My jaw dropped when I walked into my room. I knew I was at a very luxurious hotel, but somehow I was not expecting such a dramatic scheme of black and gold, nor such a large room. Floor to ceiling mirrors. An extremely large, and very comfortable bed. A desk for my laptop. A little fridge and a gigantic wardrobe. A somewhat complex coffee machine with no instructions, and a most detailed Compendium.
I was in Wellington for a very busy conference - as in two twelve hour days over the weekend, before flying home and going straight back to work, so I decided to splash out on the most comfortable place I could find. And it was just what I needed.
The room service was great. Bifteck & frites - or steak and chips. I have never seen such huge chips - an inch thick! The steak was perfectly cooked. The blueberry tart that followed was lovely. The entire thing was presented well - and it is the first hotel I've been to, that has asked me how much wine in my glass I want. "Do you want 125 or 250?" I had no idea what they were talking about. "Do you want 125 or 250ml of wine in your glass?" they patiently elaborated. "Oh, what the hell, make it 250." They did.
It did surprise me a little that even the rich have to fill their kettles from the bathroom's basin, but they do send up water in bottles if you don't like doing that. I thought of some Maori I was speaking with that don't go to hotels for that very reason - they won't fill the kettle in the bathroom. So it's good that the Sofitel offers that option. More hotels should do it.
The hotel also gave me a free upgrade from a superior room to a luxury one. So I am very happy. I'll stay there again next time I'm in Wellington, and have enough money! Go there, you pay a lot, but you get what you pay for.
