Jesse Mulligan checks into the Boulcott Suites in Wellington
Getting there: It’s in very central Wellington, metres away from where the airport bus stops. We, however, arrived in a Corporate Cab driven by former Black Cap Ewen “The Naenae Express” Chatfield. I was so overawed I didn’t even ask him to toot through the Mt Vic tunnel. Check-in experience: Fast and friendly. We were pointed in the direction of a separate highrise and told to head straight for the top.
Room: The three-bedroom penthouse. These are technically “luxury” suites but as any travelling parent knows, the true luxury is not having to sleep your newborn baby in a dark cupboard off the bathroom (I have done this). Having three bedrooms to spread everyone out in was a holiday in itself, and once we’d unpacked we considered staying in for the weekend so we could truly make the most of it.
Price: Rack rate is $725 a night, a very good deal in my experience.
What’s so good about this place? You have views in most directions, full kitchen facilities, a sunroom dedicated to outdoor dining plus two bathrooms and a laundry. It’s the sort of place I imagine a rich, ruthless business executive putting his family in. But this weekend it would be home to a man who wasn’t even ruthless enough to fight his 8-year-old old daughter for the bedroom with the ensuite.
And the bad? There were a lot of wardrobes. Like, so many deep, roomy wardrobes. Do you know how extensive the wardrobe situation needs to be for someone like me to notice? Who was the architect, C.S. Lewis?
What’s in the neighbourhood? Walkable to everything, it’s next to a beautiful old church and a backpackers. I spent many years deep in Wellington’s nightlife scene but I didn’t feel jealous as I stood under the heatpump on the top floor and watched a stream of drunken Brits wash down the street and off towards the city dancefloors
Food and drink: BYO but don’t stress, there’s a New World Metro about 100 metres away
The bed: warm and comfy. There are heaters in most rooms though weirdly not in the master bedroom — I considered letting the 8-year-old choose again but decided against it. Hopefully she woke up shivering at some point and realised that in the end, dad won.
Noise: You could hear the weekend revelry but the glass is thick and, if anything, I felt it added to the city feels. I don’t know if they’ve had problems in the past but there are informational cards telling you who to call in the event of a noisy neighbour. Really though you’d be doing well to hear anyone else as you have most of the top floor to yourself.
Room service: definitely more of an apartment vibe than a hotel, but there are at least two very good cafes nearby where you can charge breakfast back to your room.
Perfect for: introducing a young family to Wellington. My wife and I first hooked up in a nightclub on Courtenay Place and there was something very sweet about taking our progeny back to this beautiful city to show it off. The luxury of having a hotel room you can drop into for half an hour to change your socks and recharge your phone is worth the extra money you pay for the location. I would have loved to stay longer.