The Spencer On Byron Hotel

Booked here for a long weekend stay. Checking in was long and unnecessary. Only one trainee and one staff member on duty and a lone of people. Trainee said she was not permitted to do much — would have thought the many front of house staff walking in/​out of the office may have had the initiative to assist. Room on the 13^th floor and views were priceless. Room very clean although somewhat tired. Restaurant on site but did not dine there as seemed very pricey especially when there were many more restaurants in walking distance. Did talk with various staff on Reception across our stay — helpful but did not seem to be able to make decisions. Perhaps over managed? Parking on site and $ 10 per day. Internet access free for one hour per day otherwise $ 17 per day. Ordered a newspaper but never received this.

Ran the Social Media Conference here on 3 October.
. The staff were fantastic and everything was well organised. The door in the room made a lot of noise with people going in and out. Overall a good venue

My «go to» hotel on my frequent trips to Auckland.. . worth the additional ten minute drive to enjoy the view across the bay to Auckland itself — especially at night.. .
Great rooms, it was always a suite so don’t know if they’ve changed that, and great food and service. The staff were great. .. and the concierge didn’t flinch at my requests — «I want a Harley Davidson tomorrow morning» and then came up with their own.. .“Mr Mead, would you like to go swimming with sharks.. . «
Am blessed to have stayed there and would jump at the chance again except I’m no longer doing business in New Zealand — shame.. writing this review makes me want to resurrect it.
Great place
You can’t go wrong.. .

I’ve made use of a few of Taka’s hotels for that romantic weekend, and like the rest of them this one’s more about location than the hotel. In saying that, the Spencer is a wee cut above the others, with really modern spacious rooms and fantastic panoramic views of the city and the Hauraki Gulf. Compared to other accommodation in the area, you do pay for the added views a little bit so that’s something to consider for the budget conscious. Otherwise I can only really say what you already know about Taka — it’s a wonderful location with a great beach and all sorts of bars and restaurants and other attractions nearby for that fun night out! Staying here puts you right in the thick of the Taka action!

This time we thought we’d try the Taka for a hotel night away from home and this is I think, the only option. The Spencer on Byron has a lovely flash name but I do deeply regret never having had the chance to stay at the Mon Desir (check your Auckland history kids).
Our room was nice enough and we definitely felt like we were in a hotel which is always a good sign. The ancient 12 inch tv was deeply uncool though.
The views are amazing and just being by the sea makes you feel more relaxed. One problem we did have however was that the «heated pool» was frickin freezing. This was before our Indian summer and that pool absolutely needed to be heated so just as well the spa was.
We used the gym too which is spacious and well equipped and one of the best things about hotel gyms is the folk — people sure do behave funny in them.
Overall we had a good time but the main reason for that was Takapuna itself, not so much the hotel. I grew up thinking the Shore was a whole different city and in literal terms back then it was. Takapuna though is so close to Auckland (traffic notwithstanding) and has a really bustling culture going on. If only all the sub-​parents would agree to move there: (

We stayed at this hotel for a weekend getaway and it was just beautiful. We stayed in one of the suites because there was a really good deal on and the place is bigger than our apartment! It’s really nice to have a sitting room and a bedroom because it meant we could keep the two areas separate. It was also amazing to have a full kitchen (I’m talking oven, fridge, everything) and a washer/​dryer as well! My partner had just come off a long flight so it meant he could do his washing which was a real plus for him. The service you get here is lovely as well and the also have a swimming pool on one of the lower roof tops. I’d definitely recommend this hotel for a romantic getaway, it sets the scene perfectly.