared areas were clean. The staff were friendly, and I had no problems with other guests. Each room has a key lock for privacy, the bedding was clean, and laundry options were available. For the current fee, you get more than enough. Maintenance and repair work was happening during my stay, but no issues affected the venue’s serviceability.

The location was good, but I got unlucky with a very hard mattress. I could feel the springs and woke up with extreme back pain. The receptionists were nice and gave me a refund, so I went elsewhere.

The outdoor courtyard has seating and bar tables, and there’s a good range behind the bar, from wine and beer on tap or in bottles to cider, soft drinks and top shelf options. As a bar it’s usually fairly quiet. The area isn’t the safest, so you do get the odd loud, drunk patron, but there’s generally a bouncer there and I’ve seen things dealt with quickly before they escalate. The gaming room can get busy, with plenty of pokie machines linked to several jackpots, plus darts, pool and some arcade games. Staff are consistently friendly and helpful. John makes great hot chips for purchase, along with other bar menu meals. It’s one of only two bar and gaming spots besides Sky City open until 4am every night. I think they rent rooms too, though I don’t know the cost and haven’t seen them.