Staying at the Hotel Grand Windsor, Auckland

The Hotel Grand Windsor, Auckland. Photo / Babiche Martens

Stephanie Holmes checks into the Hotel Grand Windsor, Auckland.

Location: Queen St, in the heart of Auckland City, close to Gucci and Louis Vuitton, Fort Lane and Britomart.

The building: Windsor House is a 1936 heritage-listed building, which has recently gone through a massive multimillion-dollar refit to turn it into a five-star boutique beauty.

From Queen St it looks tall and skinny; inside it's quite tardis-like, stretching all the way back to Fort Lane, half a block behind.

Check-in experience: Excellent. "We've been waiting for you," said both the concierge in the elegant lobby, and the man on reception, both of whom were immaculately presented.

Room: A Deluxe King room on the fifth of six floors. It was incredibly spacious and on the corner of the building so had windows on two sides of the room, giving lots of natural light. The muted grey-and-white tones are stylish, with opulent splashes of colour from a gorgeous red tea set and framed photos on the walls of gemstones from famous jewellery collections.

Wi-Fi: Complimentary, fast and reliable.

Bed: A firm King-size with comfortable pillow top. The white linen was high thread count, and there was a generous three pillows on each side of the bed.

Bathroom: Spacious and pretty, with marble floors and a rainhead shower, but a couple of details could be improved upon. The sliding frosted glass door didn't close flush to the wall, leaving a small gap - so be warned, your roommate is going to hear everything.

There was also no hook for towels near the shower, so you have to either leave your towel on the floor, or walk to the other side of the bathroom to get it when finished. Little things, but they make a difference to the useability of the room.

Toiletries: A range of products from Floris, a British family perfumer established in 1730.

Entertainment: The room had a huge wall-mounted TV with Sky channels and a Bose system. You are also just a few steps from everything the CBD has to offer - bars, restaurants, the ferry terminal, the waterfront, Britomart, Wynyard Quarter ...

Facilities: A wellness centre will open next year.

Food and beverage: Cooke's Restaurant pays homage to the eatery of the same name that was in the building in 1928, a place well-known for its sodas and fruit icecreams. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, executive chef Jinu Abraham (formerly of the Heritage Hotel) has placed a strong focus on sustainable, organic, free-range products.

We enjoyed a leisurely Sunday lunch, sharing plates of buttermilk chicken with corn bread, a trevally taco, grilled cauliflower, and truffle-nut mince. At breakfast, we went for a la carte options. My ricotta and spelt hotcakes with sheep's milk caramel, greek yoghurt and grilled banana left me satisfied and ready to take on the week ahead. Although it's not a cheap eating option, I'd definitely consider coming back to Cooke's for a special-occasion meal.

Perfect for: A city staycation, or a romantic overnighter for couples looking for a big night.

In a nutshell: A grand old lady in the heart of the city.

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