The Clements Hotel

I planned to wait until checkout to write this, but the stay has been so lovely that I wanted to share while it’s still fresh. I booked The Clements Hotel after spotting the name, since I’m a Clement too, and it’s gone beyond what I expected. I even extended my checkout from 11am to 2pm because I was enjoying the peacefulness so much. The staff have all been warm, professional and genuinely helpful. The small touches made a difference, like the complimentary minibar on the first night and The Manuka mist. You can tell they care about the details. The rooms are spotless and elegant, with lovely natural light. High ceilings, a beautifully tiled bathroom and gorgeous panelled walls give the place real character, while modern touches fit in nicely. If comfort, thoughtful service and understated luxury matter to you, I’d recommend booking here. From one Clement to another, congratulations to everyone on a beautiful hotel!

I held an auction in the conference room, and it worked really well. The hotel itself is stunning, with an incredible look and a very high standard of recent refurbishment. It’s beautifully done and well worth a visit just to see it.

The desserts were a mixed bag. The panacotta was smooth and lovely, and the brûlée was more like chocolate mousse but still very nice. The cheese board was good, though cream crackers felt out of place on a restaurant cheese board. For dinner for four, the venison Wellington was delicious, cooked well and wrapped in crisp pastry. The duck skin needed a little more rendering; the red cabbage tasted good, but its watery sauce ran across the plate, and the dumpling was big and more like a scone. The steak tartare was so over-seasoned we couldn’t eat it. The vegetables, especially the carrots, were very hard, while the fries were nicely crisp. This was our second visit, and we’d hoped it would be better than the first. We probably won’t come back.

It took me a while to finally sit down and write this, but my daughter and I had such a lovely three-night stay at the beautiful Clements hotel. She’s 9, and both of us felt comfortable and safe. The room was clean and gorgeous, with local treats and drinks provided, plus a lovely pillow spray. All the staff were warm, polite, welcoming and quick to help. We also used the laundry service, which was very efficient, and everything came back clean. We had warm drinks and dessert in the bar. The food and service were lovely, and they thoughtfully adjusted the brownie to make it more kid-friendly for my daughter, which she really appreciated. The hotel is very central. I’d searched extensively around Cambridge, Hamilton and nearby towns for a beautiful hotel that met my expectations, and it was very hard to find anything at the same level. I’m so glad we found this place and look forward to coming back to NZ. Thank you for a lovely stay.